The $ 6.6-billion, Taiwan-based Delta Electronics is investing $15 million to set up a manufacturing facility for solar inverters at the SIPCOT Sriperumbudur Hi-Tech SEZ, near Chennai. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2012. Close to 70 per cent of the output will be exported, while the balance will meet the rising demand for solar inverters in India. Says Dalip Sharma, MD, Delta India: “With global warming becoming a major issue across the world, this is a huge opportunity for us.”
With this plant, the total investment of Delta Electronics in India will exceed $ 60 million. The Chennai plant is the fourth plant of Delta Electronics in India after those at Gurgaon, Pondicherry and Rudrapur in Uttarakhand. These plants produce telecom power systems, uninterrupted power systems and display solutions.
Mr. Sharma says: “The rapid growth of the Indian economy means it will need solar solutions to raise power capacity.” Delta which has been in India for close to a decade is looking to ramp its operations here. During the last fiscal, the Indian operations had revenues of $ 154 million, which is expected to touch $ 200 million this year.
The solar inverter is the heart of the photovoltaic (PV) system. The grid-tied inverter will not operate when they do not detect the presence of the grid. It contains special circuitry to match the voltage and frequency of the grid. These inverters shut down automatically upon loss of utility supply, for safety reasons. These will come in handy as India is looking to have a 20,000 mw solar power capacity under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.
Also Delta will be producing Grid-tied solar inverters for domestic market and for exports to Europe, South-East Asia and Australian markets. It is the first multinational to set-up a manufacturing plant in India for solar inverters. Though there are many companies that are providing inverter solutions in the market, most of them are suitable for European grid conditions. Delta is the only international manufacturer providing “AP-Asia Pacific” models to consumers, the inverters are customized to Asian conditions.
