EN 
PT_BR 
A Hoymiles is a Chinese manufacturer specializing in solutions MLPE (Module-Level Power Electronics) for global solar investors and end users and which has been notable for the commercialization of microinverters for the international market.
Founded at the National Power Electronics Laboratory of China, with headquarters at Zhejiang University, the company has not only been expanding its revenue year after year but has also been consolidating itself as an important company in the international photovoltaic sector.
In interview to the Solar Channel, Bo Yang, CEO of Hoymiles, said that the company is already working on the implementation of new technologies to add value to Marketplace.
During the conversation, the corporation's global executive also spoke about the importance of emergence of new companies in the sector of solar energy that comes from other segments, from competitive pressure in the microinverter segment and issues related to future of modular-level power electronics.
Check out the interview below:
Since its founding, Hoymiles has focused on distributed solar energy. How has the company been working to overcome the challenges and changes occurring in the sector?
Over the past five years, the solar energy industry has been educating the public about the concept of distributed solar energy. Currently, an increasing number of people are becoming aware of distributed solar energy and accepting this concept more.
In the next five years, I believe we must be more customer-centric. First, because distributed solar energy can be used in various scenarios, such as on the roofs of homes or factories.
In particular, factory roofs are often different. Therefore, it is essential to have different solutions for all these conditions.
Second, because distributed solar energy needs to be safe, efficient and easy to operate and maintain. This means we always need to update our products to provide customers with the best experience and highest power generation capacity.
Finally, we need to conduct more research on different markets, providing localized services such as product experiences and usage scenarios, which vary between countries and regions.
Recently, several policies have been issued on the safety of distributed solar energy products in China and other countries. How have these policies affected the market?
As distributed solar energy products continue to be developed, users may face issues with the safety and capacity of power generation.
Many government agencies and industry organizations are aware of these issues, and the regulations and standards they create to address them can help the industry develop and gain greater public acceptance.
Overall, policies governing distributed solar energy help drive the development of modular-level power electronics and products.
Hoymiles is one of the leading microinverter manufacturers in China. In your opinion, does the strategy of depending on microinverters as the main product affect the current and future development of the company?
We have always believed that distributed solar energy represents the future of the solar energy industry. Therefore, we have been committed to developing highly efficient and safe modular-level power electronics products.
Since our founding in 2012, following the rapid development of distributed solar energy, Hoymiles has grown rapidly and has accumulated ten years of experience, which is a unique advantage.
We will leverage this advantage to improve products and technologies, making constant updates to ensure Hoymiles maintains its technological advantage. We hope to become number one in the field of microinverters and create more value for our customers.
Is there any competitive pressure in the global microinverter sector?
Well, constant competition and stress are inevitable as we choose to establish ourselves in the microinverter industry. I believe that, just to enter the sector, there are already technical barriers to overcome.
To remain among the main companies in the sector, we also feel the constant pressure to advance and improve even more. However, Hoymiles enjoys unique advantages.
We are one of the leading global suppliers of microinverters and our industry experience and technical advantages have helped keep this pressure to a minimum.
What is your opinion on the current emergence of several solar companies starting to expand into other areas in the value chain or even entering other sectors?
Companies will make different decisions. Even so, Hoymiles will maintain its focus on the power electronics sector. In this way, it may expand its operations, including upstream and downstream products, such as microinverters and hybrid inverters.
We can start from low power, medium power and high power, and also connect to smart grids made of many converters.
Because inverters change when photovoltaic modules change, we have to focus on the upstream and downstream sectors, including the interaction and development of solar modules and downstream applications. This confirms Hoymiles' long-term commitment to becoming one of the world's leading smart energy partners.
What are the advantages of the new energy storage inverters that Hoymiles launched this year? Will energy storage become a new source of revenue for the company?
Hoymiles' core product is the microinverter and as the AC coupled system is a natural add-on in microinverter photovoltaic systems that come with energy storage functions, it makes sense for Hoymiles to enter this market.
Hoymiles will offer customers new energy storage inverter options as they work well with microinverters to create a complete cutting-edge system. At the same time, we also have energy storage solutions for customers with traditional string inverter systems.
So, Hoymiles offers a wide range of storage solutions with cutting-edge technology to meet market demands. I believe that our energy storage system will be highly competitive in the market.
Does Hoymiles consider launching other products besides the microinverter, energy storage and rapid shutdown device?
Definitely. Hoymiles has many development goals at different times. The company intends to adopt a two-pronged approach in the short term, maintaining the core competitiveness of microinverters, entering markets in different countries and creating products to meet local requirements. At the same time, energy storage inverters will provide more energy solutions for our customers.
