SMA America, a subsidiary of well-known German inverter and ESS solution provider SMA Solar, showcased its latest lineup of energy storage systems (ESS) and inverters, with a focus on ‘solar-plus-storage' applications in the US market.
The company promoted 2 new products – Sunny Central Storage UP-S and Sunny Highpower Storage – for utility storage applications.
According to the company, the former model, officially launched during the exhibition, is developed as a centralized single-unit ESS. The latter, reportedly exhibited in the US for the first time, features a modular and flexible architecture. The central storage model, SCS 4600 UP-S, equipped with SiC (silicon carbide) based MOSFET switching devices, can support charge or discharge current of up to 4,750 A at a maximum operating voltage of 1,500 V DC. In addition to PV charging, it supports bidirectional charging of connected battery banks from the grid. It converts the stored energy to up to 4,600 kVA 3-phase output with a corresponding maximum load current of 3,850 A at 35°C without derating. The company says that its efficiency can reach up to 99.2%.
The other exhibit - Sunny Highpower Storage 180-21 – carries up to 180 A DC at a maximum voltage of 1,500 V. It has a rated maximum output capacity of 180 kW 3-phase power with a corresponding full-load current of 151 A. Up to 14 of these units can be connected in parallel in an AC-coupled ESS configuration. This results in a total capacity of up to 2.5 MVA with a maximum storage capacity of 40 MWh and corresponding backup for up to 16 hours at nominal discharge rate. .
Regarding operational functionalities, the centralized ESS supports diverse grid-scale ancillary services, including grid-forming and black start, among others. On the other hand, the modular ESS ensures that PV stored energy is economically utilized during peak energy prices.
Alongside the physical exhibits, the booth also featured a virtual interactive digital experience that visualized and explained the operational architectures of the company’s commercially available grid-scale platforms. These cover SMA’s Sunny Central Flex, Medium Voltage Power Station (MVPS), and an unspecified interactive Grid Stability experience. However, the company’s press release didn’t provide much information about these platforms.
The subsidiary company states that, unlike in the past, its MVPS platform will be domestically assembled starting in 2026.
Jay Arghestani, SMA America’s Managing Director of Large-Scale Sales, Technology, and Marketing, said, “The innovations we are unveiling at RE+ reflect our continued investment in grid stability, cybersecurity, optimized performance and service throughout the life of the system. These are the solutions utilities and developers need to move faster and with confidence.”
