U.S. President Joe Biden has invited 40 international heads of government to a virtual climate summit he is hosting tomorrow, on Earth Day. An important initiative, because only swift joint action can stop the increasingly dramatic global warming to which the recently published UN climate report 2020 again attests.

SMA generated over one billion euros in sales and doubled its operating result in 2020 despite the coronavirus crisis – as the Managing Board forecast at the start of the crisis. We put three questions about this to Chief Executive Officer Jürgen Reinert.

Michael Ebel has spent the past decade specializing in home storage solutions. As someone who was there right at the start for SMA, he gave us a detailed insight into the market for this interview. He talks about accelerated development processes, reveals exactly what constitutes a good partnership and tells us why the battery in the home storage system should be considered right from the start.

Following an all-night marathon meeting, the heads of state and government of the European Union agreed early on Friday morning to cut the greenhouse gas emissions in EU countries by at least 55 percent by 2030, against to 1990. This is a step forward, but not a breakthrough in order to avoid climate collapse.

In 2019, there were 358 wars and conflicts worldwide. Often involved are countries from which we obtain oil, gas and coal. In addition to the fight against climate change, this is another important reason to make the world less dependent on fossil fuels as quickly as possible.

Driving under electric power is already more cost-effective than gasoline-fueled vehicles, says Lisa Spangenberg. As an expert in charging technology, she knows exactly where momentum of the energy transition on the road is still lacking. She also explains why e-mobility is becoming more and more fun.

Chocolate and the sun are actually not a good combination, but the La Ronda chocolate factory in Dubai proves the two can go together very well. The factory is now relying on solar power to manufacture its speciality "Chocodates." The goal is to produce the Chocodates with a zero-carbon footprint.

After a long break, people around the world will again take to the streets at Fridays for Future protests for more climate protection tomorrow. This is very much a good thing. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis must not be allowed to slip out of view for politics, business and society. On the contrary: the coronavirus crisis has shown what is possible when all players pull together. We must now use this momentum to stop climate change.

More than 53 million metric tons of electronic waste were accumulated worldwide in 2019. That is equivalent to 100 times the weight of the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. This is one consequence of rising consumption, the gradual digitalization of our lifestyles and the diminishing service lives of electrical appliances. But besides materials that are harmful to our health and the environment, electronic waste also contains valuable raw materials that can be sustainably reused.

Thanks to the Fridays for Future movement, sustainability and climate protection are at the top of the political and corporate agenda worldwide. Matthias Schäpers is extremely pleased about this. After all, sustainability is a topic close to his heart – and not only since he started as a sustainability manager at SMA, advancing the company’s sustainability strategy. What annoys him, on the other hand, is companies that only pretend to be sustainable. He knows exactly how to recognize them.