SMA Solar opens 80-million-euro Gigawatt Factory in Germany

SMA Solar has opened its new ‘Gigawatt Factory’ in Niestetal, Germany, marking one of the most significant production investments in the company’s 45-year history. The company invested approximately 80 million euros into the 46,000-square-meter facility, which is designed to manufacture inverters for large-scale solar and energy projects.

At full capacity, the plant is expected to reach an annual production capacity of more than 60 gigawatts. To put this in perspective, the International Energy Agency estimated total European manufacturing capacity at around 95 gigawatts in 2025; this single facility would represent nearly two-thirds of that total.

The strategic shift focuses on industrial-scale energy infrastructure to meet the growing demand for connecting photovoltaic systems and battery storage to the power grid. While the company noted that no new jobs would be created by this specific expansion, the move helps stabilize the company by pivoting toward the growing large-scale energy market, contrasting with the more competitive residential sector dominated by Chinese manufacturers.