Press Release from SMA Solar Technology AG Digital utility grids: SMA and TransnetBW improve the integration of PV power Niestetal, December 7, 2020 – SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA) has signed a contract with transmission grid operator TransnetBW to provide generation and feed-in data from PV systems in the grid area of TransnetBW. One focus here is on the altered feed-in behavior of PV systems due to rising self-consumption and the use of battery-storage systems. TransnetBW uses the data to prepare region-specific projections and forecasts for solar power, to market renewable energy, to reduce the normal energy demand and to improve bottleneck management. “The energy transition continues to advance swiftly,” said Jochen Bornemann, Executive Vice President Digital Center at SMA. “Instead of a small number of central large-scale PV power plants, increasing numbers of decentralized, renewable energy sources are feeding power to the utility grids. In addition, many system operators are using part of their self-generated power directly and are utilizing battery-storage systems. That is a very pleasing development, but poses challenges for the grid operators. Precise projections and forecasts regarding grid feed-in and consumption are therefore becoming increasingly important for reliable, efficient and cost-effective grid operation. The professionally prepared data from SMA Data Services represents an ideal solution here. In Germany alone, more than 180,000 PV systems of all sizes send data from low and medium voltage to our Sunny Portal online monitoring portal via SMA inverters. On that basis, we can provide comprehensive, current PV system and grid status data throughout Germany.” “Today, self-consumption already means that – viewed over the course of the year – approximately 10 percent of the power generated is no longer arriving in the utility grid,” explained Dr. Philipp Guthke, expert in special prognosis and optimization tasks at TransnetBW. “At times, the grid feed-in in the control area of TransnetBW alone is around 500 MW below the generation power as a result. The online data provided by SMA helps us be better and more quickly able to determine the power currently being generated by PV systems for one thing, and the reduced amount of solar power fed into the grid due to self-consumption for another.” Data from 700,000 PV and storage systems worldwide With more than two million connected devices and around 700,000 registered PV and storage systems with a cumulative power of approximately 20 GW, the Sunny Portal from SMA is the world’s largest PV monitoring portal. SMA gathers, analyzes and archives the data supplied by the systems and prepares it within the framework of SMA Energy Data Services for a variety of applications and projects in the energy industry. The data, which includes grid status data as well as data on PV power generation, grid feed-in and self-consumption, is updated at five-minute intervals. In the TransnetBW control zone in Baden-Württemberg alone, there are around 20,000 PV systems with SMA inverters. Of course, SMA always takes care to protect its customers when supplying data. For example, aggregating current measurement data based on postal codes is an effective means of preventing the identification of individual systems. The highest security and data protection standards are applied to the provision of data. The data is aggregated in compliance with the GDPR for each specific project in order to rule out the identification of individual systems. 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 around 95 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. These factors include those which SMA has discussed in published reports. These reports are available on the SMA website at www.SMA.de. The company accepts no obligation whatsoever to update these future-oriented statements or to adjust them to future events or developments.