Power-One (Nasdaq: PWER) and Xantrex (TSX: XTX) both introduced power inverters today.

Power One's new Aurora® PVI-6000 series of inverters uses two high-speed, independent channels to optimize energy harvesting and also increase the amount of available energy to provide up to 97% conversion efficiencies, Power-One said. They're being marketed for both wind and solar use.

Additional products from the company are expected later this year.

The introduction of the PVI-6000 is indicative of the company’s progress within the Alternative Energy markets, Power-One said, and the commitment to address the local needs of global customers with competitive products that provide energy from a variety of non-polluting sources.

On the same day, competitor Xantrex today announced the launch of its 5.0 kilowatt (kW) Xantrex GT 5.0 Grid Tie Solar Inverter, providing what it called the highest efficiency in its power range.

The Xantrex inverter has a peak efficiency rating of 96.5%, with a 95.5% rating on the California Energy Commission (CEC) list.

With the addition of the GT 5.0, the Xantrex GT series now offers customers a range of single-phase, grid-tie solar inverters with 2.5 kW, 3.0 kW, 3.3 kW, 3.8 kW and 5.0 kW models.

All of the GT Series inverters have identical dimensions.

Designed to work with the large variety of solar energy modules available in the market, the GT 5.0 has a wide input voltage range of 230 to 600 volts DC (Vdc). The inverter also features passive cooling and silent operation without the need for a cooling fan, eliminating fan maintenance and replacement issues.

Power-One is a designer and manufacturer of power conversion products sold primarily to OEM customers in the telecommunications and server/storage markets, as well as data communications equipment manufacturers. It has over 4,000 employees with manufacturing and/or R&D operations in the United States, Dominican Republic, Italy, Hungary, Switzerland, Slovakia, Ireland and China.

Xantrex is a leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of advanced power electronic products and systems for the renewable, portable, mobile, and programmable power markets.