Development and manufacturing of inverters for photovoltaics, battery storage systems, and converters for rail vehicles and industry.
KACO new energy GmbH – A Siemens Company
Neckarsulm · Erlenbach · Kassel · San Francisco · SeoulNew on Amplifa
About KACO new energy
KACO new energy GmbH, headquartered in Neckarsulm, develops and manufactures inverters for photovoltaic systems and battery storage systems as well as converters for rail vehicles and industrial applications. The product portfolio includes string and hybrid inverters of the blueplanet series for residential, commercial and industrial applications as well as utility-scale solar power plants, complemented by battery inverters, PV monitoring and PV accessories. Production takes place at the headquarters in Neckarsulm according to the Made in Germany principle; the developed Multi-MPPT technology and SiC semiconductor technology are used in the product lines. The company was founded in 1914 in Heilbronn and spun off in 1998/99 as KACO Gerätetechnik GmbH from the traditional manufacturer KACO; since April 30, 2019, it has been a 100-percent subsidiary of Siemens AG within Smart Infrastructure. In addition to manufacturing, KACO new energy offers a service portfolio including commissioning support, inspection, maintenance, analysis and repair, a 48-hour exchange service, as well as training, covered by a worldwide network of service centers and partners.
- Site
- Neckarsulm
- Processes
- Manufacturing of inverters for photovoltaic and battery storage systems, Manufacturing of converters for rail vehicles and industrial applications, Manufacturing of motor seals and shaft sealing rings (historical), Commissioning support, Inspection of PV systems, Preventive maintenance of inverters, Analysis and repair of inverters, Inverter exchange service (replacement shipping within 48 h, collection of the old unit)
- Materials
- Silicon carbide semiconductor technology, Multi-MPPT technology
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO 14001:2015, DIN ISO 45001:2018, DIN EN ISO 50001:2018, ISO/IEC 27001:2022
- Founded
- 1914 (KACO
- Industries
- Photovoltaics (utility-scale, commercial/industrial, residential), Battery storage, PV-diesel, Rail vehicles and industry (converters), Energy industry/power supply
- 01
Development (Neckarsulm, Kassel)
- 02
Manufacturing/assembly of inverters (Neckarsulm)
- 03
Logistics (Erlenbach)
- 04
Sales and service
- 05
Commissioning, maintenance, analysis and repair
- 06
Inverter exchange service and repowering
Technologies and Processes
Silicon carbide semiconductor technology
Enables highly efficient inverters such as the blueplanet 125 TL3 for 1500-volt PV modules.
Multi-MPPT technology
Flexible power optimization for complex and irregular roofs on commercial and industrial buildings.
Sites
Neckarsulm
DEHeadquarters, development and production
- Production line for solar inverters with Multi-MPPT technology (2023)
- Production plant for string inverters (Plant 3)
- Production plant for central inverters (Plant 1)
- Production plant for components, rail/automotive sector (Plant 4)
Erlenbach
DELogistics center
Kassel
DEResearch and development center
San Francisco
USSubsidiary (first international branch 2003–2005)
Seoul
KRService/branch office (KACO new energy INC.)
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing of inverters for photovoltaic and battery storage systemsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of converters for rail vehicles and industrial applicationsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing of motor seals and shaft sealing rings (historical)Other | – | – | – | – | – |
| Commissioning supportEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Inspection of PV systemsTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Preventive maintenance of invertersAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Analysis and repair of invertersAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Inverter exchange service (replacement shipping within 48 h, collection of the old unit)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Repowering / retrofitting of PV systems with blueplanet invertersAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Retrofit backup power function (backup power supply up to 10 kW, 3-phase)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Trainings and webinars on inverters, PV systems and battery storage systemsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| ALoMCP setting adjustment (RoCoF/Vector-Shift configuration, software updates)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
5 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production line for solar inverters with Multi-MPPT technology | KACO new energy | – | – | 2023 | Neckarsulm |
| Production plant (string inverters, Plant 3) | KACO new energy | – | – | – | Neckarsulm |
| Production plant (central inverters, Plant 1) | KACO new energy | – | – | – | Neckarsulm |
| Production plant for components, rail/automotive sector (Plant 4) | KACO new energy | – | – | – | Neckarsulm |
| Production plants | KACO new energy | 2 | – | 2010-2012 | Neckarsulm |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certifications
The processes are regularly audited by accredited bodies; certifications include DIN EN ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001 and ISO/IEC 27001 (Intertek). In 2006, the company was the first manufacturer in the industry to achieve CO2-neutral production.
| Evidence | Neckarsulm |
|---|---|
| DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 | |
| DIN EN ISO 14001:2015 | |
| DIN ISO 45001:2018 | |
| DIN EN ISO 50001:2018 | |
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
History
- 1914
Founding of Kupfer-Asbest Co. by Gustav Bach, Albert Hirth and Gustav Klein in Heilbronn
- 1939
Product range includes choppers, predecessors of today's inverters
- 1950
KACO is the world's largest manufacturer of electromechanical choppers
- 1953
First thyristor inverter
- 1994
First developments in photovoltaics
- 1998/99
Spin-off of KACO Gerätetechnik GmbH; the world's first transformerless PV string inverter PVI 2600
- 2003–2005
Relocation of headquarters to Neckarsulm, logistics center Erlenbach, R&D center Kassel, first international branch in San Francisco
- 2006
First manufacturer in the industry with CO2-neutral production
- 2007
First transformerless 3-phase string inverter in the 30 kW class (Powador 30000xi)
- 2009
Renaming to KACO new energy GmbH
- 2010–2012
Two new energy-efficient plants in Neckarsulm; production start in Canada and the USA in 2011
- 2012
First product solutions for energy storage
- 2014
Double anniversary: 100 years of KACO and 15 years of KACO new energy
- 2017
Inverter capacity sold exceeds 10 gigawatts
- 2018
Acquisition of Energy Depot; blueplanet 125 TL3 with SiC technology
- 2019
Siemens AG acquires 100% of the shares as of 30.04.2019
- 2021
blueplanet NX1 for residential PV
- 2022
blueplanet NX3 series for residential and small commercial applications
- 2023
New production line in Neckarsulm with Multi-MPPT technology; Matthias Haag becomes CTO/CSO
- 2024
25 years of KACO new energy; production line modernization completed; monitoring cloud with Siemens