Bertram Hilgen, Mayor of the City of Kassel and SMA CEO Günther Cramer turned over the first shovels of dirt during the ceremony for the new SMA inverter factory in Germany. The new plant will expand the company’s production capacities to meet the increasing demand for SMA solar inverters. It is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2008.
The energy required for the production process wll be drawn exclusively from renewable energy sources. The concept is based on a building envelope of a low-energy building as well as a building-integrated photovoltaic system with a capacity of approximately 1.1 megawatts and the use of biogas from a regional biogas plant. SMA produces electricity and heat using two gas-powered combined heat and power plants (CHP). An absorption refrigeration system allows the waste heat of the CHPs to be used for cooling in the summer. In winter and during transitional periods, the process waste heat is in turn used to heat the fresh air. In addition, both natural ventilation systems as well as lighting systems that incorporate natural and artificial lighting are used.
SMA's CEO emphasized the high esteem held by the company for the region and in particular, praised the commitment of the regional collaborators for the site in Northern Hesse: “SMA is continuously working together with the regional competence network deENet, the University of Kassel, the ISET and the Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Rural Development and Consumer Protection, to establish the North Hessian region as the technological hub for decentralized and renewable energy. The new SMA inverter factory is setting an example for this region and far beyond,“ said Cramer in his speech.
SMA Technologie AG with its headquarters in Niestetal, Germany, and eight international subsidiaries on four continents sells solar inverters, the central component of every solar power system. This global market leader in solar inverters currently employs 1,900 employees and based on the group’s provisional figures, has generated sales totaling approximately 330 million euros in 2007.
