SMA: ‘We can’t be credible if we’re not sustainable’
Credibility comes not just from offering products that generate clean electricity, but also from the way in which those products are manufactured, says SMA Solar Technology CEO Jürgen Reinert. Here, transparency and sustainability are key. That’s why one of the world’s largest PV inverter producers has partnered with pv magazine’s UP sustainability initiative. In the following Q&A, Reinert lays out what SMA is doing to step UP its green game.
The weekend read: Inverter issues
PVEL’s inaugural inverter scorecard is showing up the need for much more scrutiny on the reliability of inverters. But are developers and EPCs even paying attention?
Swiss scientists identify causes of defects in silicon carbides for power electronics
Carbon clusters of a few nanometers in size could be responsible for the defects affecting the thermal stability of SiCs. The defective carbon accumulations arise during the oxidation of silicon carbide to silicon dioxide under high temperatures.
ABB and Fimer respond to UK criticism of products and customer service
The inverter businesses have responded to the letter published by the UK Solar Trade Association which was critical of the former’s products and customer service record.
ABB called out by UK Solar Trade Association over quality and customer support
The STA has warned Italian company Fimer, which is set to acquire Swiss company ABB’s inverter business, it will have to honor customer service commitments made to its British members, and voiced fears related to historic quality issues with ABB inverters.
Trump ratchets up tariffs on Chinese products – including batteries
While the damage is largely done for cells, modules and inverters, increased tariffs on U.S. module components and 15% measures on lithium-ion batteries are not good news for either sector.
Solar world pays tribute to founding father of SolarEdge
A tribute to Guy Sella has hailed ‘a brilliant man’ and ‘a revolutionary trailblazer’ who was ‘vibrant and energetic’ yet ‘down-to-earth and approachable’.
Brazil’s faltering manufacturing ambition
A binational integrated solar industry project, announced just over a year ago, aims to build a vertically integrated solar manufacturing industry along the border between Brazil and Paraguay. But the project is now on hold pending an update and reassessment by its new managers.
PV system prices fell 8.9% in Brazil in the first six months of the year
The cumulative capacity of 5 MW-or-smaller solar systems has reached 958 MW in Brazil, according to consultancy Greener. Around a third of that capacity was installed in the first half of this year, with projects relying on half-cell and PERC modules making up the largest share.
SMA reports losses for first half of 2019
For the second half of the year the German inverter producer expects a significant increase in revenues and earnings, mainly due to high order intake. It also confirmed its forecast for the full fiscal year, despite declining sales and earnings in the first six months of 2019.
