With Latin America’s energy storage market becoming increasingly competitive, Sungrow is rolling out a regional expansion strategy centred on four key countries: Argentina, Peru, Chile and Colombia.
The approach was outlined by Jorge Alvarado, Key Account Manager at Sungrow, during his participation at FES Chile, where he detailed the conditions shaping the growth potential for battery energy storage systems (BESS) across these markets.
According to the company, the main opportunities lie in countries showing progress in regulatory frameworks, greater technical maturity among developers and an ecosystem of stakeholders willing to operate under demanding international standards.
“Today there are around 25 competitors chasing these energy storage projects across the region,” Alvarado said, highlighting the intense level of competition.
To stand out in this environment, Sungrow is relying on a technology-driven value proposition designed to reduce operational risk and anticipate market changes, combining plug-and-play architectures with artificial intelligence (AI)-based energy management systems.
This strategy allows projects to adapt to new regulatory requirements without replacing the entire infrastructure, while also optimising system performance in real time.
“We currently have AI-based energy management systems capable of making real-time decisions, analysing patterns and continuously improving battery charge and discharge performance,” Alvarado explained, pointing to software development as a core pillar of the company’s strategy.
“Our containers are plug-and-play by design: we can disconnect an inverter, reconnect it and comply with a new regulation as soon as it comes into force,” he added, stressing that this flexibility enables compliance with evolving regulations without disrupting operations.
This architecture is complemented by solutions such as PowerTitan 2, a containerised system that integrates DC-to-AC power conversion within the same unit and uses liquid cooling to improve efficiency at the grid interconnection point.
However, technological differentiation alone is no longer enough to secure projects. According to Alvarado, developers are now assessing BESS investments through a much more comprehensive lens.
“We see four critical variables for closing deals: legal, commercial, technical and financial,” he noted.
These factors vary significantly from country to country. In Argentina, access to financing and commercial conditions tend to outweigh initial capital expenditure (CAPEX). In Peru, the absence of capacity or availability payments undermines the bankability of BESS projects.
In Chile, the main focus is on regulatory compliance and its impact on insurance coverage.
“A BESS plant that does not have the required certifications, or has certifications that are not aligned with the Chilean legal framework, will face serious insurance issues,” Alvarado warned.
“This can significantly affect operations, as these are not inexpensive policies.”
In Colombia, where the technical framework is more advanced, Sungrow is already operating the country’s largest battery storage system, with 7 MWh of capacity, and is deploying more than 1.4 GW of solar PV projects, consolidating its position in one of the region’s most dynamic renewable energy markets.
“With us, developers get 24/7 support across technical, commercial and after-sales services,” Alvarado concluded, underscoring the importance of ensuring system availability and long-term return on investment in energy storage projects.
