SMA Solar Technology AG Presents Itself at Intersolar Europe 2012 More Innovative than Ever

With the presentation of numerous innovative solutions for the energy supply of the Future SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA) once again emphasized its technological leadership at the Intersolar Europe 2012 trade fair. In addition to intelligent energy management at the household level in established photovoltaic markets, the focus in the segment for large-scale plants was on solutions for less-developed markets. A real crowd-pleaser at the 1 000-square-meter SMA booth was the concept of the new Sunny Boy 5000 Smart Energy, the first wall-mounted PV inverter with an integrated battery.

Intelligent Energy Management for the Electricity Supply of the Future
“Intelligent energy management that automatically optimizes power generation and energy consumption is the key to the decentralized and renewable energy supply of the future. Innovative storage technology and forecast instruments are essential to achieve this goal. With the concept of SMA Smart Home, we have already today found solutions for the future, and presented them for the first time to trade professionals at the Intersolar,” explains Roland Grebe, Chief Technology Officer for SMA. The Sunny Boy 5000 Smart Energy is an integral part of the SMA Smart Home. It is the first-ever device to combine a full-fledged, modern PV inverter with an outstanding efficiency and a storage system in a compact Housing that can be mounted on the wall. The integrated lithium-ion battery has a usable capacity of about 2 kilowatt hours. This capacity facilitates the most financially efficient mode of operation: Whereas larger storage cells can only achieve their full capacity on days with a high yield, this relatively small cell increases the rate of self-consumption almost all year round by up to 30 percent. An additional optimization of self-consumption can be achieved by combining it with the SMA Sunny Home Manager, which intelligently controls household appliances based on solar forecasts from the SMA Sunny Portal. This leads to the plant operator becoming more independent from both external energy suppliers and rising energy prices. The Sunny Boy 5000 Smart Energy is set to be introduced to the market in 2013.

SMA's new, “small” Sunny Tripower was also met with great interest when presented at the Intersolar for the first time. The three-phase inverter ensures high yields in the 5 - 9 kW power class. It also comes with integrated grid management functions and reactive power supply. The first of these devices will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Solutions for New Markets
The new SMA Sunny Central 900CP XT is another device of high performance. This powerful central inverter achieves 990 kVA even at 25 degree Celsius. Thus, it is the optimal device for megawatt blocks. It can be directly connected outdoors, thanks to its robust enclosure, and has been extensively tested in the field. The new Sunny Central 900CP XT stands out due to its wide input voltage range, encompassing grid-management functions and a clearly reduced specific price. Thanks to these features, the new Sunny Central 900CP XT provides for higher profitability of large PV projects worldwide.

For the supply of industrial consumers in remote areas, SMA offers system solutions for PV diesel hybrid systems. The key component for these systems is the SMA Fuel Save Controller. It ensures the demand-oriented control of the PV feed-in depending on load and generation profiles. Thus the energy supply system operates in a stable and reliable mode even with high shares of PV. Costs for the generation of PV power are already significantly lower than power from diesel engines particularly in countries in the sunbelt regions of the earth. With the support of state-of-the-art SMA system and storage technology, fuel consumption as well as the hours of operation of Diesel engines can be reduced to a minimum. This significantly lowers the O & M costs. Together with the Fuel Save Controler, SMA inverters fulfill comprehensive grid management functions. SMA system technology is extendable on a modular basis and can be adapted to the requirements of plant operation with growing consumption.

“SMA is in an ideal position to profit from the long-term prospects in photovoltaics. With our integral approach to the energy management of the future and our innovative solutions for all areas and applications within photovoltaics, we have once again demonstrated our lead in the industry at the Intersolar Europe 2012. This was clearly reflected by the highly positive feedback we received from visitors at our booth,“ says Roland Grebe.



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 20 countries on four 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 plant sizes. The product range includes both inverters for photovoltaic plants connected to the grid as well as inverters for off-grid systems. SMA is therefore able to provide ideal technical inverter solutions 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 achieved first place in the nationwide “Great Place to Work®” competition in 2011 and 2012.


SMA Solar Technology AG
Sonnenallee 1
34266 Niestetal
Germany

Head of Corporate Communications:
Anja Jasper
Tel.: +49 561 9522-2805
Presse@SMA.de

Press contact:
Susanne Henkel
Manager Corporate Press
Tel.: +49 561 9522-1124
Fax +49 561 9522-531400
Presse@SMA.de

Investor Relations:
Julia Damm
Investor Relations Officer
Tel. +49 561 9522-2222
Fax +49 561 9522-2223
IR@SMA.de


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 Managing 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.