German solar inverter manufacturer SMA has officially launched its system integrator subsidiary in Australia, with work underway on two battery storage projects.
Altenso Australia has officially started operations from its offices in Sydney, specialising in system integration services for utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) and hydrogen power conversion projects.
Formerly known as SMA Sunbelt Energy and founded in 2014, Altenso began as a provider of off-grid components and systems for customers in equatorial regions. Its work on island-based solar PV and battery projects has since pivoted towards large-scale BESS and hydrogen, and the change of name.
The company said its Australian market entry is a “strategic step” in its global expansion plans, following recent BESS project deals in Germany with utility RheinEnergie and asset manager MEAG.
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Altenso claims its strengths lie in an emphasis on project engineering and its close relationship with parent company SMA, which manufactures bidirectional power conversion system (PCS) equipment for energy storage systems, including advanced inverters capable of performing system stability services in grid-forming mode.
In July, the company, then trading as the global SMA Altenso brand, agreed heads of terms for two large-scale battery projects with Australian renewable energy developer Avenis Energy.
The two projects are both in New South Wales (NSW) and of equal size, at 120MW/480MWh each, for a total planned storage capacity of 960MWh. The Moree BESS and Delinquin BESS will both connect to the National Electricity Market (NEM).
At the time the agreement was signed, Avenis managing director Imran Sheikh said Altenso was a “bankable technology partner with deep engineering expertise.”
The two companies expect to begin construction on both projects by mid-2026, with the aim of commencing full commercial operations in 2028.
Another subsidiary, Altenso Africa, has also launched, although this appears to be at an earlier stage. No projects or partnerships were disclosed in a company release, although Altenso did say it is focusing on developing battery storage projects, system integration and pilot initiatives targeted at enhanced energy reliability in regions of the continent with weak grid infrastructure.
SMA Altenso has, to date, implemented more than 1.5GW of turnkey BESS projects globally alongside a gigawatt of hydrogen power conversion projects.
In September, our colleagues at PV Tech reported that Altenso’s parent company, SMA Solar, has forecasted financial losses and further restructuring, which the company attributes to challenging market conditions for residential and commercial and industrial (C&I) renewable energy.
In the first half of this year, SMA recorded €42.4 million (US$48.9 million) in losses, with CEO Jürgen Reinert saying that slowing growth rates in Germany and competition and price pressure from Asian suppliers” had impacted performance.
Rival PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow, from China, has in the past years grown its BESS system integrator and manufacturing business to the point that it ranks in the top two globally among system integrators and energy storage revenues have now surpassed its solar PV segment revenues in recent quarters.
