SMA Doubling Inverter Production Capacity

• SMA Solar has started constructing a new solar inverter factory in Germany
• The 20 GW fab will take the company's current production capacity to 40 GW
• From the beginning of 2025, it will produce large-scale PV systems to be supplied globally

Germany headquartered global supplier of solar PV inverters, SMA Solar Technology is doubling its annual production capacity by an additional 20 GW with a new Gigawatt Factory in Germany which will take its annual capacity to 40 GW when the fab comes online, providing a big boost to European solar manufacturing.

The company has started the construction of the SMA Gigawatt Factory in Niestetal to produce system solutions for large scale PV systems from the beginning of 2025 to be supplied globally. It plans to build the same for €80 million.

"Against the background of global climate change, hopes worldwide are pinned on renewable energies. In order to leverage the enormous potential, however, it is necessary to network photovoltaics intelligently with storage systems, e-mobility and other sectors and to integrate them into the overall system," said SMA CEO Jürgen Reinert. "To this end, we will be producing system solutions for large-scale PV systems from Niestetal in two years and delivering them all over the world."

The building will have a production area of 16,250 sqm and equipped with a solar PV system. SMA estimated the project to generate over 200 jobs in the region.

Earlier this month, SMA celebrated the milestone of installing over 20 GW of large scale solar in North America near the end of 2022, out of more than 105 GW installed across the globe.

Troubled by electronic component supply shortages in the early part of 2022, SMA is increasingly seeing its order backlog growing to as much as €2.07 billion till December 2022-end. The management recently reported 8.4% annual improvement in net sales with €1.06 billion for 2022. For 2023, it aims to grow the same to between €1.45 billion and €1.60 billion (see SMA Solar Exceeds Revised 2022 Guidance).