SMA Australia: A Sunny Continent for PV

SMA is represented in 21 countries around the world and in our series introducing new foreign companies we also highlight emergent photovoltaic markets. Today’s focus is on SMA Australia.

Australia’s PV potential

Australia is on one of the sunniest continents in the world and has a massive potential for solar PV. Combined with high electricity and diesel costs, there is no reason why Australia cannot generate megawatts of electricity from rooftop and large scale PV systems.

In 2013, Australia topped the 1 million mark of rooftop solar systems on homes and businesses. Australia is predominately a residential solar PV market and home storage solutions will be the next innovation to make solar PV even more attractive.

The cost of large-scale PV projects has been declining rapidly over time and there is particular interest in developing PV diesel hybrid solutions for the industries, such as mining, for both off-grid and grid connected systems.

Reference projects

Notable installations include Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney Olympic Park, Crowne Plaza Alice Springs, World Heritage Listed Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour and The Adelaide Showground.

SMA Australia also covers the South Pacific and was responsible for the biggest stand-alone PV power system that made Tokelau the first 100% solar powered country in the world.

Background

SMA has had a presence in Australia for over 20 years and led the way for solar PV in 1999 with the Sydney Olympic Park Project. As the solar industry advanced in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, SMA has played an active role in driving technological developments in the region.

SMA Australia at ATRAA 2012

SMA Australia’s office is located in North Ryde, Sydney where over 30 employees provide service, sales, marketing and technical support to the region. The Sydney office was officially opened in 2007 and since then has gone from strength to strength.

The biggest staff growth has been in the service team, comprising of a fantastic mix of different cultures. This rich variety means that service can now be offered in many different languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Hindi, Vietnamese, Japanese, Taiwanese, German, and of course English, which suits the diversity of the Asia Pacific market.

Profile of Australia

22 million inhabitants (Germany: 81.7 million)

Area: 7,700,000 km², usable land area for PV: 93.81% (Germany: 357,121 km²)

310 sunny days per year (Germany: 275 sunny days per year)

5 percent economic growth (2012) (Germany: 0.7 percent)

Target: Renewable Energy Target (RET) – Australian Government’s commitment to ensure that the equivalent of at least 20% of Australia’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Prospects: High solar irradiation, PV diesel hybrid for industries such as mining

Challenges: Heat, rugged Outback, remote locations.

SMA subsidiary founded: 2007