ABB’s acquisition of Gamesa Electric’s power electronics business has given it a broader utility-scale solar and storage portfolio. The next question is where to manufacture it, with US requirements prompting the company to weigh local production against continued supply from Europe.
“For us, it’s more a decision of when and how than if,” Daniel Gerber, ABB’s business line manager for renewable power, told ESS News. “The when and how mainly depends on the legislation and then on an economic decision. How much volume do we have at that point in time? And does it justify the investment?”
The acquisition, completed in December 2025, brought Gamesa’s solar inverters and battery converters into ABB. In June 2026, ABB launched its Proteus PV and BESS portfolio ahead of Intersolar in Munich, including bidirectional converter stations and controls supporting grid-forming and black-start capabilities.
Gerber said Gamesa Electric’s products complement ABB’s existing portfolio, while ABB brings a wider sales and service network.
“Their previous owner was very much wind-focused,” he said. “Here, we can find opportunities together because we have a very similar customer base in many other applications.”
That broader reach was also highlighted by Juan Barandiaran, now ABB’s operations and service manager for renewable power and formerly CEO of Gamesa Electric when owned by Siemens, in a September interview with pv magazine. He said access to ABB’s global service network had been particularly well received by customers.
ABB’s Daniel Gerber (right) and Juan Barandiaran (center) at a ABB town hall event in Spain. Image: ABB
“Now we can access projects that were previously outside our scope,” Barandiaran said.
The integration also extends to product development. Gerber said ABB is combining the two companies’ control software before moving to the next generation of hardware.
“We think that combining the ABB software portfolio and the Gamesa software portfolio on the control side can make the product even more powerful,” he said.
Utility-scale for ABB
As ABB returns to the solar sector, Gerber said his business remains focused on utility-scale projects.
“We are doing utility-scale only,” he said. “Big power ranges, complicated projects, big customers, mission-critical applications.”
In the US, Gerber said ABB has teams assessing changing requirements and working with industry associations on their interpretation.
“Typically, a new requirement is published, but then there are a lot of questions on how exactly to apply it, how to interpret it,” he said.
“As of today, I’m very happy that we are compliant. We can sell,” he added. “We have a plan for the future so that we can keep selling, either out of Europe or out of the US with local content if required.”
Gerber did not provide a production timetable or suggest boots on the ground in the short term. While ABB already has a substantial US manufacturing presence, he said introducing these products requires investment beyond assembly.
“It’s not just manufacturing. One of the most important parts is testing. You need to be sure that whatever you manufacture is actually working exactly as you want it.”
Local sourcing also requires components to meet the same reliability, performance and delivery expectations.
“It’s not impossible, but it’s a lot of work and takes time,” he said. “We need to have a business case which works out in terms of volume, timeline, requirements and customer demand.”
For BESS projects, Gerber’s business typically supplies the power conversion unit, transformer and switchgear on a skid, alongside a controller to meet grid requirements at the connection point. Customers include EPC contractors, system integrators, equipment manufacturers and utilities.
His team is also working with battery suppliers to test compatibility, aiming to resolve integration questions before equipment reaches a project.
“Not that the customer has to figure out whether it works together, but that we know this all in advance,” he said.
Further development of Proteus will initially focus on combining ABB’s and Gamesa’s control software, with a hardware redesign likely to follow.
“There’s no reason to abandon or completely change that for the short-term future,” Gerber said. “We can enable more intelligence on that product.”
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