Solar Inverter Manufacturer to Aid Customers in Northeast as they Rebuild PV Plants

ROCKLIN, Calif., November 20, 2012—As relief efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, SMA has reached out to customers in the northeast to offer support and assist with the restoration of solar PV plants across the region.

Some victims of the hurricane were also SMA customers that relied on solar for at least a portion of their power supply. Many of them saw their Sunny Central inverters damaged beyond repair. In such cases, SMA will provide those customers with commissioning of replacement Sunny Central inverters at no charge to help them restore their systems as soon as possible.

"We cannot imagine the devastation that victims of the hurricane have suffered," said Henry Dziuba, president and general manager of SMA America and president of SMA Canada. "At this time we want our customers to know they can count on us as a trusted partner. We know support is more crucial than ever in this time of great need, and we hope that our customers, their families and neighbors can get up and running again as soon as possible."

Since some customers have not yet been able to determine the level of damage to their solar PV plants, SMA will continue to offer this support for the next several weeks and months as necessary. SMA hopes to do its part to provide some relief for those individuals affected by the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.

In some cases, SMA inverters helped residents maintain power during and after the hurricane when the power grid went down. For example, SMA inverters provided emergency power for more than a week after the storm hit in Bayonne, N.J. Two Sunny Central 125U inverters were used in a one-of-a-kind, commercial-scale solar electric system developed by Advanced Solar Products, Inc., which was installed in 2005.

The system helped power Midtown Community School in Bayonne, which served as the emergency evacuation center to residents during Hurricane Sandy. When the grid went down throughout the area, power remained at Midtown Community School thanks to the system powered by SMA inverters.

SMA will continue to collaborate with its partners and provide additional customer support until recovery from Hurricane Sandy is complete.

About SMA
The SMA Group generated sales of €1.7 billion in 2011 and is the global market leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV plants. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is represented in 21 countries on six continents. The Group employs more than 5,500 people worldwide, plus a number of temporary employees that varies on a seasonal basis. SMA's broad product portfolio includes a compatible inverter for every type of module on the market and for all PV plant sizes. The product range includes inverters both for grid-connected PV plants and for off-grid systems. SMA can therefore provide an ideal inverter solution for all plant sizes and types. Since 2008, the Group's parent company, SMA Solar Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and also in the TecDAX index. In recent years, SMA has received numerous awards for excellence as an employer and in 2011 and 2012 achieved first place in Germany's nationwide Great Place to Work® competition. www.SMA-America.com/www.SMA-Canada.ca