Commercial and Utility-Scale Products from Denver Manufacturing Facility Now Meet "Buy American" Requirements

ROCKLIN, Calif., Jan. 31, 2012—SMA America has announced the availability of select Sunny Central solar inverters for commercial and utility-scale projects requiring compliance with the "Buy American" clause in the American Reconstruction and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The ARRA-compliant central inverters are available for immediate order.

Currently, the full Sunny Central Compact Power (CP) line—which includes 500-800 kilowatt inverters—and the Sunny Central 500HE-US assembled in SMA's Denver, Colo. manufacturing facility meet the guidelines established under the Buy American clause. This site also provides SMA's ARRA-compliant Sunny Boy inverters, which range from 3,000 to 8,000 watts.

Installers and project developers requiring these domestically assembled, ARRA-compliant central inverters should specify when ordering.

"The addition of the Sunny Central CP line and the Sunny Central 500HE-US completes our portfolio of ARRA-compliant inverters," said Jurgen Krehnke, president and general manager of SMA America. "Now installers can specify the industry's most durable, reliable and efficient inverters for all project sizes—residential, commercial and utility-scale—while satisfying ARRA's Buy American Clause."

The Sunny Central CP line includes the Sunny Central 500CP, 630CP, 720CP, 760CP and 800CP, which won the Intersolar Award 2010 in the photovoltaics category. The outdoor-rated Sunny Central CP inverters produce 110 percent of rated output at ambient temperatures below 25 C, resulting in increased yields and a lower levelized cost of energy. Meanwhile, the Sunny Central 500HE-US boasts an industry-leading maximum efficiency of 98.6 percent.

The UL-certified, ARRA-compliant Sunny Boy 3000-US, 4000-US, 5000-US, 6000-US, 7000-US and 8000-US offer efficiencies of up to 97 percent. Their longevity is enhanced via SMA's patented OptiCool™ active temperature-management system and rugged cast-aluminum, outdoor-rated enclosure. Automatic grid-voltage detection and an integrated DC disconnect switch simplify installation, ensuring safety while saving time. These Sunny Boy models also feature galvanic isolation and can be used with all types of modules—crystalline as well as thin-film. They include a 10-year factory warranty, with the ability to extend up to 20 years.

About SMA
SMA Solar Technology AG is the global market leader for solar inverters. The SMA Group generated sales of €1.9 billion in 2010. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is represented in 19 countries on four different continents. The Group employs a staff of over 5,300 worldwide, plus a number of temporary employees which varies on a seasonal basis. The multi award-winning product range covers solar inverters for roof systems, major solar projects and off-grid systems, enabling SMA to provide a technically optimized inverter solution for all size categories and system types. Its range of services is complemented by a worldwide service network. The highly flexible manufacturing plants for solar inverters in Germany and North America have a capacity of approximately 11.5 GW a year. The SMA Group also operates a manufacturing plant for electromagnetic core components in Poland. Since 2008, SMA has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and also in the TecDAX index. In recent years, SMA has received numerous awards for its excellence as an employer and achieved first place in 2011 in the federal "Great Place to Work" competition. www.SMA-America.com