PVTIME – Swiss electrification specialist ABB has acquired Gamesa Electric, a producer of solar PV inverters and power conversion systems (PCS), in a deal whose value has not been disclosed. The deal, initiated in December 2024, includes the product portfolio previously held by Gamesa Electric’s parent company, Siemens Gamesa, and encompasses large-scale utility solar inverters, PCS for industrial battery energy storage systems (BESS), and wind power converters.
Key assets in India, China, the United States, and Australia are also part of the acquisition, alongside two converter manufacturing facilities in Madrid and Valencia, Spain. Gamesa Electric brings extensive expertise in the wind power converter, generator, solar PV, and BESS sectors, boosting ABB’s total addressable installed capacity for wind converters by approximately 46GW.
ABB stated that the acquisition responds to the growth of global renewable energy and the expected central role of solar and wind power in future energy generation. Daniel Gerber, head of renewable energy at ABB Motion’s high power division, highlighted that combining ABB’s global reach with Gamesa Electric’s product range and expertise will enable the company to meet rising demand and accelerate the adoption of global renewable energy.
Last month, the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that solar power will play a critical role in meeting growing electricity needs over the next decade, projecting a 60% increase in global renewable power generation between 2024 and 2030. ABB aims to capitalise on the predictable demand for electrical components in solar PV projects, BESS, and wind farms, where PCS and inverters, although accounting for only a small proportion of project costs, are vital to the operation of renewable assets.
In January this year, Swiss-based Hitachi Energy acquired a PCS business, citing the technology as crucial to filling gaps in its product portfolio. The solar inverter market is highly competitive, with technical and market rivalry between major Chinese suppliers and Western firms, including SMA Solar, SolarEdge, and Enphase Energy. SolarPower Europe describes inverters as the brains of solar arrays, due to their role in the digital and precise control of PV plants, and urges the EU to support domestic manufacturers.
ABB sold its solar inverter business to the Italian firm FIMER in 2020 in order to focus on other growth areas, so the acquisition of Gamesa Electric marks a return to the sector for the company.
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