INTERVIEW WITH STUDER INNOTEC

As a swiss company, Studer Innotec is developing, manufacturing, and selling battery-based energy conversion equipment used for various applications (off-grid, self-consumption, onboard maritime and land systems, safety, and industry) since 1987. Their products reflect the Swiss culture of innovation, quality and reliability.

Studer Innotec has been certified according to ISO 14001 which shows their commitment to the environment, minimizing the climate footprint and to respecting raw materials. ISO 9001 is the concrete expression of the company’s commitment to quality, improvement and control of our processes and products. Studer Innotec completes the palette by expressing human values and sustainable development through the Valais Excellence label. 

In 2020, they also obtained the Solar Impulse label, which rewards the 1000 best solutions capable of protecting the environment.

Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?

STUDER INNOTEC: Our internationally available product range consists of inverter, inverter/charger, MPPT solar controller and accessories around various battery types. Our Plug-and-Play equipment is continuously tested during the production process and can be combined with several energy sources such as solar panels, batteries, a generator, a wind turbine, the conventional electrical grid, … Free technical support and complete documentation are provided with our products, which are guaranteed for 10 years.

E.E: What’s the news about new products?

STUDER INNOTEC: In 2021, we launched our latest product, the next3. It is the new strong player for off-grid, grid connected and hybrid installations. It is a 16 kW three-phase inverter/battery charger with two integrated high-voltage MPPT solar charge controller inputs of 8 + 8 KW. Solar and transfer modules are optional. With the AC flex interface, you can configure a second source or an additional controlled load, for example with this function you can charge your electric car, or you can connect a generator so that you always have power in case of a power failure.

The next3 is a unique solution for distributed electrification. Thanks to its innovative modular combination, you can operate up to three units in parallel. And for the first time, it is also possible to combine multi-unit and multi-battery systems using an external transfer, which even allows the use of different battery technologies and increases versatility through central management.

To simplify the management of your inverter-charger, we have developed a new comprehensive interface. One central user interface per complete system. The next interface is the new gateway to the nextOS ecosystem, an intelligent and intuitive platform for configuring, controlling, and analyzing your system. It makes life easier for you and your professional installers.

The Power Flow Dispatcher is the brain of your entire system, distributing the power flow and centralizing the power management of the entire system in an integrated way.

The Smart Boost2 function allows you to adapt to the limitations of the source with the battery in the most versatile way possible, facilitating for example phase balancing or peak shaving.

Installation and wiring have never been easier. One device replaces up to 6 devices in a typical installation, saving you space and time.

E.E: What are the ranges of products?

STUDER INNOTEC: We have inverters (0.2 – 2.4 kVA), inverter/charger (0.5 to 72 kVA), MPPT solar controller (1 –105 KWp) and accessories around various battery types. We are compatible with all battery types and manufacturers

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?

STUDER INNOTEC: The market is mature. There is huge barrier to enter as a new company. We are grateful to already have an experience of 35 years in this market.

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

STUDER INNOTEC: The market was before orientated to self consumption without storage. Now, our customers are looking for energy autarky with storage. A market that we address with our last inverter charger next3 and its combability with battery manufacturer. The end-customers do not want to rely on the grid any more.

E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?

STUDER INNOTEC: Our new inverter, the next3, is ahead of competition in term of power, capacity, installation, size and weight. The easiest way to manage all your power at one single-point.

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022?

STUDER INNOTEC: According to our market analysis, we assume that the market will grow by 15% in 2022 due to stability problems of the grid, energy black-out, price increase of energy, and political issues in Europe.