SMA America announces an expanded partnership with long-standing collaborator CEP to launch domestic integration of SMA’s Medium Voltage Power Station (MVPS) solutions in the United States. The initiative establishes new U.S.-based capabilities for utility-scale solar and storage projects and strengthens SMA’s commitment to the United States as a focus market in the global energy transition.
“This expansion builds on nearly two decades of partnership and reflects our commitment to meeting U.S. customers where they are,” says Jay Arghestani, managing director of large-scale sales, technology and marketing at SMA America. “Domestic integration helps shorten project timelines, reduce shipping complexities and may contribute to domestic content strategies under the Inflation Reduction Act and modifications under the One Big Beautiful Bill.”
SMA begins the process by manufacturing the inverter in Germany, which is then shipped to CEP’s facility in Arkansas. CEP integrates the inverter with an American-made medium-voltage transformer and monitoring equipment to form a complete skid and performs final testing to ensure system quality prior to delivery.
SMA and CEP have worked together for 18 years, with CEP serving as SMA’s trusted partner for MVPS integration and logistics. To support U.S. demand and shorten delivery timelines, CEP has opened a new facility in Little Rock, Arkansas dedicated to domestic integration.
Initial integration started in January, with a major customer project scheduled to be delivered by the end of February 2026. Increasing availability of U.S.-based content is planned as domestic capacity ramps up.
“CEP is proud to deepen our partnership with SMA as we bring MVPS integration to the United States,” said Mario Melodia, chief executive officer of CEP. This investment positions us to support faster delivery, local expertise and the growing needs of utility-scale projects across the country.”
The MVPS combines a central inverter, transformer and switchgear in a 20-foot skidded container designed for utility-scale solar and storage applications. U.S.-based integration helps accelerate project execution, simplify logistics and enhance service responsiveness by having resources positioned domestically.
This collaboration marks a key milestone in SMA’s global-to-local strategy, reinforces its longstanding commitment to the U.S. market and aligns with national goals for energy independence and clean power infrastructure.
“The United States is our most important market and remains one of the fastest-evolving clean energy markets in the world,” said Florian Bechtold, executive vice president, large scale, SMA Solar Technology AG. “Establishing local integration capabilities is a strategic step that supports our customers, strengthens our supply chain and advances clean energy deployment.”
About SMA
As a leading global specialist in photovoltaic and storage system technology, the SMA Group is setting the standards today for the decentralized and renewable energy supply of tomorrow. SMA’s portfolio contains a wide range of efficient PV and battery inverters, holistic system solutions for PV and battery storage systems of all power classes, intelligent energy management systems and charging solutions for electric vehicles and power-to-gas applications. Digital energy services as well as extensive services round off SMA’s range. SMA inverters installed throughout the world within the last 20 years with a total output of approximately 144 GW help avoid the emission of more than 64 million tons of CO2. SMA’s multi-award-winning technology is protected by more than 1,600 patents and utility models. Since 2008, the Group’s parent company, SMA Solar Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and is listed on the SDAX index.
About CEP
With more than 30 years of experience, three subsidiaries between Europe and the US, and more than 70 delivery countries reached thanks to the partnership with SMA, CEP is the leading Italian company in design, construction and turn-key delivery of prefabricated substations. Thanks to its highly specialized workforce, CEP possesses a complete know-how on every component of the substation cabinet, as all parts can be produced in-house, from enclosures to electromechanical equipment such as Medium-Voltage Switchgear and Low-Voltage Switchgear and are certified to meet international quality and safety standards. In addition, the CEP Services Team ensures the customer project fulfilment all over the world by providing services like maintenance, repairs and revamping also on third parties substations. As of 2025 CEP has adopted the Italian Benefit Company status with a Two Stars Legality Rating and is certified to be ESG compliant.