A pioneering spirit and passion.
For a sustainable future.

Prospects in South Africa

Sun, water and Table Mountain in the background. Cape Town is one of the sunniest cities in the world and a dream destination for me – and also for many others, because over 20 million visitors flock here every year. The waterfront consists of two docks and lots of small stores and restaurants. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to equip a PV system with our inverters here, of all places. A perfect spot, so to speak. But the many different roofs required a highly flexible solution. That was a bit tricky, but in the end we succeeded really well with the help of our partners. Now the sun supplies the harbor district with energy.

This is one of the many fantastic projects that I was able to develop with my team in South Africa, and I’m delighted with every one of them – whether a megawatt PV power plant or a safari lodge. But there are still many areas that have no access whatsoever to electricity. People here need affordable energy quickly, and conventional power plants aren’t an alternative. I’m convinced that only renewable energy sources will open up sustainable future prospects for South Africa.

Thorsten Ronge
Regional Manager MEA

Night Work with a Fantastic Outcome

At SMA Sunbelt, colleagues from ten nations work closely together to ensure a reliable and clean electricity supply even in remote areas. This includes the island of Tetiaroa in the South Pacific, which was once the retreat of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando. The challenges involved were particularly demanding: doubling the output of an existing photovoltaic diesel hybrid system and expanding it with a battery-storage system. In addition, a process was to be used for the first time that enabled the island’s entire utility grid to be started up using the battery system. We had to perform the tests for this at night so as not to bring the island to a standstill during the day with simulated power outages. When everything went dark and then, shortly afterwards, the lights went back on and our system was up and running, it was a spine-tingling moment. It was a beautiful sight to behold when all our hard work as a team ultimately paid off in practice. All team members should share in experiences like this. That’s why we share reports, measurements, lessons learned, photos, video clips and sometimes even local specialties with our colleagues who weren’t on-site. With working from home and many hours traveling, we are rarely all together in one office, so we have to find ways to bridge the gap digitally, share knowledge and stay in contact. All this makes my work at SMA Sunbelt extremely varied and challenging – and I experience it all the more intensely.

Wiebke Krüger
Head of Project Management & T/C Service

A Difficult Start, But Good Prospects

I was delighted to receive the award for “Best apprentice from a refugee background.” When I got the call, I couldn’t believe it at first. After all, more than 200 apprentices from all over Germany had applied.

When I came to Germany as a refugee a few years ago, I had many plans: learn a new profession, find a job, build a life for myself in a country that I had previously only seen on TV and the Internet. Learning and working was the way for me. I graduated from high school and applied for an apprenticeship. SMA offered me one. As an apprentice electronics technician for devices and systems, I was part of SMA from that point on. It wasn’t so easy at the beginning. I had a lot of problems with the language most of all, especially at school. I was helped by the great community among the apprentices and across the entire company, and of course by the weekly tutoring sessions that were offered to me. And my trainer was super nice, too. He did everything he could to explain the technical terms. He went through all the exam questions with us and invested much more time than would have been his job. I’d like to thank him so much for that! I’m quite proud of myself where I am now and am happy that I can continue learning and working at SMA, because I still have lots of plans.

Hedayatullah Tajik
Developmet Technician

A Missed Stop

In 2002, a unique wind-diesel hybrid system is formally inaugurated on the Greek island of Kythnos as part of an EU research project. The heart of the system is the Sunny Island inverter jointly developed by SMA and ISET, which is used in this application as a three-phase system – marking a milestone in off-grid village power supply. There is reason to celebrate – a large delegation, including members of the press, is making its way from Germany to Kythnos. Leading the German delegation are Professor Werner Kleinkauf and Günther Cramer, two important representatives of photovoltaics.

Everything goes smoothly: the journey from Kassel to Frankfurt, the flight to Athens – even the ferry crossing from Piraeus to Kythnos goes according to plan for (almost) everyone. But during his presentation on Kythnos, Günther Cramer has to improvise a bit, because his speech script is around 50 km away on another island – with my colleague Michael Wollny and I.

Here’s what happens: when the ferry docks, we are engrossed in conversation, and by the time the engine starts up again it is already too late. Our powers of persuasion can’t convince the captain to turn around, and so he drops us off on the next island, Serifos. While we chill out with a stroll along the beach and a meal at a wonderful taverna afterwards, Günther Cramer gives an improvised speech on the neighboring island and a Greek Orthodox priest blesses the installation. A technical masterpiece has been accomplished, topped off by an extremely successful and dignified opening ceremony.

In the afternoon, the good-humored captain picks Michael and I up again on the neighboring island. He smiles at us – we are friends by now.

