Of the many suppliers and customers SMA works with, one outstanding partner is Ageto Energy of Fort Collins, Colorado. Ageto produces microgrid control systems, and has selected SMA’s CORE1 Inverter in their projects around the world since 2017.
COVID-19 & Looking Ahead to 2021 and Beyond, Insights from SMA America
Q&A with Brad Dore Director of Marketing | SMA America
Tell us about yourself and your company.
SMA is a global solar, storage and energy management technology leader and offers a diversified portfolio of solutions for residential, commercial, and utility power. The company is present in every major PV market and boasts more than 100 GW of installed capacity worldwide.
How has COVID-19 changed the way your company does business?
As a manufacturer, SMA was very fortunate. Our facilities are located in Germany and were never forced to close. Europe’s strong initial response and subsequent management of the situation allowed our production site in Germany to continue, while additional safety measures were implemented to protect employees. Downstream, office personnel were transitioned to a remote (i.e. at-home) model. Travel restrictions as well as the cancellation of most in-person industry events mea
Among all the partners who contributed to making the installation a reality, the pantry has one person in particular to thank North Hunterdon High School student Evan Kuster.
“As a volunteer of the Food Pantry, I knew the pantry had a significant electricity expense for the refrigerators and thought that solar energy could save the pantry a bunch of money,” shared Kuster, Class of 2022. “My dad works at a solar energy development company called Merit SI, and he suggested we ask for donations to fund the solar system for the pantry.”
So, the Kusters asked, and solar industry leaders responded. Rallying around their vision of impact, project partners First Solar (modules), OMCO Solar (mounting), and Pro-Circuit Electrical Contracting (electrical and labor) signed on to the project, joining Merit SI (infrastructure design and engineering).