LONDON — SMA Solar Technology AG has inaugurated its 18,000 square meter solar inverter factory in Kassel, Germany, taking its annual production capacity to 4GW.

The factory, said to be the largest of its type to date, is also pioneering the concept of carbon neutral industrial production through a low-energy building concept, high efficiency and renewable energy.

Power for the factory is sourced from a building-integrated 1.1MW PV solar panel system and an on-site biogas plant, the latter providing some of the factory's basic heating requirement. Additional heat is provided by a local waste incineration facility and excess heat from a compressor is also recycled into the ventilation system.

Cooling is furnished through an absorption refrigerator driven by the excess heat generated by the biogas plant and an electric back-up system. Remaining power requirements are sourced from local renewable energy producers. After the final construction phase, the CO2 balance will be equalized through additional PV installations, eliminating the need for additional utility purchases.

"The inverters — the heart of every photovoltaic system — significantly contribute to an emission-free energy supply," commented G¼nther Cramer, Chief Executive Officer of SMA Solar Technology.

"With our CO2-neutral inverter production we even go one step further. Today we can show that an advanced production on industrial level can be done with a minimal environmental footprint. As the worldwide leading producer of solar inverters we now intend to initiate a trend towards CO2-neutral factories," added Cramer.