Helmut Aangenvort

The little difference

With a team of international colleagues, we installed a stand-alone grid on the Reao atoll in French Polynesia, 1,350 kilometers away from Tahiti in the middle of the South Pacific. Only one flight per week landed on the small island, which is home to just over 300 people who primarily make a living from producing coconut oil and fishing.

The diesel generators used for this were loud, the fuel was expensive and the soot particles heavily polluted the air. Once we got the Sunny Island system up and running after a few days’ work, and were able to partially switch off the droning generators, we were approached by a man in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck. The island doctor.

He came straight from his office located in the vicinity of the generators. He excitedly told us that for the first time, he was able to read the ultrasound images correctly when examining a pregnant woman. Previously, the vibrations of the diesel generators had always prevented him from discerning the “little difference.”

I will never forget the experience of witnessing how solar power can influence people’s lives so personally.

Jörg Fischmann
Account Manager

A Home for Children

In 2010, a devastating earthquake in Haiti also destroyed a hospital that housed a home for children with disabilities. A group of SMA employees joined forces and traveled to Port-au-Prince to help build a PV system for the new Zanmi Beni Home for Children, a facility built to replace the center that was lost in the earthquake. Its location is remote and there is no access to a reliable utility grid.

SMA partnered with NRG Energy, the Clinton Global Initiative and the Solar Electric Light Foundation. We installed a PV system that has made a significant impact on the day-to-day operations of the home by providing access to clean, secure energy for the children and caregivers who live there – a basic requirement for a better life. As a father, this project has touched me deeply and I’m proud to be part of such meaningful work.

Bradley Dore
Director Marketing Department
 

Starting out in a Container

Our first headquarters in the U.S. was not the legendary garage, but rather a container in tranquil Grass Valley, California, directly opposite a colleague’s garage. It was a cramped affair, because we had filled the container to the brim with material so we had everything to hand for the initial commissioning.

But before we could install the first devices, we had to wait a good year for completion of the approval process of the all-important certification authority Underwriters Laboratory (UL). The main focus was on fire protection, because most houses in the U.S. are made of wood and fire is therefore understandably a major risk. After lengthy discussions and by virtue of our experience and expertise, we were finally able to convince UL of the safety of PV systems equipped with our inverters. Even back then, the close partnership with UL was helpful, and we are still maintaining and constantly expanding it today. We have been actively involved in shaping the standards for the U.S. market for many years. Today, thanks to our UL-accredited test laboratory in Germany, no-one has to fly to the U.S. anymore to test our solutions.

U.S. PV system operators were enthusiastic about the Sunny Boy from Germany. The figure of 36 percent more energy yield than its U.S. counterparts at the time convinced everyone.

Sven Bremicker
Head of Technology Development Center
 

“Cramer vs. Kremer” – A Legendary Battle of Wits

Sparks flew! I still have a very clear recollection of this legendary debate at the annual PV Symposium in the Banz Monastery Educational Center. SMA company founder Günther Cramer faced off against Siemens division head Peter Kremer. In the late 1990s, the two heavyweights of the photovoltaic industry argued passionately about the future design of PV systems in front of a large audience of experts. Günther Cramer advocated PV systems with a decentralized layout and the use of string inverters. Peter Kremer, on the other hand, argued vehemently for centralized solutions such as central inverters. The debate was specifically triggered by the installation of around 600 SMA Sunny Boy inverters at the training academy in Herne and a central inverter at the Munich trade fair.

A real battle of principles broke out between Cramer and Kremer. Our CEO was brimming with passion and utterly convincing as he stated his position. After all, he was known for his ability to inspire people with an idea. And he must have succeeded in doing so during this memorable round of discussions because later, in numerous conversations, I heard people refer to this debate as being legendary for the industry. Incidentally, the question of decentralized vs. centralized has not been a subject of debate for many years since. Nowadays, many factors determine how a PV power plant is designed. SMA has been offering future-proof solutions for both variants for a long time.

Bernd Engel

Volcano View

The sea to the left and the right and a volcano surrounded by clouds in the background. The view of the Kagoshima PV power plant is breathtaking – and enormously challenging for all the components.

Eight years ago, we built and commissioned what was then Japan’s largest PV power plant on a dry port. I don’t know of any plant that has had to brave the forces of nature more: heat, salty sea air, storms and lightning strikes. Not every inverter can handle that.

But it was not only the panorama and environmental conditions that were unique. I was also intrigued by the unbelievably high aesthetic standards of the Japanese. The PV modules were aligned so straight that you could have shot an arrow along their outer edge.

