SMA Solar returning to US manufacturing after nearly a decade, under an MoU with Create Energy
Production targeted to begin in H1 2026 at Create Energy’s Portland, Tennessee location
It plans to produce Sunny Highpower PEAK3 inverters and PowerSkid solutions for large-scale utility projects
German solar PV inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology AG is returning to the US manufacturing space after a gap of almost a decade. This time, it has joined hands with Create Energy to produce its string inverters in Tennessee.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US-based renewable energy company Create Energy, SMA aims to begin manufacturing in Q1 2026 at the former’s flagship facility in Portland, Tennessee.
SMA will roll out its Sunny Highpower PEAK3 line of string inverters as scalable solutions for large-scale PV systems. It will also manufacture the company’s fully-integrated PowerSkid solution on-site. The latter, with a maximum capacity of more than 2 MW per block, will cater to utility-scale performance. The duo will also explore joint sales and business development activities.
This return to US manufacturing for SMA comes after it shut down its factory in Denver, Colorado, along with the one in Cape Town, South Africa, in H1 2016. Management cited ‘unexpectedly strong’ price pressure as the reason for shutting down these factories at the time, and decided to focus on achieving better production capacity utilization in China and Germany instead.
Their partnership is aimed at localizing supply chains, reducing lead times, and enhancing customer support, stated SMA.
SMA is implementing its US manufacturing plans even as it undergoes restructuring, with its Home & Business Solutions segment experiencing a decline in demand. The company recently lowered its annual sales forecast for 2025 to €1.45 billion to €1.5 billion and EBITDA to -€80 million to -€30 million (see SMA Solar Lowers 2025 Forecast Amid Restructuring Plans).
Create Energy Founder and CEO Dean Solon said, “This collaboration will advance renewable energy and deliver American-built inverters and skids.” Solon is also the founder of Shoals Technologies and, in 2024, partnered with RECOM Technologies to launch a new manufacturing company called ReCreate in the US, with up to 5 GW of annual solar cell and module production capacity, located in Portland (see Solar PV Industry Veterans Launch GW-Scale PV Company).
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