Fimer (ABB) Inverters: An Independent Review by Solar Choice

Overview of Fimer (ABB) – Company History

Fimer S.p.A was founded in 1942 by Arturo Sottocorno, as a welding equipment manufacturer. Fimer is located in Italy as they are headquartered in Vimercate. Fimer’s main business sectors in 2020 are solar and e-mobility. Fimer has over 1100 employees worldwide with a direct presence in 26 countries spanning over 5 continents. With 3 production facilities and 3 R&D centres, Fimer is able to maintain a distribution network of over 100 countries.

Fimer established their solar division back in 2007 and has since grown to become the world’s 4^th largest solar inverter supplier. In March of 2020 Fimer completed the acquisition and integration of ABB’s inverter business. The transaction included all of ABB’s manufacturing and R&D sites in Finland, Italy and India, along with 800 employees across 26 countries.

In regard to the branding of Fimer ABB Inverters, Fimer CEO Filippo Carzaniga stated in an interview that “we will have the possibility to use, in combination with Fimer, the ABB brand for the next three years.” This statement indicates that Fimer may continue to manufacture inverters under the brand of ABB for the next few years.

A Brief Rundown on Solar Inverters

A solar system’s inverter is the point at which the DC electricity produced by solar panels is turned into grid-compatible AC electricity. There are four types of solar inverters, these being string inverters, hybrid inverters, micro inverters, and power optimisers.

String inverters (such as Fimer’s) have traditionally been the standard in the solar industry. They send the power produced by solar panels to a central inverter that changes it from the DC electricity to the usable AC electricity that powers homes.

What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?

PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) with support from DNV GL has been independently testing Solar Panel reliability since 2014, and for the first time in 2019 have tested solar inverters. It is a voluntary test which manufacturers have to pay to be a part of.  The solar panel testing is considered internationally as an excellent indication of solar panel quality. It’s expected that the inverter testing will have the same recognition. To read the full PVEL scorecard click here.

Fimer (ABB) Inverters – Points of Difference

Fimer UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-Q

The Fimer UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-Q is a residential single-phase inverter available in 1.2, 2.0, 3.3, 4.0, 4.6, 5.0 & 6.0 kW.

Fimer UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-Q Highlights- as listed on website

• Wireless access to the embedded Web User Interface
• Easy commissioning capability
• Future-proof with embedded connectivity for smart building and smart grid integration
• Dynamic feed-in control (including zero injection)
• Remote firmware upgrade for inverter and components
• Built-in DC isolator on models 3.3kW and up

Fimer (ABB) Inverter Efficiency

An important aspect of getting the most value out of a solar inverter is to choose an appropriately sized inverter to optimise the solar panel system efficiency. To read about the importance of inverter sizing and system efficiency click here.

Residential inverter efficiency standards are generally 95 to 98 percent. The Fimer UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-Q 5.0kW has a maximum efficiency of 97.4% and an EU weighted efficiency of 97.0%.

Fimer (ABB) Inverter Warranty

In Australia, the CEC approved Fimer (ABB) single-phase residential inverters come with a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty as standard. The three-phase residential inverters come with a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty that can be extended to 10-years. The warranty period commencing on the date the inverter is installed, or 6 months after the date of production, whichever occurs first.

Fimer has stated that all ABB Inverters installed prior to Fimer’s acquisition of the ABB Inverter business will have their warranties honoured.

Fimer (ABB) Inverter Costs

Fimer (ABB) residential inverters are manufactured in Italy, this means that they will be more expensive than Chinese manufactured competitors.

Indicative pricing

Keep in mind that inverter costs generally only run between 10-20% of your total system, so often it is worth investing in a high-quality inverter given this will have a large impact on the efficiency and performance of your Solar Power project.

A Full Range of Fimer (ABB) Inverters Available in Australia 

These residential Fimer (ABB) Inverters are approved by the Clean Energy Council for the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which is Australia’s home solar rebate program.

The following Fimer (ABB) Inverters are CEC approved:

Fimer UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-Q 1.2, 2.0 & 3kW

Fimer UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-Q 3.3, 4.0, 4.6 & 5.0kW

Fimer UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-Q 6.0kW

Inverter + Storage

Fimer React 2 3.6 & 5kW

Fimer (ABB) Inverter Specifications

Example of a Fimer (ABB) Commercial Solar Project 

This application of ABB inverters is located in Costa Rica. The country has a very unique climate and geography, that has enabled 95% of energy requirements to be supplied by renewable sources. Such as Hydro, solar, geothermal, and wind over the past few years.

For the majority of 2018, Costa Rica was able to supply 100% of the country’s energy from renewable energy sources. It’s the country’s ambition to supply 100% of power from renewable energy sources.

ABB provided inverters for Costa Rica’s largest solar farm; the farm generates enough power to supply 10% country’s population. The farm utilised 28 ABB PVS-175 String Inverters and 1 ABB PVS-175-MVCS (medium voltage compact skid). This installation was completed prior to the acquisition.

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Jack Boutchard

Writer at Solar Choice

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