German company Vensys, a leading player in the wind turbine industry, is in talks with Regen Powertech, to introduce solar inverters in the Indian market. The Chennai-based Regen Powertech is one of the larger wind turbine manufacturers in India and Vensys is its technology supplier. Now, the partners intend to extend their cooperation into the inverter market.
(Inverters are electrical devices that convert direct current (like solar-generated) into alternating current, of the desired voltage and frequency. With the solar power industry in India showing promises of a boom, the inverter market is also hotting up.)
A formal agreement could happen in the next 2-3 months, Mr Madhusudhan Khemka, Managing Director, Regen Powertech said. Initially, Regen would produce the inverters in India — if need, a separate joint venture could later be floated, he said.
The Indian inverter market is getting very MNC-intensive, and the possible entry of Vensys into the fray is yet another instance of an MNC presence in the sector. The other leading players are Bonfiglioli of Italy, SMA Inverters of Germany, American companies PowerOne and Satcon, and ABB. There are many others waiting in their wings to get into this market—a notable example is Gamesa, another global wind major with a significant presence in the Indian market.