There is a change at the top at Studer Innotec and PES met up with the new managing director, Matthew Anderson to get his vison of the future from his office in Switzerland.
PES: Welcome to PES Solar/PV magazine. Thanks for talking with us. Would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of your organisation and how you currently serve the solar/PV industry?
Matthew Anderson: Studer Innotec was founded in 1987 by Mr Roland Studer in Valais, Switzerland. Mr Studer recognised a need for high-quality power electronics for off-grid power applications and began by supplying solutions for off-grid residences in the Alps. The products quickly gained a reputation for their reliability and robustness, and Studer Innotec began exporting internationally and to a wide range of markets including grid back up, mobile, telecom and industrial applications.
As the PV industry grew, and grid-connected PV became the largest market at the start of the century, Studer Innotec intentionally focused on the applications it knows best: battery based systems. Now, as battery storage increases in grid connected applications, our products are seeing a huge increase in applications.
Over the coming decade, we expect the products supplied for off-grid, poor grid, and grid-connected applications to continue to merge. There are many companies that arose from grid-connected applications. It is a steep learning curve to get the intricacies of controlling a battery right. Our 30 years of experience help us to be ahead of the competition.