Of course, we paid particularly meticulous attention to all the details when installing the inverters. But then came a moment of shock. We were installing our fuse boxes when we were told that something was wrong. We didn’t understand what they meant. But, as it turned out, the SMA company logos were not fixed in exactly the same place on all the boxes. After minor cosmetic corrections, we were able to reconcile functionality and aesthetics. In the end, the Japanese power plant operators were not only satisfied but soon really enthusiastic, particularly about the power output of the PV power plant. It delivers 30 percent more solar power than was envisaged at the planning stage. A fantastic joint project in which colleagues from Germany, Japan, Korea, Thailand and India worked really well together.

Joseph Helweg
Head of Global Service Operations APAPC
 

A Picture with a Celebrity

In 2016, my colleague Mathias and I set off for Southeast Asia. Our destination was the Philippine island of Luzon. The Catalagan PV power plant, then one of the world’s largest PV power plants with string inverters, was about to be connected to the grid. Renewable energy sources are on the rise in the Philippines, and we were excited to be there to support the commissioning of the PV farm.

The journey took a total of 30 hours, five of which we spent on bumpy off-road tracks driving inland. It was a sweaty adventure that was not quite over with the successful commissioning of the huge PV farm. Shortly before we left, we met the rising star of the Philippine renewable energy industry: the then 23-year-old Leandro Leviste. He was visibly pleased with his new PV power plant and was happy to take a picture with us.

Andreas Hoefer
Service Training Quality & Performance Professional

“Made in Germany” Designed to Impress

Our temporary SMA office in Tokyo was quite small. Eight colleagues crowded around a large table. From morning to night, the phones were ringing off the hook as we contacted prospective customers and introduced them to the SMA inverter brand, which was completely new to the Japanese market. That was quite a challenge in a country that is a technological leader and produces its own world-renowned brands. But the products and solutions made in Germany impressed my quality-conscious compatriots.

In 2011, I wanted to work in an industry that would shape the clean energy supply of the future and offer people new prospects. That’s why I joined SMA – and I’m very pleased that we have been successful. SMA has established itself in Japan. We now have over 50 talented colleagues, significantly more offices and excellent prospects for the future.

Masafumi (Massi) Kawakami
Head of GSO

Settling in at SMA

In the summer of 2000, an internship led me to SMA. I had just arrived in Germany, it was my first-ever job and my German was unfortunately not very good yet. I was very nervous and a bit insecure, but immediately enthusiastic about the family-like atmosphere at SMA. I was captivated by the openness of my colleagues, how easy it was to communicate and the relaxed exchange with developers. It’s unbelievable how much I learned as a result.

The big boom in the solar industry was still to come and I remember exactly how we celebrated the production of 3,000 inverters in just one month by going for a drink together. A short time later, SMA was producing this number of units every day.

I will never forget this atmosphere from the early days of photovoltaics. And although many things have changed, the SMA spirit has always remained with the company’s fantastic corporate culture and solidarity among the employees. That is still something very special for me today.

Astrit Rraci
Global Costumer Quality Monitoring

Megawatts or Gigawatts?

At a meeting with a global PV project developer shortly after SMA South America was founded, we discussed the energy market in Chile. When I explained that there was currently only 3 MW of solar power installed there, my discussion partner said, “Yes, of course, it’s good to know that solar capacity in our country is 3 GW.” It was utterly incomprehensible to him that he was wrong by a factor of 1,000 and the figure really was only 3 MW – just enough to supply 7,500 households.

When SMA first arrived in Chile in 2012, only a handful of companies were implementing solar projects. Some of them even continued to put pressure on the authorities to develop coal projects. Others saw nuclear power as the salvation. Unbelievable, considering the consequences this could have for an earthquake-prone country like Chile.

I am happy to be among those who have helped to establish solar energy in South America, and the prospects for photovoltaics are getting better and better. So far, 3 GW of power has been installed in Chile using SMA technology alone – enough for three million households.

Daniel Rosende
General Manager SMA Süd Amerika (SMA South America)

Small Charger, Great Reception

On St. Nicholas Day 2019, we toasted the successful EV Charger charging test with all the colleagues involved in the project and the external developers from Ninjaneers. For the very first time, an electric vehicle was charged using the SMA EV Charger beneath a solar roof, essentially bringing sunshine right into the fuel tank. It was great to see that our development worked. It was especially nice that we were able to celebrate the outcome of our collective efforts together – even though it was really cold on that December day. If the charging infrastructure in Germany is consistently expanded going forward, there will soon be nothing more standing in the way of clean driving enjoyment.

Lisa Spangenberg
Product Managerin Charging Solutions