Otovo Completes 1,000 Solar Inverter Replacements Using Tigo Energy Technology
Otovo ASA, listed on Euronext Oslo Børs under the ticker OTOVO, has completed 1,000 solar inverter replacements using technology supplied by Tigo Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: TYGO). The milestone represents a significant step forward for Otovo’s repowering business, which focuses on restoring electricity generation for homeowners and businesses with aging, unsupported, or orphaned solar installations.
As the residential solar market matures, maintaining existing systems is becoming increasingly important. Many installations that were commissioned years ago are now experiencing equipment failures, while some homeowners struggle to find technical support because their original installers have ceased operations. Through its partnership with Tigo Energy, Otovo aims to address these challenges by providing replacement solutions that help customers restore solar production without necessarily replacing their entire systems.
Expanding Solar Repowering Services
Otovo’s completion of 1,000 inverter replacements demonstrates the growing role of its repowering services within its broader home energy business. The company provides behind-the-meter energy services for residential and commercial customers, helping them maintain and improve the performance of their energy installations.
Solar inverters are essential components of photovoltaic systems because they convert the direct current electricity generated by solar panels into alternating current electricity suitable for household use and connection to the electrical grid. When an inverter fails or reaches the end of its useful life, a solar installation may be unable to deliver its intended output until the equipment is repaired or replaced.
Replacing an inverter can offer a practical alternative to undertaking a complete solar installation replacement. However, older systems often present technical challenges, including compatibility requirements, discontinued equipment models, and differences in system configurations. Otovo is using Tigo Energy’s technology to simplify this process and support a wider range of existing solar installations.
“Otovo’s mission is to build the world’s leading home energy service platform,” said William J. (John) Berger, chief executive officer of Otovo. He explained that reaching 1,000 inverter replacements demonstrates that the company’s repowering business model is working. According to Berger, Tigo’s technology provides technicians with the flexibility needed to work across different legacy solar systems, helping homeowners with aging or orphaned installations return to electricity production more quickly.
Tigo Technology Supports Diverse Legacy Systems
A key element of the partnership is Tigo Energy’s open-architecture approach, which enables Otovo to service a variety of legacy solar installations rather than being restricted to a single equipment brand.
Otovo uses the Tigo EI Inverter and TS4 Flex module-level power electronics (MLPE) products to support its replacement projects. These technologies provide capabilities designed to improve installation flexibility, monitoring, and safety across a range of system configurations.
The TS4 Flex MLPE products support module-level monitoring and rapid shutdown functionality on Otovo’s projects. Module-level monitoring helps technicians assess the performance of individual solar modules, making it easier to identify potential problems and investigate performance issues. Rapid shutdown provides a safety function designed to reduce electrical hazards during emergencies and maintenance, in accordance with applicable requirements.
The Tigo EI Inverter also offers features intended to simplify the replacement process. Its wide operating voltage range and compact design can provide technicians with greater flexibility when integrating replacement equipment into existing installations. These characteristics may help accommodate differences between older solar systems and the specifications of newer inverter technology.
For installers and service providers, compatibility is particularly important when working with equipment installed many years earlier. A replacement inverter must operate appropriately within the existing system’s electrical configuration and meet the installation’s performance requirements.
Matching Replacement Equipment to Existing Requirements
Another important feature of the partnership is Tigo Inverter Power Output Control (IPOC), which allows Otovo technicians to configure inverter power output during on-site installation.
Using this functionality, technicians can adjust the replacement equipment to suit the requirements of an individual solar installation. This flexibility is particularly relevant when the original system has specific output characteristics that must be considered during repowering.
Rather than treating every replacement project identically, Otovo can use the technology to accommodate differences among installations. Combining inverter flexibility with module-level monitoring and rapid shutdown capabilities helps the company address technical complexities that can arise when upgrading older solar equipment.
These tools are intended to make the repowering process more consistent and manageable, supporting Otovo’s efforts to expand its service capacity. The approach also allows the company to focus on restoring existing solar assets instead of automatically recommending the replacement of an entire installation.
Aging Solar Installations Create a Growing Market
The demand for solar repowering is expected to increase as the number of residential photovoltaic installations installed during earlier periods of market expansion continues to grow older.
According to the market figures cited by the companies, nearly 400,000 residential solar systems in the United States will reach the 10-year age mark annually over the next five years. More than one million systems have already passed that milestone.
As these installations age, equipment failures and maintenance requirements can become more prominent concerns for homeowners. Inverter failures, discontinued components, changing household energy requirements, and limited access to original installation records can complicate servicing.
The challenge is particularly significant for orphaned solar systems. These are installations whose original installers are no longer available to provide maintenance, repairs, or technical support. Homeowners may consequently have difficulty identifying compatible replacement equipment or finding qualified service providers familiar with their systems.
The growing installed base creates opportunities for companies that can provide standardized, scalable maintenance and replacement services. Repowering can help preserve the value of existing solar investments while enabling customers to continue generating renewable electricity.
Zvi Alon, chairman and chief executive officer of Tigo Energy, said the expanding solar installed base means repowering must become a core service discipline for installers.
Alon pointed to Otovo’s achievement as an example of how the market opportunity can be addressed at scale. He said companies such as Otovo demonstrate demand for repeatable approaches that help restore aging solar installations and return customers’ systems to operation.
AI-Powered Operations Support Future Growth
Otovo intends to address the growing demand through its service platform, supported by its proprietary Endurance™ AI system. The platform is designed to help the company manage repowering requirements and deliver services across a broad installed base.
As more solar systems reach the later stages of their operating lives, the ability to identify equipment requirements, select appropriate replacement solutions, and coordinate field technicians efficiently will become increasingly important. Technology-enabled processes can help service providers manage a larger number of projects while accommodating the differences between individual installations.
The completion of 1,000 inverter replacements using Tigo Energy technology marks a practical milestone in Otovo’s efforts to expand its maintenance and repowering capabilities. By combining compatible replacement equipment, flexible configuration options, and system-level monitoring features, the companies are addressing a growing need within the residential solar market.
With hundreds of thousands of U.S. residential installations approaching the 10-year mark each year, demand for reliable servicing and equipment replacement is likely to remain an important consideration for the solar industry. Otovo’s partnership with Tigo Energy positions its repowering business to pursue this opportunity by helping homeowners and businesses restore solar production and extend the usefulness of their existing installations.
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