The Client
A long-running solar owner ready for its next chapter
International Biomedical is an Austin-based medical device manufacturer operating out of a light-industrial campus. The facility has run on-site solar for years, and like a lot of early commercial adopters in Austin, it reached the point where the original inverters were nearing the end of their service life.
Rather than wait for a failure, the facilities team brought NATiVE in to repower the system: keep the existing array producing by replacing its aging inverters with modern inverter technology and integrated monitoring.
The Challenge
Keeping an orphaned system online
The existing array relied on first-generation inverters from KACO and Advanced Energy — the latter a manufacturer that has since exited the solar inverter business, which makes replacement parts and warranty support nearly impossible.
That meant fitting new inverters to the existing conduit runs, strings, and disconnects across two buildings — and keeping the facility’s 480 V service and Austin Energy interconnection clean and code-compliant through the transition, without disrupting production on the floor below.
By the Numbers
System specifications
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Repowered system | |
| Inverters removed | (2) KACO, (2) Advanced Energy |
| Inverters installed | (4) CPS / Chint Power Systems string inverters |
| Total inverter capacity | 150 kW AC (2 × 50 kW, 2 × 25 kW) |
| Existing array size | 135kW DC |
| Site | |
| Electrical service | 480 V, three-phase |
| Utility / interconnection | Austin Energy |
| Warranty | 10-year NATiVE workmanship warranty plus manufacturer equipment warranties |
How It Came Together
Project timeline
Project gallery
Why It Matters
Repowering is the next big job for early Texas solar adopters
Many commercial systems installed in Austin a decade or more ago are now reaching the same crossroads: panels that still have productive years left, paired with inverters that are out of warranty or no longer supported. Replacing just the inverters can extend the useful life of the original investment and reduce exposure to unplanned downtime.
NATiVE approaches these as commercial solar engineering projects first — existing conditions, interconnection, and code compliance before equipment — and backs them with long-term service and O&M support. See more of our work across Austin and the Hill Country.
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