The first major victim of the rise of Asian inverter makers was announced this week with American manufacturer Advanced Energy opting to wind down a solar inverter business which claimed the third largest share of the global market in 2013. The extent of the struggles facing manufacturers trying to resist products with a 'Made in China' label was reflected by the fact the parent company will take a $260 million-$290 million hit from the closure after being unable to find potential buyers for its AE Solar Energy business. According to IHS figures, Advanced Energy could claim 4% of the global solar inverter market two years ago but the business' demise follows the announcement, earlier this year, that inverter giant SMA was shedding a third of its global workforce to remain competitive. And the main beneficiaries from AE's imminent demise? China's Sungrow, Huawei and TBEA of course. All-conquering U.S. solar leasing company SolarCity has tweaked its Homebuilder Program to include … you've guessed it, the solar accessory of the season: a Tesla Powerwall. The Homebuilder Program offers purchasers of new-build homes the chance to add a solar system to their property without raising the purchase price and is now offering a generation and storage system that includes a Powerwall and monitoring and control, with SolarCity claiming it can be altered in future to harness the opportunities offered as utilities roll-out smart ...Den vollständigen Artikel lesen ...