Domestic inverter lack of innovation who add fuel to the automation process

The frequency converter integrates high-voltage, high-power transistor technology and electronic control technology and is widely used. The appearance of frequency converters makes the complex speed control simple and makes the transmission technology develop to a new stage. After the 21st century, domestic inverters have gradually emerged and are gradually taking over the high-end market. In the future, the huge space for the development of frequency converters still lies in its process control. The demand for energy conservation is growing faster, but the scale is smaller than the demand for industrial control. China's industrial automation still has a lot of room for development.

In 2009, the frequency conversion rate of China's newly added AC motor was only 24.2%. It can be foreseen that 50% of the frequency conversion rate can be realized. With the demand for frequency conversion of the stock motor, there is ample room for development. In addition, the energy-saving demand for medium and high-voltage inverters reached 60% in 2009.

According to statistics, a total of more than 30% of industrial electricity consumption of various types of fans, pumps, the country's total of about 47 million units, with a total power of about 130 million kilowatts, while the fan and pump load inverter demand in the power sector. In the power industry, medium and high voltage frequency converters are mainly used in high power such as induced draft fans, blowers, vacuum fans, exhaust fans, booster fans, condensation pumps, circulating pumps, slurry pumps, boiler feed pumps, etc. High-voltage motor applications. Judging from the potential of the future, the power sector will still be the main force for inverter energy-saving demand, especially in the medium- and high-voltage sector.

China's inverter manufacturing companies basically do not have the core technology and lack the ability to innovate. In the field of high-voltage inverters, basically only the integrated technology of low-voltage inverters is mastered. The key components such as IGBTs and capacitors still need to be imported. In terms of control technology, domestic enterprises basically have mastered vector control, and direct torque control cannot be mastered yet.

The IGBT is the core component of the inverter, which accounts for 24.7% and 8.9% of the cost of the low- and medium-voltage inverters and high-voltage inverters, respectively. The IGBT functions as an inverter, inverting the DC voltage into AC with adjustable frequency, but the use of IGBTs is not limited to inverters. It can also be applied in home appliances, welding machines, automobiles, wind power, solar energy, etc. Basically, IGBTs rely on imports. They are subject to foreign restrictions and urgently require localization.

Domestic enterprises do a better job in the medium- and high-voltage inverters, and they have introduced absorption innovations in the main circuit structure. At present, most high-voltage inverters in China adopt a series-series multi-level circuit structure and adopt this circuit structure to occupy the performance. Certain advantages, but with the further expansion of the field of use, further development is needed.

The market size of medium and high voltage inverters has maintained rapid growth in the last four years, and the growth rate has surpassed that of low voltage inverters. Since 2006, the compound growth rate of the market scale has reached 32%, and the compound growth rate of installed capacity has reached 48%. In 2009, the medium and high voltage frequency converter market was concentrated in the power, metallurgy, petrochemical and building materials industries, accounting for 78% of the total demand. We believe that in the foreseeable future, the main demand side of medium and high voltage inverters will remain in these four industries.

The growth rate of China's low-voltage inverters is lower than that of high-voltage inverters. The compound growth rate of the market for the past three years is 13%, and the CAGR of the installed capacity in the past three years is 21%. The main reason is that the demand for low-voltage inverters is process control, and this part of the demand is closely related to the process of industrial automation in China, and the process is slow, but the long-term trend is irresistible. This is our firm view of the basic logic of low-voltage inverter, industrial upgrading and emerging industries. Rising is the driving force for the growth of low-voltage inverters.

Inverter manufacturers have basically not mastered core technologies and lack of innovation capability. The huge space for the development of inverters in the future still lies in their process control. Energy-saving demand has grown rapidly, but the scale is smaller than the demand for industrial control. China's industrial automation still has a lot of room for development. Who will add fuel to the development of an automated process? This is a matter of concern.