SMA Celebrates 30 years in Business and Inaugurates the World’s Largest PV Inverter Service Center

Since its founding in 1981, SMA has grown from a small German engineering firm for control systems into the world market and technology leader in PV inverters. During this time, SMA has repeatedly set trends in the field of photovoltaics and significantly contributed to the spread of renewable energy forms. "The company founders’ vision of a 100 % decentralized, renewable energy supply is what drives SMA forward to this day. Today, the global energy turnaround has become irreversible and is going to benefit the company long term”, states Pierre-Pascal Urbon, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of SMA.  One of the most important topics in the energy supply sector is integration of the ever-increasing quantities of electricity from renewable sources into the power distribution grid. As smart plant and grid managers, solutions from SMA make an important contribution in solving these questions. “SMA is poised to help shape the worldwide energy supply change as a global energy management company", Urbon continues.

Against this background, SMA is also cultivating  its service expertise. Right now, the largest service center for PV inverters worldwide is being erected at the Sandershäuser Berg industrial area and was inaugurated today. The inauguration speech was held by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Norbert Röttgen. Beginning spring 2012, replacement devices from all over the world will be analyzed, tested and repaired in the new building which provides 24,000 m² of floor space. SMA has a global network of 85 service sites in 19 countries. At the ultra-modern Sandershäuser Berg site, the company will yet again optimize customer service work processes. This is aimed to ensure that, with the ever-increasing number of supplied inverters, an excellent service with short response times will be maintained in the future. In Germany, SMA devices are normally replaced within 24 hours, and in other countries within 48 hours. "The new service center at Sandershäuser Berg will provide a perfect infrastructure that will enable us to achieve further improvements with regard to speed, quality and costs", emphasizes Executive Vice President of Service, Souleymane Niang.

The new Service Center has not only been designed with optimum functionality, but also with a focus put on sustainable and efficient energy usage. This concept includes a fully insulated shell with a wooden-frame construction and incorporates effective heat recovery and utilizes wasted heat from production. In addition, a photovoltaic plant with a power output of 1 Megawatt is being installed on the building’s roof. 



About SMA
The SMA Group generated sales of EUR 1.9 billion in 2010 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 in 19 countires onfour continents. The Group employs a staff of over 6,500 (incl. temporary employees) worldwide. SMA’s product portfolio includes the most comprehensive range of inverters on the market, offering a compatible inverter for every module type 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 and lately reached first place in the federal “Great Place to Work” competition.



SMA Solar Technology AG
Sonnenallee 1
34266 Niestetal
Germany

Head of Corporate Communications:
Anja Jasper
Tel. +49 561 9522-28 05
Anja.Jasper@SMA.de

Press contact:
Susanne Henkel
Press officer
Tel. +49 561 9522-11 24
Fax +49 561 9522-11 03
Susanne.Henkel@SMA.de

Investor Relations contact:
Stephanie Kniep
Director of Investor Relations
Tel. +49 561 9522-22 22
Fax +49 561 9522-22 23
ir@SMA.de

Julia Damm
Investor Relations Officer
Tel. +49 561 9522-11 64


Disclaimer:

This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an offer or invitation to purchase, hold, or sell any securities of SMA Solar Technology AG (the "Company") or any present or future subsidiary company of the Company (together with the Company, the "SMA Group"), nor should it be construed as the basis for any agreement aimed at the purchase or sale of securities in the Company or any member of the SMA Group.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements describing facts which do not lie in the past. They also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These statements are based on plans, estimations, and forecasts that the Executive Board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available at this time. Forward-looking statements are therefore only valid on the day on which they are made. Forward-looking 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 company, 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 assumes no liability whatsoever for updating these future-oriented statements or to make them conform to future events or developments.