Company to Introduce HDPV Compliant Inverters, Lowering BOS Costs

SAN FRANCISCO and BOLOGNA, Italy, Oct. 22, 2013 -- The HDPV Alliance, an industry initiative aimed at reducing photovoltaic (PV) balance of system (BOS) costs while increasing energy production from PV plants, today announced that Bonfiglioli Vectron GmbH has joined HDPV as a member of the steering committee. Bonfiglioli has been designing and developing innovative and reliable power transmission and control solutions for industrial, mobile machinery and renewable energy applications for over 50 years, and is a worldwide leader in commercial and utility-scale PV solar inverter solutions with over 1.8 GW installed.

The HDPV Alliance uses defined standards, tested compatibility and shared best practices to enable members across the PV value chain to deliver products and services that optimize PV systems using a distributed power conversion (DPC) design. HDPV-compliant systems lower total system costs while increasing performance.

"Bonfiglioli's goal to design and manufacture innovative and reliable power solutions for the renewable energy sector is directly in line with the objectives of the HDPV Alliance," said Robert Lenke, head of product management of Bonfiglioli's Renewables Business Unit. "We are pleased to join HDPV to further its mission and look forward to working with fellow members and our mutual customers to shape standards that move our industry toward lower cost and higher performance PV systems."

As part of its membership in HDPV, Bonfiglioli will in Q1/2014 release its own line of HDPV-compliant inverters that are optimized to be deployed with DC power converters (optimizers) in a PV array.

HDPV-compliant inverters deliver up to twice the power at a higher efficiency than the same inverter operating in a normal mode. Doubling the rated power is equivalent to cutting cost in cents per watt (¢/W) in half. With HDPV inverters, systems also have more PV modules in a series string, which saves up to 50 percent on DC BOS costs. The HDPV label identifies products and services as compatible with HDPV standards, and gives an edge to members who have a more cost-effective solution that provides superior ROI.

"The HDPV Alliance was created in response to increasing pressure in the PV industry to drive down system costs," said HDPV Alliance Chair Mark Kanjorski. "We are thrilled that Bonfiglioli has joined HDPV leadership in lowering the cost of PV energy using our open standards for distributed power conversion system designs. It underscores Bonfiglioli's long-standing commitment to deliver the highest value possible to customers."

About Bonfiglioli

The Bonfiglioli Group, now present in over 80 countries worldwide, has been offering complete solutions for the industrial and renewable energy sectors since 1956. Thanks to years of continuous investment, Bonfiglioli is one of the top players in solar energy generation today. Bonfiglioli Vectron designs and manufactures highly innovative inverter solutions for photovoltaic applications at its center of excellence in Krefeld, Germany. Bonfiglioli offers tailored solutions, whose strength lies in the advanced content of each product and the intelligent integration of different technologies. In addition to products of certified quality, Bonfiglioli customers benefit from an extensive sales network and impeccable pre-sales and after-sales service to create the world's top solar energy installations. Bonfiglioli offers the capacity and financial stability necessary to guarantee worldwide service and assistance for the entire lifetime of your installation. To learn more visit http://www.bonfiglioli.com.

About the HDPV Alliance

HDPV, or High Definition PV, is the solar industry's standard for delivering a greater concentration of solar energy in kWh by providing higher resolution power optimization, information gathering and control at a much lower cost than previously achievable. The HDPV Alliance is an initiative to enable PV project developers, systems integrators, and EPCs to easily identify and source solutions that provide higher performance at a lower cost – the HDPV Advantage. Membership in the Alliance lets customers know that your products or services feature the HDPV Advantage, and streamlines the process of building cost-effective solutions. Companies throughout the PV industry interested in joining the HDPV Alliance are encouraged to visit http://www.hdpv.org/membership/.