SMA Solar Technology AG – Press Release Photovoltaic Diesel Hybrid Project With SMA System Technology Has Gone Into Operation In India Niestetal/Mumbai, July 2, 2013 – SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA) has equipped another photovoltaic diesel hybrid system with Sunny Tripower inverters and the intelligent control unit SMA Fuel Save Controller. Thanks to the SMA Fuel Save Solution the system owner, a cotton mill operator in Palladam, a suburb of Tirupur in the Indian state Tamil Nadu, is able to continue production – despite daily utility grid failures – with solar energy and is saving fuel costs and reducing CO2 emissions considerably. Reliable Energy Supply Despite Daily Power Outages Daily power outages lasting several hours are commonplace in Palladam. Until now, the cotton mill operator Alpine Knits used a 1.25 MVA diesel generator to supply power during the power outages. However, the ongoing fuel consumption led to continuous increases in production costs. To reduce their energy bill, the cotton mill operator decided to install a PV system on the rooftop of their factory. In June, the new PV system with a 1 MWp module capacity designed, installed and commissioned by Chemtrols Solar Pvt Ltd, an established EPC service provider based in Mumbai, started producing inexpensive energy. “Low costs, quick operational readiness, maximum reliability and availability are fundamental for energy-intensive operations,” says Roland Grebe, Chief Technology Officer at SMA. “This is why we developed the SMA Fuel Save Solution for industrial applications.” The SMA Fuel Save Solution combines the PV system and local diesel gensets to work as a PV diesel hybrid system that covers the energy demand of the cotton mill reliably even when the grid fails. The PV array with 44 Sunny Tripower 20000TLEE inverters can meet up to 60 percent of the energy demand. The SMA Fuel Save Controller intelligently controls PV feed-in based on load profiles and PV array power – for a consistent and secure supply of electricity, reduced fuel costs and minimum CO2 emissions, with excess solar energy fed into the utility grid. “For factories that suffer power outages and are dependent on diesel generators for their power supply, a hybrid system is the perfect solution as it increases the utilization of the PV power plant significantly and thus reduces payback time,” says Dhananjay Nandedkar, assistant to the vice-president, Solar projects, Chemtrols Solar. Solar Energy – an Alternative to Diesel The installation in Palladam is SMA's second hybrid system to use the SMA Fuel Save Solution. In December 2012, the first hybrid system in the megawatts went into operation in Thabazimbi, South Africa in a chrome ore mine. “The system in Thabazimbi combines an energy supply based on diesel with PV, while the installation in Palladam is the first hybrid system in which the diesel genset is used as backup power supply, due to the weakness of the utility grid,” explains Roland Grebe. “With these two installations, we have proven our expertise in the hybridization of both energy supply systems.” There is good potential in India for hybrid systems – currently over 20 gigawatts of diesel gensets produce the energy used in industries such as raw material processing, agriculture and textiles. And with a solar irradiation of 1,500 kWh per kWp and up to 300 sunny days per year, India is a prime location for PV array power. “We are currently planning further installations in collaboration with the system designer and EPC Company, Chemtrols Solar, ” says Roland Grebe. “In sunny regions, the SMA Fuel Save Solution is an economical and ecological alternative to increasing diesel prices and high CO2 emissions.” About SMA The SMA Group generated sales of €1.5 billion in 2012 and is the global market leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV plants and, as an energy management group, offers innovative key technologies for future power supply structures. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is represented internationally in 21 countries. The Group employs more than 5,000 people worldwide. 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 and fourth place in 2013. 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 9522-421400 Presse@SMA.de Investor Relations contact: Julia Damm Manager Investor Relations 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. 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