Hosting a celebratory launch party at its new headquarters in Milton Keynes, SMA Solar UK yesterday officially opened the base for its UK activities. Housing its new offices, local service stock, sales support and Solar Academy the new building secures SMA’s growing presence in the UK solar market.

Joining SMA Solar UK at the opening event was a range of familiar faces, including representatives from Wagner Solar, Conergy, IBC Solar, the Solar Trade Association and many others. In total, over 40 solar industry players gathered to celebrate the inauguration of SMA’s UK operations, which was encouraging to see just two days after Government’s intended feed-in tariff cuts were announced.

SMA Solar UK currently has 16 full-time employees at its UK headquarters; however the company plans to take more staff onboard in the New Year. The new offices have been constructed with a theme of transparency in mind, with glass walled offices featuring heavily in the design. As well as offering UK employees the opportunity to work closely as a team, the translucent layout plays on the idea of having ‘nothing to hide.’

As well as opening the new offices, SMA Solar UK was also proud to present one of the largest solar training facilities of its kind in the country. Offering solar installers and other interested parties the opportunity to join SMA at the new UK Solar Academy, the state-of-the-art facility can cater for up to 30 participants at a time. The company hopes to educate solar students about the SMA inverters as well as solar power generation in general.

The company is the British arm of the German manufacturer SMA Solar Technology AG, which is the largest manufacturer of solar PV power inverters in the world. SMA Solar UK joins several other solar manufacturers in Buckinghamshire – a location which is fast becoming a popular location for renewable technology companies settling in the UK.