Photovoltaic news and pv jobs

SMA opens Japanese sales subsidiary

SMA Solar Technology AG has officially opened its new photovoltaic sales and service subsidiary in Japan’s Tokyo. While the small system market will be focused on initially, the German manufacturer will offer inverters to larger projects in the future.

Pierre-Pascal Urbon believes the potential for larger-scale photovoltaic projects in Japan is "great".

SMA

Inverter manufacturer, SMA, has said it will initially concentrate on offering inverters and communication products to small photovoltaic plants. However, in the long term, it says it will focus on offering inverters for large-scale projects and energy management systems.

The manufacturer will install a pilot photovoltaic system in Japan using its Sunny Boy and Sunny Central inverters. It didn’t disclose any further details about the project.

In a statement released, Pierre-Pascal Urbon, speaker of the managing board and CFO of SMA, underlined the importance of the Japanese photovoltaics market and the role he expects SMA to play in it. He adds that the potential for larger-scale projects is "great".

"Japan was a front runner of the photovoltaic industry for many years. As a result, we have decided to establish a local presence in this market long before the tragic events of Fukushima. We expect strong growth in the Japanese photovoltaic market in the coming years. In addition to the photovoltaic rooftop system sector, we also see great potential in the area of commercial and industrial photovoltaic projects," he says, adding, "We are convinced that our technology can play a major role in creating a decentralized renewable energy supply in Japan."

The move is part of SMA’s internationalization strategy. It says that over this year, further offices will be opened in South America and Africa.