Kassel/Niestetal, Germany, October 19, 2007 – Sufficient electricity supply means a better quality of life: for the first time, approx. 12,000 people in the Qinghai province in the People’s Republic of China are being supplied with electricity generated by 44 stand-alone systems by SMA Technologie AG. Following the provision of solar power systems to China in the past, the company continues to support the Chinese government’s work of setting up renewable energy supplies for rural areas. The total cost of the project will amount to over 750,000 euros.

SMA Technologie AG is supporting the construction of a renewable energy supply infrastructure in China, and is working in cooperation with systems integrators SolarWorld and Schott Solar. A total of 180 installations are in operation which supply energy to approx. 60,000 people in villages within the provinces of Yunnan, Xinjiang, Gansu and Qinghai. Michael Wollny, Director Sales Off-Grid Solutions, explains: “The standard of living in rural communities will be considerably improved with the electricity supply from Sunny Island. This profits facilities such as village schools and rural health care centers, which are now able to expand their services.”

Conveying skills and technology

In addition to providing the components needed to supply electricity to villages, SMA Technologie AG educates and trains local electricians and plant operators. The Chinese teams will take over the construction of locally based independent PV/hybrid systems after taking part in workshops on plant installation and startup procedures, held in Chinese.

Generating electricity works according to the tried and tested principle: while the solar installation generates the necessary electricity, the Sunny Island stand-alone inverter transmits solar energy directly to those that need it, at the same time controlling the village grid. The stand-alone power supply consists of a PV generator with an output of 6 kWp – 20 kWp, a battery unit, the Sunny Island stand-alone inverter, the Sunny Boy string inverter and the Sunny Boy Control unit.

Better quality of life

Electricity is scarce in the Chinese provinces. Among other things, this is due to the long distance from the existing supply grids and the low population density. “Electric energy brings a significant increase in quality of life for the rural communities living in the provinces: for the first time, people not only have electric lighting, something we all take for granted, but also have access to information media. Building AC power networks in rural areas not only makes people’s daily lives easier, but also helps to reduce increasing emigration to the cities in China,” says Michael Wollny. The project is being co-financed by the KfW banking group and the Chinese Ministry of Finance.

SMA Technologie AG has its headquarters in Niestetal, Germany, and subsidiaries in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, the USA, Australia, South Korea and the People’s Republic of China. With over 1300 employees, SMA generated sales of 200 million euros in the 2006 business year.

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