Tigo Energy
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Photovoltaics |
| Founded | Silicon Valley, California (2007) |
| Founder |
Sam Arditi Ron Hadar |
| Headquarters | Los Gatos, California, United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products |
Power optimizer Software as a Service |
Number of employees | 75 (May 2017) |
| Website | TigoEnergy.com |
Tigo Energy is an American private corporation, headquartered in Los Gatos, California, United States. It provides products, technologies, software and services to installers, distributors, and original equipment manufacturers within the photovoltaic industry. It specializes in module-level power optimizers and smart module power electronics.
Tigo® is a Silicon Valley company founded in 2007 by a team of experienced technologists. Combining a unique systems-level approach with expertise in semiconductors, power electronics, and solar energy, the Tigo team developed the first-generation Smart Module Optimizer technology for the solar industry. Tigo's vision is to leverage integrated and retrofitted Flex MLPE (module-level power electronics) and communications technology to drive the cost of solar electricity down. By partnering with tier 1 module and inverter manufacturers in the industry, Tigo is able to focus on its key innovation with the smartest TS4 modular platform and leverage the broader ecosystem. Tigo has operations in the USA, across Europe, Latin America, Japan, China, Australia and the Middle East.
Tigo Energy is not affiliated with Millicom International Cellular, also known as Tigo.
History
The company was founded by Sam Arditi and Ron Hadar in 2007. As of May 2017, it employs ~75 people in ~10 offices worldwide.[1]
In December 2011, the company announced its fourth round of funding, an $18 million investment led by Bessemer Ventures.[2]
In June 2012, Tigo Energy announced an award from the United States Department of Energy as part of its SunShot incubator projects worth $3.5 million.[3] The projects are designed to reduce the ongoing costs and prevent safety hazards from electric arcs in photovoltaic arrays.
In 2012 Tigo Energy announced the market launch of its newest generation of technology designed to be built directly into solar panels during manufacturing. These smart modules included all the benefits of traditional power optimizers, but without requiring installers to add extra boxes to solar modules. Tigo Energy's launch partners included Trina Solar, Hanwha SolarOne, DelSolar, Astronergy, Upsolar, and Luxor Solar.[4]
In September 2012 IMS Research identified Tigo Energy as one of three suppliers accounting for 90% of the micro-inverter and power optimizer market.[5]
Science and technology
Tigo Energy uses impedance matching to provide power control, data monitoring and safety mechanisms for every module in a solar array to increase performance and safety over traditional system-level technologies.[2] The company also hosts customer data and provides detailed analytics with a software as a service business model.
The company was the first power optimizer to successfully certify embedding their electronics directly into the junction box of a solar module, reducing the component and labor costs of optimized photovoltaic arrays and eliminating the need for additional hardware.[6]
References
- ↑ "The Top 10 Venture-Backed Green Companies - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
- 1 2 "Tigo ramps up funds and production of solar electronics — Tech News and Analysis". Gigaom.com. 2011-12-12. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
- ↑ "SunShot Initiative: SunShot Incubator Projects". .eere.energy.gov. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
- ↑ "Leading Solar Module OEMs To Display Next-generation Tigo Energy Technology During PV Expo Japan". Tigo Energy. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
- ↑ "Microinverters & Power Optimizers Outpace PV Inverters in 2011 – 70 percent Growth Predicted in 2012". IMS Research. 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2013-12-11.
- ↑ "Solar Electronics, Panel Integration and the Bankability Challenge". Greentech Media. 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2013-12-11.