Reflecting on a Decade: An Interview with SMA South America General Manager Daniel Rosende

Over the last 10 years the PV industry has grown exponentially in all market segments: home, business and large-scale. The entire time, SMA has remained an industry leader, delivering innovative, renewable solutions while setting a new standard for quality in all the markets it serves.

Nowhere has this been more evident than in the rapidly expanding Latin American market, where SMA operates three subsidiaries (Brazil, Chile and Mexico) and has been busy bringing clean energy to the region since the day it opened.

The Latin American solar energy market grew at a fast pace even amid the pandemic, pushing SMA to sell a cumulative capacity of more than 3 gigawatts of solar PV technology across the region － a historic milestone for SMA solutions.

I sat down with Daniel Rosende, General Manager of SMA South America, to reflect on key moments, lessons learned and insight into the growth trajectory he sees in the future.

TM: What accomplishment are you particularly proud of in the last decade?

DR: SMA was recently recognized as one of the top PV brands in Latin America in 2022 for its inverter product.  This award was based on the results of a study carried out by consulting firm EUPD Research, which surveys installers on brand awareness, customer choice and distribution. We believe that this recognition, which is based mainly on the opinion of installers, is a prime example of what SMA has achieved in the region during our first decade of business.

TM: What are some of the most notable SMA projects/developments in Latin America currently?

DR: In the large-scale segment, SMA has supplied technology to some of the most prominent solar projects in Latin America. A high-profile example is the Diego de Almagro Sur project, in northern Chile. It is a photovoltaic solar plant with 220 MW of installed power, owned by the Chilean company Colbún.

Another significant array is the Ituverava project, in northeast Brazil, which is owned by the Enel company and has more than 215 MW of power. This project has been recognized in several studies for its efficiency and performance.

TM: What new solutions is SMA South America working on in 2022?

SMA has launched multiple new technologies and solutions this year in both the home and business segments －most notably the SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy and SMA Sunny Tripower X.

The Sunny Tripower X is an innovative solution for large commercial PV plants. It has an integrated systems manager, generating greater performance and flexibility.

Sunny Tripower Smart Energy is the two-in-one solution (Photovoltaic + Storage) to supply homes with solar energy. It helps homeowners manage energy storage (using batteries) and is simple to connect to a home network.

TM: What are your projections for the development of Latin America’s energy landscape in the coming years?

Like so many other areas in the world, Latin America is witnessing a major energy transition. The solar PV market here is in full swing, and the energy needs of this market, along with the type of applications, will continue to get more complex. New and improved technologies and integrated systems are necessary to help meet this evolving demand.

TM: What is the response from SMA South America to this predicted, complex and evolving demand?

The SMA South America, response is currently focused on this demand, and working to find solutions to meet the needs of the market with attention on the following:

• Improve and increase our portfolio of solutions to integrate photovoltaic energy with storage systems and batteries
• Build electromobility systems for different applications in all industry segments
• Deepen the use of energy management systems such as our SMA ennexOS system

Next year we will launch new lines and improvements to our industrial equipment (operational, interaction with batteries, grid-forming, among others) for large-scale PV projects. In addition, we will expand new power classes and features in decentralized equipment that will better suit the needs of our customers.