Solution Offers Flexible Integration with New and Existing PV Systems
ROCKLIN, Calif.—September 19, 2018—As the cost of solar-plus-storage continues to drop, many utilities are turning to PV instead of traditional power plants. To meet the market’s demand, SMA has introduced a new DC coupled storage solution ideal for utility-scale PV projects, and is now taking orders.
The new DC coupled storage solution is built for new PV plants, but it can also be used to retrofit existing PV plants for those operators who want to enjoy the benefits of solar-plus-storage. In many utility-scale applications, DC coupling can offer significant operating cost and efficiency advantages over AC coupled systems.
“With more than 60 gigawatts of solar and one gigawatt of storage inverter capacity installed, SMA understands the value of the two core technologies. Building on that expertise, SMA has unique competence for pairing PV and batteries,” said Boris Wolff, Executive Vice President for SMA’s Utility Business Unit. “Building a PV plant with storage, or adding storage to an existing PV plant, enables new business cases. Utilities will find many additional benefits when adding storage to their PV systems.”
The DC coupled storage solution consists of SMA’s Sunny Central EV-US line of inverters with a DC coupling ready option and up to six 500 kW SMA DC-DC Converters.
About SMA
The SMA Group with sales of around €900 million in 2017 is a global leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV plants. SMA offers a wide range of products and solutions that allow for high energy yields for residential and commercial PV systems and large-scale PV power plants. To increase PV self-consumption efficiently, SMA system technology can easily be combined with different battery technologies. Intelligent energy management and digital energy solutions, comprehensive services and operational management of PV power plants round off SMA’s range. The company is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, is represented in 20 countries and has more than 3,000 employees worldwide, including 500 working in Development. SMA’s multi-award-winning technology is protected by more than 1,100 patents and utility models. 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 is currently the only company in the solar industry that is listed in the TecDAX index.
