SMA, a global leader in the manufacture of solar inverters for grid connect and off grid solar energy applications, has announced enhancements to its SMA Solar Academy in the USA.
The new facility is located in Rocklin, California and boasts the latest in teaching tools and demonstration inverters, along with a extensive range of courses on SMA products, current topics in the solar industry and photovoltaics generally. Current seminars include Residential Systems Design, Sunny Island Commercial System Design and Data Logging with Sunny WebBox.
SMA says the Solar Academy aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of existing and prospective solar installers, resulting in even higher-quality projects.
The 202 square meter classroom can cater to 50 attendees. Two custom 400 centimetre high definition screens will enhance the learning experience, along with technology which allows technical trainers to electronically highlight and write notes over projected presentations. Other features include 12 overhead speakers and six overhead microphones, as well as two PTZ (Pan/Tilt/Zoom) High Definition cameras.
The use of demonstration SMA inverters allows attendees practical, hands-on experience to help reinforce concepts taught in the class. A Sunny Boy 7000-US is connected to a DC power supply to simulate a solar panel array while a Variac (a variable AC transformer) simulates grid behavior.
“SMA is proud to offer an arena where solar professionals of all skill levels can learn from our expert technical trainers, as well as each other,” said Jurgen Krehnke, president and general manager of SMA America.
