Sungrow has launched its innovative 1+X 2.0 Modular Inverter tailored specifically for the extreme heat conditions of the Middle East and Africa. This new product can maintain stable operation at temperatures of up to 52°C, a crucial feature for utility-scale solar projects in the region. The inverter features significant upgrades in system safety, adaptability, and maintenance efficiency, making it more resilient to challenging environmental conditions. Its modular design allows scalability and quick maintenance, ultimately optimizing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and supporting the region’s energy transition.
Dubai, UAE, August 22, 2025 – Sungrow, the global leading inverter and energy storage system provider, unveiled its latest innovation – the 1+X 2.0 Modular Inverter – during the 2025 MEA PV & ESS Summit held in Dubai. Tailored to the harsh desert environment in MEA, the new inverter is designed for stable full-load operation at 52°C, with a scalable block design from 780kW up to 9.375MW. Featuring significant upgrades in system availability, safety, and grid adaptability, the 1+X 2.0 sets new benchmarks for utility-scale solar projects in the MEA.
Middle Eastern summers can exceed 52°C, and utility-scale PV plants act as massive heat sources, driving internal temperatures even higher, with notable differences across PV array blocks within the same plant. Traditional inverters often suffer derating or shortened lifespans under such conditions. Sungrow’s 1+X 2.0 addresses this challenge with high-performance components, efficient heat exchangers, and built-in safety margins across all critical parts. Its unique dual-duct cooling system separates hot and cold airflow, eliminating thermal interference, while redundant thermal design ensures continuous full-power operation. The inverter has passed high-temperature and irradiation tests, and wind-direction disturbance tests, proving its durability in desert heat. With these innovations, the 1+X 2.0 delivers stable, full-power performance even at 52°C.
With a fully sealed design, high-level protective materials, and a self-cleaning air duct system, the 1+X 2.0 keeps internal components clean even during prolonged sandstorms. The inverter has successfully endured 100 days of onsite sandstorm testing including 45 days of severe sandstorms, emerging dust-free inside and maintaining stable power output—demonstrating reliability under the Middle East’s year-round sand and dust conditions.
The 1+X 2.0 Modular Inverter provides increased modularity compared to the previous version. With each unit rated at 780kW, the inverter provides flexible scalability from 780kW to 9.375MW (single unit to 12 units in parallel). This results in great flexibility which covers various scenarios. The product’s split modular design isolates critical components (IGBTs, capacitors) in the upper inverter module for quick field replacement. Weighing just 105kg—lighter than mainstream string inverters—each module is easy to handle and replace. The replacement time of the upper module is slashed to one hour per module swap—the easy O&M enables field engineers to perform quick replacements. With the intelligent diagnostics function, the 1+X Modular Inverter provides real-time fault identification, eliminating manual troubleshooting and delays, accelerating repairs, and minimizing reliance on manpower.
Addressing the industry’s top challenge—most PV system faults originate in DC circuits. The DC faults may result in short-circuit, arcing, or even fire. The 1+X 2.0 Modular Inverter is providing a holistic AI-driven DC-side safety management system to solve the issue. When an arc fault is detected, the combiner box reliably disconnects the faulty circuit within 40 milliseconds, blocking fire risks at the source. Simultaneously, via inverter cluster control technology, other combiner boxes in the same block are synchronously shut down in tandem to