Siemens has announced it will begin manufacturing solar string inverters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the company will produce utility-scale solar components specifically designed to serve the U.S. market. The Kenosha facility, owned and operated by the company’s long-time manufacturing partner Sanmina, will help meet increased demand for localized production of critical parts for photovoltaic projects, while helping customers take advantage of the full value of solar tax credits and domestic content incentives.
“Manufacturing is part of our DNA in Wisconsin, so I’m excited Siemens is bringing production of these Made in America clean energy components to Kenosha,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “Utility-scale solar is critical to achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. Coupled with the clean energy incentives included in the federal Inflation Reduction Act, this will help accelerate our progress toward a workforce and economy that are built for the 21st century.”
Operations at the Kenosha facility will be the newest addition to Siemens’ growing U.S. footprint, underscoring the company’s strong manufacturing presence in Siemens’ largest market. Over the past four years, Siemens has invested $3 billion to expand U.S. manufacturing and other strategic M&A activities.
The facility is projected to begin production in early 2024 and will scale up to a capacity of 5,200 BPTL3 string inverters (800 MW) per year. Siemens acquired KACO’s Blueplanet string inverter line in 2019.
The string inverters, which will range from 125 to 155 kW, will be manufactured with a California Energy Commission (CEC) efficiency of 99%. The inverters are designed for 1,000- or 1,500-VDC solar array input and can be utilized for either decentralized or ‘virtual central’ design architectures.
Work at the facility will create up to a dozen jobs during its initial ramp-up period, with plans to grow this number at the facility and through the regional supply chain in the future.
The company is now taking capacity reservations for volume commitments for the 2024 calendar year.
News item from Siemens
