The new test centre will feature an electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing hall that will enable comprehensive testing for inverters and systems with electrical outputs of up to five megawatts. SMA has invested around €6 million in the construction of the state-of-the-art test centre and is thus clearly committed to Germany as a location.
“Photovoltaics is becoming one of the most important pillars of our energy supply worldwide. With this in mind, ever higher demands are being placed on the safety and integration capacity of PV inverters,” explained SMA CEO Jürgen Reinert. “Our new test centre – which we suspect is the only one of its kind in the world – will enable us to reliably and rapidly test even very large systems for electromagnetic compatibility. This will give us the confidence that our future solutions for PV power plants will also meet the safety requirements of international markets. As an energy transition company, we are investing in the future so that SMA can tap into the potential of the ever-growing global PV market.”
Energy transition as promising business model for the future
“SMA has been an innovation and technology driver of the energy transition for 40 years,” declared Hessian Minister of Economics Tarek Al-Wazir (Green Party) as he took a tour of the new SMA Test Centre for large-scale PV and battery inverters in Kassel. He said that the new EMC hall underscored the high quality and performance standards that SMA sets for itself and its products. “SMA is demonstrating that the energy transition not only makes ecological sense, but is also a promising business model for the future.”
EMC tests for inverters and other applications
SMA
SMA’s cutting-edge EMC test hall will cover around 740 square metres of laboratory space. Devices weighing up to 30 tons and emitting as much as 200 kW of waste heat will be tested there in the future. It will be possible to measure radiated interference and interference immunity at distances of up to ten metres. The facility will be capable of testing a range of devices, including future generations of the recently launched Sunny Central UP central inverter. There are also plans to make the test facility available to external companies in fields such as e-mobility, wind energy and rail.
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The tests for electromagnetic compatibility will ensure that the electronic components installed in the inverters and other devices do not cause interference that could affect other applications. At the same time, the EMC tests will prevent external electromagnetic waves from having any damaging effect on the devices. (mfo)
