Company founder, long-standing Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SMA Solar Technology AG and founder of the Günther Cramer Foundation, Dr.-Ing. h. c. Günther Cramer, recipient of the German Environmental Award, died on January 6, 2015, at the age of 62 after a long, difficult illness. The Managing Board, Supervisory Board, Works Council and employees of SMA Solar Technology AG and the management and employees of cdw Stiftungsverbund gGmbH mourn the loss of a courageous visionary and pioneer in the global energy transition.
"In Günther Cramer, we have lost an extraordinary person whom we will never forget. As the company founder, CEO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, he shaped the history of SMA and its employees throughout his entire life. His courage, passion and commitment to the energy transition will always continue to serve as a model and an inspiration to us," says SMA CEO Pierre-Pascal Urbon.
"Günther Cramer set real standards in his endeavors to advance renewable energy and the industry. To that end, he was also involved at the level of energy policy-making and the energy industry-both in the North Hesse region as well as at the state and national level-with great commitment and success," explains Volker Wasgindt, Managing Director of cdw Stiftungsverbund. "His environmental and social commitment were unparalleled. Günther Cramer will always have a lasting place in our hearts, not only due to his achievements but also as an exceptional person."
Günther Cramer foresaw the decentralized, renewable energy supply of the future early on and never deterred from turning his vision into a reality. With great courage, foresight and conviction, he worked with his partners Peter Drews and Reiner Wettlaufer to transform SMA Solar Technology AG from a small engineering firm to a global market and technology leader. Through this work he played an important role in paving the way toward a global and 100 percent decentralized and renewable energy supply.
He continued to devote his efforts to this cause with tremendous passion even after leaving the SMA Managing Board. He founded the Günther Cramer Foundation, which is part of the cdw Stiftungsverbund gGmbH foundation network. The Günther Cramer Foundation works together with the foundations set up by Peter Drews and Reiner Wettlaufer towards the goals of electrification of remote regions in developing countries using renewable energies, and continued development of the North Hesse region.
Günther Cramer helped set in motion and drive a development that has become permanently established around the world: The change in power supply structures from centralized, large-scale conventional power plants to decentralized renewable power generation units. His vision and his life's work will live on at SMA Solar Technology AG and cdw Stiftungsverbund and will be continued with perseverance by their employees, true to his motto: "Let's be realists and attempt the impossible."
Disclaimer:
This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for, acquire, hold or sell any securities of SMA Solar Technology AG (the "Company") or any present or future subsidiary of the Company (together with the Company, the "SMA Group") nor should it form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company or any member of the SMA Group or commitment whatsoever. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
This press release can contain future-oriented statements. Future-oriented statements are statements which do not describe facts of the past. They also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These statements are based on plans, estimations and forecasts which the Managing Board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available at this time. Future-oriented statements are therefore only valid on the day on which they are made. Future-oriented statements by nature contain risks and elements of uncertainty. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors can lead to considerable differences between the actual results, the financial position, the development or the performance of the corporation and the estimates given here. These factors include those which SMA has discussed in published reports. These reports are available on the SMA website at www.SMA.de. The company accepts no obligation whatsoever to update these future-oriented statements or to adjust them to future events or developments.
"In Günther Cramer, we have lost an extraordinary person whom we will never forget. As the company founder, CEO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, he shaped the history of SMA and its employees throughout his entire life. His courage, passion and commitment to the energy transition will always continue to serve as a model and an inspiration to us," says SMA CEO Pierre-Pascal Urbon.
"Günther Cramer set real standards in his endeavors to advance renewable energy and the industry. To that end, he was also involved at the level of energy policy-making and the energy industry-both in the North Hesse region as well as at the state and national level-with great commitment and success," explains Volker Wasgindt, Managing Director of cdw Stiftungsverbund. "His environmental and social commitment were unparalleled. Günther Cramer will always have a lasting place in our hearts, not only due to his achievements but also as an exceptional person."
Günther Cramer foresaw the decentralized, renewable energy supply of the future early on and never deterred from turning his vision into a reality. With great courage, foresight and conviction, he worked with his partners Peter Drews and Reiner Wettlaufer to transform SMA Solar Technology AG from a small engineering firm to a global market and technology leader. Through this work he played an important role in paving the way toward a global and 100 percent decentralized and renewable energy supply.
He continued to devote his efforts to this cause with tremendous passion even after leaving the SMA Managing Board. He founded the Günther Cramer Foundation, which is part of the cdw Stiftungsverbund gGmbH foundation network. The Günther Cramer Foundation works together with the foundations set up by Peter Drews and Reiner Wettlaufer towards the goals of electrification of remote regions in developing countries using renewable energies, and continued development of the North Hesse region.
Günther Cramer helped set in motion and drive a development that has become permanently established around the world: The change in power supply structures from centralized, large-scale conventional power plants to decentralized renewable power generation units. His vision and his life's work will live on at SMA Solar Technology AG and cdw Stiftungsverbund and will be continued with perseverance by their employees, true to his motto: "Let's be realists and attempt the impossible."
Disclaimer:
This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for, acquire, hold or sell any securities of SMA Solar Technology AG (the "Company") or any present or future subsidiary of the Company (together with the Company, the "SMA Group") nor should it form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company or any member of the SMA Group or commitment whatsoever. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
This press release can contain future-oriented statements. Future-oriented statements are statements which do not describe facts of the past. They also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These statements are based on plans, estimations and forecasts which the Managing Board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available at this time. Future-oriented statements are therefore only valid on the day on which they are made. Future-oriented statements by nature contain risks and elements of uncertainty. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors can lead to considerable differences between the actual results, the financial position, the development or the performance of the corporation and the estimates given here. These factors include those which SMA has discussed in published reports. These reports are available on the SMA website at www.SMA.de. The company accepts no obligation whatsoever to update these future-oriented statements or to adjust them to future events or developments.