However, Hoymiles is a company that has always been dedicated to power electronics technology and related products in the medium and long term. In the new energy sector, Hoymiles will undoubtedly advance in the development of medium to large energy converters. In the long-term perspective, in addition to the new energy sector, we will explore more sectors such as smart grids. We will undoubtedly enter more sectors.
In your opinion, what will be the future of modular-level power electronics? Will this area have any relevant technological advances in the next five years? What are the technical challenges facing Hoymiles?
I believe that improvements are needed in modular-level power electronics and, currently, there are no barriers preventing this. I believe that as customers value safety and efficiency in residential solar energy, modular-level power electronics will rise to the top of the electronics industry.
And the ideal of “three highs and one low” will also be significantly developed. This is why the market is interesting. Competition in the market for high-quality technology will benefit the growth of the market and Hoymiles, as Hoymiles has always relied on technology to achieve development.
From the beginning, Hoymiles has been dedicated to modular-grade power electronics. After years of development, it has become experienced and technologically capable, which is also a competitive advantage.
Hoymiles today employs more than a thousand people, and all members of the main technical teams are experts in their respective fields. How does Hoymiles attract, develop and produce people?
I believe that company culture and environment can explain why people decide to join. At the company's inception, the Hoymiles team was largely composed of graduates from Zhejiang University. It was an environment of mutual trust and a family business.
Hoymiles' team culture is primarily centered around an honest and friendly environment in which we generally debate and discuss issues. Although the company has grown, the environment has remained the same. Everyone at Hoymiles still remembers the original goal. At Hoymiles, there are no hierarchies; everyone works in harmony.
On the other hand, I truly believe in “letting professional individuals do professional work.” For example, our R&D team is able to attract countless fantastic professionals due to their high-level technical skills.
After starting work in R&D, new hires discover that we can meet their basic needs and continually help develop their skills.
Therefore, I believe that, in addition to focusing on payslips, today's young people also want to explore the activities they enjoy. At Hoymiles, everyone works happily and their efforts benefit the company immensely.
Hoymiles currently has subsidiaries in the United States, Australia and the Netherlands. Will you continue to focus on localized marketing and establish new R&D centers?
Yes let's go. Hoymiles must start acting like an internationalized company if it really wants to grow. The attributes of Hoymiles products may explain why the company recorded higher sales abroad.
The global market is one of our most important sectors. In addition to locating all products, the service and workforce will be located.
As such, I believe our sales, service and production teams should all be localized first. As the company grows, we will also locate our R&D area.
What are the benefits of Hoymiles focusing on the global market?
In retrospect, we took advantage of business opportunities in the global market, mainly in Europe and the United States. The way products work, whether they are solar powered or not, is essential.
There must be a guarantee of good quality, good performance and reliability. I remember we created the R&D team in 2012 and made our products available in 2016. The initial phases were very slow, and I remember a lot of people asking me, “Why is it so slow?” In fact, we want to guarantee the caliber of our products.
I believe that a good wine doesn't need fanfare. Finally, thanks to our reliable and high-performance products, we have won recognition from European and American customers. They like our products and some even believe that they are on par with leading and even the most advanced European and American products.
Therefore, Hoymiles developed gradually. As for the advantages of Hoymiles, I would classify the product as the main advantage and then the brand.
Some companies focus on markets and product design, and choose OEMs to manufacture products. Still, Hoymiles makes its own products. Why?
There are “two engines”, as I like to say. If the R&D area represents the level of Hoymiles' cutting-edge technology, manufacturing represents quality. To ensure supply chain security, product quality and outbound quality control, we manufacture all of our products.
A production and R&D data system is required for advanced products. By applying different processes to increase automation, for example, we can guarantee a low failure rate and high product stability.
Because we manufacture everything in-house, it's also easier to oversee production, scheduling and sales while meeting diverse customer requirements. The integration between R&D, production and sales will help the company to grow more than just with production.
In your opinion, what is Hoymiles’ potential for global development?
Hoymiles microinverters have gained a global reputation, but we haven't gone far enough. Hoymiles will continue to focus on microinverters because global customers know us for microinverters.
At the same time, we will launch Hoymiles products and continue to research international markets, while focusing more on location services and offering diverse services to customers in different locations.
It was mentioned that Hoymiles will be a multinational company and that the products and services will be global. What strategies will be adopted over the next few years?
Hoymiles' main plan over the next five years is to continue to focus on new energy, which incorporates two aspects: solar energy with microinverters at its core, and energy storage.
We will develop products to meet different applications over the next five years, and we will need multiple production bases and sales teams. Every region has its own culture and distinct characteristics.
To meet customer needs, we must localize products. We will have a lot of work in the future. This strategy is long term. However, I believe we will achieve our strategic objective in five years.
