SMA Solar Technology
SMA Solar Technology AG is a German solar energy equipment supplier founded in 1981 and based in Niestetal, a suburb of Kassel, Germany. It is the world's largest manufacturer of inverters for solar photovoltaic modules with a revenue of 1.9 billion € and estimated 40% share of the global market in 2010. [2]
History
The company was founded in 1981 to commercialize the emerging solar technologies industry. As most renewable energy forms (e.g., solar, wind, hydropower) generate direct current electricity, the inverter is an essential system component to 1) transform electricity from DC to AC for use in national electric grids 2) optimize the power coming from solar arrays by continuously finding the maximum power point (MPP) along the short circuit current/open circuit voltage (IV) curve of the arrays and 3) provide safety functions, such as isolating a solar array from the main electrical grid during maintenance or repairs. Since September 22nd, 2008 SMA has been listed on the TecDAX. As of end-2010, the number of employees is approximately 5,500.
Name origin
SMA represents the German acronym for System-, Mess- und Anlagentechnik (control, measuring and equipment technology).
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