Supply Chain for industrial photovoltaic systems
How to structure a supply chain of the main components in order to be able to build photovoltaic systems on time.
In the last news we have published our latest achievements, we are talking about 6 plants, 5 completed and one in the process of being completed: overall these 6 projects have a power greater than one mW.
In these days we are finalizing other truly large and important industrial projects, significant numbers that will allow us to grow at the company level and to consolidate our experience as a General Contractor in renewable energies.
In this News, we will talk about how we have structured our supply chain of the main components in order to be able to build photovoltaic systems on time.
We would like to specify that from September to December 2022, we have imagined an important development of our renewable energy business unit, glimpsing real commercial opportunities and acquiring new orders with new customers.
By virtue of this, we have tried to make the procurement process scalable, creating real commercial partnerships with the primary direct producers.
This was possible thanks to the division of the procurement process into 5 cost centres:
- photovoltaic modules;
- Inverters;
- Support structures;
- Electrical components;
- Switchboards;
Photovoltaic modules
We have strengthened the business partnership with Jinko Solar, which started in 2019.
The choice of the photovoltaic module is an important choice as there are always spot offers on the market from the various Italian retailers that entice any potential buyer with modules from various manufacturers.
Price is generally king: we have always believed that in order to be able to offer third parties a finished turnkey project that works and performs over time, price is a secondary element that certainly comes after "quality / performance / availability of the product ”.
Jinko Solar, according to a ranking by © Solar Media, Ltd. 2023 Source: PV Manufacturing & Technology, is now the world's second largest manufacturer of photovoltaic modules.
To give you an order of magnitude, in 2023 only, our commercial partnership with Jinko Solar is structured on a potential purchase volume of photovoltaic modules of the "Tiger Neo-Half cell 72H" model, of 570 Watt, powers with tolerances + or - 10 Watts per module, equal to 12 containers, the equivalent to 7,440 modules.
Inverter
Until September 2022, we were certain to continue purchasing 50 or 100Ktl Huawei machines (the equivalent of 50 kW and 100 kW), truly high-performance products designed for future storage systems and having an integrated practical and efficient monitoring system.
Unfortunately, the multinational Huawei, like most of the electronics manufacturers, has paid the price for the supply of semiconductors (SiC) composed of silicon (Si) and carbon (C).
Even today, June 2023, Huawei is struggling to fulfill orders for those product ranges.
In September 2022, our reflection was to create a new commercial partnership with another inverter manufacturer, as you cannot make a process scalable if the procurement of the product does not have certainties in deliveries.
We have thus established significant business relationships with Growatt, which ranks 4th in the "top ten inverter producer" ranking.
We have contracts in place throughout 2023 for the purchase of 10 inverters of 100TL (the equivalent of 100 kW per machine) and another 20 inverters of 125TL (the equivalent of 125 kW per machine).
The Growatt product has also integrated a high-performance monitoring system that can be easily managed remotely, but also provides the predisposition for future integration of multi-storage systems.
Support structures
The support structures of the photovoltaic modules are another important element in the development of a turnkey project and installation of a photovoltaic system. There is logically not a single type of universal structure that can support a photovoltaic module, as this depends on the type of industrial roof on which the modules are to be installed.
As INVECO is an industrial general contractor with over 20 years of experience in the design and construction of production plants, it was easy for us to find the right partners and customize each project to the type of industrial roofing.
Today we have significant commercial partnerships with www.teknomega.it, www.wuerth.it, www.viessmann.it, www.sun-age.it.
In the future we would like to directly produce structural elements in extruded aluminum, it is a verticalisation process which we are significantly thinking about as we differentiate ourselves from the competition, certainly bringing added value in terms of know-out by optimizing the cost process of the turnkey system.
Electrical components
The electrical components are procured from leading national distributors and resellers, to date we have never had delivery problems despite the many turbulence and uncertainties of 2022.
The procurement market for cables and electrical components continues to give us the necessary guarantees in the purchasing process.
In any case, for the second half of 2023, we are planning to open commercial relations in China, which would allow us to purchase large quantities of solar cable in stock, creating significant economies of scale within our supply chain.
Switchboards
As regards the installation of photovoltaic modules and everything that is installed on the roof in direct current, INVECO is 100% autonomous with direct, formally integrated, qualified and certified personnel.
As far as alternating current installations are concerned, i.e. the connections from the inverter to the electrical panels, it is our intention to continue consolidating the commercial partnership with Cerip Impianti Srl.
In this case, the experience of our supplier guarantees us respect for deadlines, quality of work and willingness to intervene throughout the country according to our installation programs.
Although we are really satisfied with how our renewable energy division is planning its organic growth, we are always on the lookout for technical, design and technological updates.
Installing a photovoltaic system for domestic use is quite simple, doing it on an industrial level requires different skills and specializations.
We are convinced of what we do and have built a corporate organization capable of satisfying any request throughout the country.
For us at Inveco it is always an honor and a pleasure to be able to give life to all those projects that embrace our philosophy, where renewable energy is both the protagonist and an accomplice of our future.
