Press Release from SMA Solar Technology AG PV-Diesel-Global: SMA and project partners launch research project into sustainable energy solutions for off-grid regions Niestetal, February 24, 2021 – The goal behind the newly launched joint research project “PV-Diesel-Global” is to advance the energy transition in off-grid regions. SMA and its project partners – the Institute of Building & Energy Systems at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences, Reutlingen University, the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology in Kassel as well as WRD/Enercon Aurich, DUTrain and battery storage manufacturer TESVOLT – are exploring the possibilities of practical system solutions for supplying energy and integrating off-grid solutions into the grid. The aim is to do away almost completely with diesel fuel in the large stand-alone grids around the world that are still supplied using diesel power plants and replace this with solar and wind energy instead. The project is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Thanks to the use of reliable and intelligent system solutions in diesel hybrid power plants around the earth’s sunbelt, a large proportion of the diesel fuel currently used can be replaced with renewable energies. Due to the favorable conditions for generating solar and wind power and the expense of transporting diesel, these solutions offer highly attractive economic opportunities. “Our solutions for PV-diesel hybrid projects with and without battery-storage systems are already providing a reliable supply of sustainable electricity in many regions around the world and stabilizing the transmission lines,” said project manager Thorsten Buelo, a system development engineer at SMA. “Just like on the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, which already covers all its supply requirements with renewable energies,” said Christian Hardt, system architect at SMA. “Future PV-diesel hybrid systems will help further reduce the cost of solar power generation and increase the share of renewable energies. In the PV-Diesel-Global project, we – together with our partners – are working on optimizing the efficiency, reliability and application scope of PV-hybrid power plants and making them future-proof.” The shared goal of the PV-Diesel-Global joint research project is to optimize PV power plant, wind farm and grid technology with a view to achieving stable grid operation and a sustainable electricity supply with a high level of demand met by solar power in large stand-alone utility grids. Building on the successful results of the previous joint research project PV-Diesel, the PV-Diesel-Global research project seeks to enhance the system solutions and components developed as part of that earlier project. At the same time, and with the incorporation of wind energy, they are to be expanded with new and highly robust large-scale storage battery systems and innovative off-grid solutions for spatially distributed grid feed-in. The PV-Diesel-Global joint research project is scheduled to run for three years and has received €2.8 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. About SMA As a leading global specialist in photovoltaic system technology, the SMA Group is setting the standards today for the decentralized and renewable energy supply of tomorrow. SMA’s portfolio contains a wide range of efficient PV inverters, holistic system solutions for PV systems of all power classes, intelligent energy management systems and battery-storage solutions as well as complete solutions for PV diesel hybrid applications. Digital energy services as well as extensive services up to and including operation and maintenance services for PV power plants round off SMA’s range. SMA inverters with a total output of more than 100 gigawatts have been installed in more than 190 countries worldwide. SMA’s multi-award-winning technology is protected by more than 1,600 patents and utility models. Since 2008, the Group’s parent company, SMA Solar Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and is listed in the SDAX index. SMA Solar Technology AG Sonnenallee 1 34266 Niestetal Germany Head of Corporate Communications: Anja Jasper Tel. +49 561 9522-2805 Presse@SMA.de Press Contact: Susanne Henkel Manager Corporate Press Tel. +49 561 9522-1124 Presse@SMA.de Disclaimer: This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for, acquire, hold or sell any securities of SMA Solar Technology AG (the “Company”) or any present or future subsidiary of the Company (together with the Company, the “SMA Group”) nor should it form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company or any member of the SMA Group or commitment whatsoever. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This press release can contain future-oriented statements. Future-oriented statements are statements which do not describe facts of the past. They also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These statements are based on plans, estimations and forecasts which the Managing Board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available at this time. Future-oriented statements are therefore only valid on the day on which they are made. Future-oriented statements by nature contain risks and elements of uncertainty. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors can lead to considerable differences between the actual results, the financial position, the development or the performance of the corporation and the estimates given here. 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