SMA Solar & Create Energy Team Up to Localize US Inverter and PowerSkid Production

Germany-based solar equipment supplier SMA Solar Technology AG and Create Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance localized clean energy solutions for the US market. For SMA, this marks a return to making inverters in the US after more than a decade, pushed along no doubt by the protectionist noises  from the Trump administration. 

About the Partnership

SMA and Create Energy will work together to manufacture both the Sunny Highpower PEAK3 and the fully integrated PowerSkid solution in the United States.

Sharing these details in a press release, SMA Solar explained, "The new PowerSkid will feature a maximum performance of more than 2 MW per block and is engineered for utility-scale performance with a turnkey solution. Additionally, Manufacturing is targeted to begin in Q1 2026 at Create Energy’s facility in Portland, Tennessee. SMA’s PEAK3 line of string inverters offers high-performance, scalable solutions for large-scale PV systems.

The company explained that, partnership delivers clear benefits for customers, including localization of supply chains, reduced lead times, and enhanced service and support. These advantages reflect both companies’ belief that the energy transition must be paired with increased manufacturing resilience and responsiveness within the US. The MOU also outlines plans for joint sales and business development activities, reinforcing both partners’ commitment to delivering clean energy products that support long-term economic growth and energy independence.

SMA Sees Weaker Order Intake in the US

Recently, solar equipment supplier SMA, in its financial results for the year ending August 2025, said factors such as product order backlog reflected current market demand. However, home business solutions remained soft, and large-scale sales were impacted by weaker order intake in the US. SMA also reported that for the first half of 2025, group sales reached €685 million, below the €759 million recorded in the first half of 2024.

Based on the financial results, in the large-scale and project solutions division, SMA saw an improvement in sales compared to the previous year, while the home and business solutions division declined year-on-year. Operating EBITDA before one-offs was a positive €55 million, driven by performance in the large-scale division, which more than offset lower sales and the resulting reduced fixed-cost absorption in the HBS division, the company added. 

SMA Localizes U.S. Integration as Orders Slowly Recover

From the delivery-time perspective, Jürgen Reinert, CEO and Chairman of the Managing Board of SMA, said, "Integration and transformers are being localized in the U.S., but that will mainly occur from the end of this year and the beginning of next year. For now, integration is still done in Europe and shipped, so there is still lead time."

On order uptake, he explained, "We did not see significant uptake in quarter two, with limited order intake. However, promising discussions now could lead to good uptake. With integration still in Europe, delivery typically takes two to three months, and we expect project implementation to pick up next year. Order intake could start improving soon, with deliveries possibly starting in quarter four of next year. Inverters will still come from Europe, but integration will increasingly occur in the U.S."

US Tariffs Have Little Impact, Eyes Localized Production. 

Kaveh Rouhi, CFO and Board Member – Finance & Legal of SMA Solar, says "In our large-scale business, we have change-of-law clauses that allow us to pass tariffs to customers one-to-one. So, the margin may look slightly worse, but EBIT remains neutral. Regarding a 15% tariff, we are confident that whether it’s 10% or 15% will not make a significant difference."

Chinese Imports Continue

Addressing the impact of Chinese imports and US tariffs, Rouhi noted: "Modules are still largely imported from China. If they were to become twice as expensive, this would obviously affect project profitability, as modules account for around half of the total construction cost of a site. This remains a key uncertainty."