SMA Expands North American Utility-Scale PV Inverter Line

SMA America LLC, the U.S.-based subsidiary of global solar technology leader SMA Solar Technology AG, has expanded its U.S. line of utility products with the Sunny Central High Efficiency (HE) line of solar inverters.

ROCKLIN, Calif., July 29, 2010—SMA America LLC, the U.S.-based subsidiary of global solar technology leader SMA Solar Technology AG, has expanded its U.S. line of utility products with the Sunny Central High Efficiency (HE) line of solar inverters. The new 500 and 630 kilowatt inverters provide integrators, project developers and EPCs with a utility-scale 1000VDC solution that features the industry's best efficiency in the medium voltage interconnection category.


The Sunny Central 500HE features a maximum output of 550 kVA, while the 630HE produces 700 kVA. Both provide full AC-rated active power while maintaining a 0.9 lagging/leading power factor range while operating continuously at 50 degrees Celsius. By connecting to an external medium voltage transformer to accommodate long distance power feeds to distribution substations, the HE line is ideal for utility installations and industry leading maximum and weighted efficiencies of 98.6 and 98.4 percent result in an outstanding energy yield.

"The Sunny Central 500HE and 630HE inverters are key components of SMA's fast-growing, North American utility-scale business," said Jurgen Krehnke, president and general manager at SMA America. "They demonstrate our leadership position in terms of innovative technology and extensive experience with multi-megawatt projects."

Integrated grid management features such as remote control of active and reactive power, automatic over-frequency response, automatic power factor adjustment, power curtailment and low voltage ride through provide power system operators with essential grid stability tools, making the Sunny Central HE line extremely grid-friendly.

Available with a 99 percent uptime guarantee, the new inverters are also designed to increase ROI for developers by maximizing energy production.

Two Sunny Central 500HE or 630HE inverters can be combined in a packaged solution with one medium voltage transformer to provide a 1.00MW-MV Station or 1.25MW-MV Station, both of which simplify large-scale deployment.

The Modbus® Gateway, OPC/ODBC interface and open SCADA communications allow for easy integration of the high efficiency inverters into existing plant, utility or third party monitoring systems.

"Whether it's a utility company looking for the best in grid control and reliability or a developer looking for an experienced, bankable business partner, SMA is the solution," said Dave Wojciechowski, director of sales for SMA America.

SMA's North American HE line also consists of the Sunny Central 500HE-US, launched earlier in the year, which is designed for large-scale projects requiring UL-listing and is also available with a medium voltage transformer in a 1.00MW-MV Station.

ABOUT SMA
The SMA Group generated sales of more than sales of 934 million Euro in 2009 and is the worldwide market leader for photovoltaic inverters, a key component of all solar power plants. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is represented on four continents by 13 foreign subsidiaries. The Group employs a staff of over 4,000 (incl. temporary workers). SMA's product portfolio includes the most comprehensive range of inverters on the market, offering a compatible inverter for every type of photovoltaic module and for all plant sizes. The product range covers both inverters for photovoltaic plants connected to the grid as well as inverters for off-grid systems. 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 its excellence as an employer.
www.SMA-America.com

DISCLAIMER:
This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for, acquire, hold or sell any securities of SMA Solar Technology AG (the "Company") or any present or future subsidiary of the Company (together with the Company, the "SMA Group") nor should it form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company or any member of the SMA Group or commitment whatsoever. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

This press release can contain future-oriented statements. Future-oriented statements are statements which do not describe facts of the past. They also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These statements are based on plans, estimations and forecasts which the executive board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available at this time. Future-oriented statements are therefore only valid on the day on which they are made. Future-oriented statements by nature contain risks and elements of uncertainty. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors can lead to considerable differences between the actual results, the financial position, the development or the performance of the corporation and the estimates given here. These factors include those which SMA has discussed in published reports. These reports are available on the SMA website at www.SMA.de. The company accepts no obligation whatsoever to update these future-oriented statements or to adjust them to future events or developments.

Featured Product

S-5!® PVKIT™ 2.0 Solar Rooftop Solutions

S-5!® PVKITâ„¢ 2.0 Solar Rooftop Solutions

The concept of combining PV arrays with standing seam metal roofing is growing-for good reasons. Metal roofs have a life expectancy of more than 40 years. Shouldn't the mounting system last as long? With S-5! zero-penetration attachment technology and PVKIT 2.0, the solarized metal roof is the most sustainable system available -and without compromising roof warranties! PVKIT 2.0 is the also the best solution for attaching PV modules directly to any exposed fastener metal roof.