An area of two million square meters, 108,000 metric tons of CO2 saved each year and clean energy for more than 50,000 households: the Dominican Republic is now home to the largest PV power plant in the Caribbean. Besides President Danilo Medina Sanchez and other VIPs, Patrick Thomas from SMA was also a guest at the official opening. He believes that solar energy holds great opportunities for the country.

In the competition with conventional energy carriers, solar power prices are falling dramatically. It is a difficult situation for project developers and investors who install and operate large PV power plants. In tenders and auctions for new power generation capacities, they are awarded contracts only if they guarantee very low prices and high reliability in the supply of electricity. To support them in this, an international team has developed the SMA Profit+ Solution.

When it comes to combining ecology and economy, the Häde family from Alheim-Heinebach, Germany, likes to be at the cutting edge of development. The first PV system was installed on the poultry farm in 2001. Now the family-run business will be a trailblazer in digital energy supply with SMA’s IoT platform for energy management ennexOS.

Integrated energy is considered a key technology for the energy transition. It combines the individual electricity, heat and mobility energy sectors and thus ensures efficient use of renewable energy. This is the only way to achieve decarbonization of the global economy. With the new opportunities provided by digitalization, integrated energy is paving the way for Energy Supply 4.0.