SMA To Launch Facility in Ontario

Solar inverters including the Sunny Boy, Sunny Central and Sunny Island product ranges will be produced for the Canadian market at the new facility. SMA is planning to create 100 to 200 jobs on site in the medium term and possibly more in the long term.

Ontario's recently implemented feed-in tariff, combined with above-average solar radiation, creates a strong incentive for investment in photovoltaics. The tariff calls for all developers to use locally manufactured products in order for projects to qualify for the tariff rate.

“We support this call for local content and are meeting this requirement with the establishment of a production facility there,” explains Günther Cramer, Chief Executive Officer at SMA Solar Technology AG. “Ontario’s support programme is a guiding light and, according to our evaluation, of the potential in inspiring other Canadian provinces to follow suit.”

At the same time, SMA is also increasing production capacity at the sites in Europe and ramping up in the U.S. Germany is expected to remain the company's primary production and technological development area for the future.

At the sites in Niestetal and Kassel, annual capacity is to be increased to around 10 gigawatts by the middle of the year through the implementation of interim solutions. Production in Denver, Colorado is in the start-up mode and should start production at a rate of 1 GW per year this summer.