Solar Technology Leader Breaks Ground
on Largest Inverter Factory on Earth
82,000-Square-Foot Facility Designed
to Handle Increased Demand for Solar Inverters
GRASS VALLEY, Calif. (Business Wire EON) May 6, 2008 --
Global solar technology giant SMA
Technologie AG, the parent company of SMA
America, Inc., has broken ground on an 82,000-square-foot solar
inverter manufacturing plant in Kassel, Germany. The largest of its kind
on the planet, the new facility is designed to triple SMA’s
current production capacity to meet the global demand for its wildly
popular solar inverters. It will support all manufacturing efforts for
SMA America including production of the Sunny
Boy 3000US/4000US and Sunny
Boy 5000US/6000US/7000US inverters, created specifically for the
American solar market. Construction is expected to wrap up in the fall.
“With this new facility, SMA Technologie AG is
once again significantly optimizing its manufacturing processes,”
says Günther Cramer, CEO of SMA Technologie
AG. “At the same time, the plant will set the
new standard for the energy efficiency of industrial buildings.”
The state-of-the-art manufacturing plant will feature an innovative
carbon dioxide neutral energy concept. The energy needed for the
production process will be supplied exclusively from renewable energy
sources, including a building-integrated, 1.1-megawatt photovoltaic
system and a regional biogas plant. The building itself will harvest
electricity and heat from two gas-powered combined heat and power
plants. An absorption refrigeration system will allow the waste heat
from these plants to be used for cooling the facility in the summer and
heating it during the winter. The plant also will feature natural
ventilation systems, and natural and artificial lighting systems.
The new manufacturing plant is expected to create about 1,000 new jobs.
“We are very excited about the new
manufacturing plant,” says Jeffrey Philpott,
marketing manager for SMA America. “The
increased production capacity of the facility will help SMA America keep
up with the enormous demand for its Sunny Boy line of inverters.”
SMA’s successful Sunny Boy line of
inverters—which are renowned for their
reliability and efficiency—has reached a
total installed base of more than 750,000 units worldwide. Together,
these Sunny Boy inverters are able to provide an astonishing
aggregate of three billion watts (i.e., three gigawatts)
of safe, usable, grid-quality power.
About SMA America, Inc.
SMA America, Inc. is a proud part of the worldwide SMA family of
companies, with divisions in nine countries on four continents, boasting
over 1,900 employees, and continuous double-digit growth. SMA America
supports installers and small businesses in the solar industry through
marketing and training assistance. Since 2000, SMA America has shown
unfaltering commitment to the continued development and implementation
of leading-edge products, including some of the most efficient solar
inverters available nationwide. For more information, call (530)
273-4895 or visit www.sma-america.com.
Photo: Günther
Cramer, CEO of SMA Technologie AG
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