SMA Solar Technology AG (Niestetal, Germany) has been chosen by a development consortium as the sole supplier of inverters for the 70 MW Kagoshima solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Southern Japan.
The company will supply 140 Sunny Central 500CP-JP inverters, which have been customized for the requirements of Japanese markets. SMA has begun shipping the inverters, and will also deliver 1,260 Sunny String Monitors.
“Having been chosen by Kagoshima Mega Solar Power Corporation as the sole inverter supplier for Japan’s largest PV power plant represents yet another milestone for SMA in Japan,” explained SMA Chief Financial Officer and Spokesperson Pierre-Pascal Urbon. “We will also start to sell our JET certified Sunny Boy inverters for rooftop installations this month.”
“The introduction of a feed-in tariff for solar power three months ago and the decision of the government to phase out nuclear power by 2040 announced last month underline Japan’s desire to establish itself as a major market for photovoltaics worldwide. In the coming years, we expect strong growth in all market segments.”
Inverters put through similar tests to JET certification
In June 2012 SMA became the first European manufacturer to receive Japan Electrical Safety & Environment technology Laboratories (JET) certification for its residential-scale PV inverters.
The company notes that JET certification is not required for utility-scale central inverters, but states that it put the devices through tests similar to those performed on the residential inverters.
Developers Kyocera Corporation (Kyoto, Japan) and IHI Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) began construction on the plant, which will be Japan’s largest, in September 2012.
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