Nextpower’s next chapter: From solar trackers to inverters and storage

Nextpower, formerly known as Nextracker, is best known for solar tracking systems used in large solar farms. The company is now expanding into two new areas: inverters, which convert solar power into electricity usable by the grid, and battery storage. It recently acquired inverter maker Zigor Corporation and its U.S. arm, Apex Power, along with battery storage company Prevalon Energy. It also plans to acquire a German company that makes solar mounting systems.

On the inverter side, most current models are made in China and have grown cheaper but less durable as manufacturers pushed more electrical current through them, causing parts to wear out faster. Nextpower says its own inverters, made in the U.S., will fix this reliability problem. The timing lines up with a Trump administration ban on imports of new foreign inverter models, though inverters already sold in the U.S. are unaffected.

On storage, Nextpower sees fast-growing demand for battery systems, including a newer use: as a buffer for AI data centers, which can cause sudden electricity spikes or drops that stress the grid and damage equipment. The company says batteries paired with inverters can respond fast enough to smooth out those swings.

None of this changes anything for a homeowner directly — these are utility-scale technologies, not home equipment. But it reflects a bigger push to make solar, storage and grid equipment more reliable and made in the U.S., trends that can eventually affect the cost and availability of clean energy more broadly.