History Of The Company
With a net worth of $1.5 billion, Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd is now the world’s second largest inverter manufacturer after Huawei, specialising in R&D, manufacturing, and services of power supply systems for wind energy, energy storage, and all types of solar PV power systems. More specifically, the company focuses on power conversion technologies, energy route switching, energy conversion for electric vehicles, and renewable energy generators and inverters.
Sungrow also actively participates in many social welfare activities, such as poverty alleviation, school donations, disaster relief, and efforts to improve the sustainability of public welfare practices. This level of social corporate responsibility may have evolved from the founder’s generous nature and became ingrained in the company culture.
The founder, Cao Renxian, a Professor at Hefei University of Technology, wanted to use renewable energy to improve electricity supply in rural western China.
Residential Inverter Range
Sungrow’s residential SG series of solar inverters have grown in popularity due to their low cost and high reliability. The strong sales figures show that they are now the second most popular solar inverter in Australia, trailing only Fronius (according to Formbay data). In addition, compared to many other manufacturers, Sungrow has a great reputation for quality, as well as good service from the Sydney-based support office, which has helped to improve their status.
SG5.0RS – Single Phase 5kw
The newer gen single phase inverter, phasing out the old SG5K-D, offers a premium yet affordable option for standard residential single phase installations.
SG5/10/15RT – Three phase residential inverters
Available in multiple sizes to suit installation requirements.
All hybrid Sungrow inverters installed by SolarOak come with the smart meter (customer consumption tracking device) installed as standard, with the BlackStart feature optional. However the BlackStart feature is included in the battery installation for free.
SH5.0RS – Single Phase 5kw
The latest single phase Sungrow hybrid model, allowing single phase residents to connect Sungrow’s new high voltage modular battery to their systems.
SH5/10RT – Three phase hybrid 5/10kw
The most recent 3 phase hybrid inverters, also compatible with the new Sungrow high voltage batteries.
Residential Storage
Sungrow recently introduced a scalable high-voltage (HV) battery system to complement its new SH-RT 3-phase and SH-RS single-phase energy storage inverters, which are described above. The new modular system is easily scalable and provides increased efficiency from 98% to 98.4% due to lower conversion losses at higher voltages.
The system consists of a base unit, a head unit containing the BMS, a slide-in switchgear module, and multiple 3.2kWh lithium modules constructed with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. The minimum system size is 9.6kWh with three modules, which is usually sufficient for the average household. The price is also extremely competitive, with a kWh costing around $660, making it one of the most affordable lithium batteries on the market.
Type:
HV DC battery system – Stackable lithium LFP modules
Minimum Size:
3 modules or 9.6kWh with 100% usable capacity
Maximum Size:
up to 100kWh with 4 stacks of 8 modules in parallel
Module power:
Approximately 1.92kW per module (minimum 5.76kw with 3 modules)
Protection:
Inbuilt DC circuit breaker
Warranty:
10 years
Compatibility:
Sungrow SH-RT and SH-RS series inverters
Additional Features
Smart IV Curve Diagnosis
It also includes some very advanced diagnostic tools, such as an IV curve scan, which helps determine whether the solar panels have any faults or major degradation issues, as well as a built-in smart PID recovery function, which reduces or eliminates problems caused by degradation due to potential induced degradation or PID in solar panels. Because these extremely useful tools are typically only available on large utility-scale inverters, the new SH-RS hybrid inverter is one of the most advanced and sophisticated residential inverters on the market.
Sungrow BlackStart Backup
Sungrow’s BlackStart feature is one of the best currently available. Few other brands provide the feature, and even fewer do it as well as Sungrow’s new SH RT & RS inverter series.
The BlackStart function keeps the inverter online in the event of a blackout while still allowing it to power selected electrical circuits in your home.
In the event of a blackout, the changeover time is now only 20ms, as opposed to the previous model which took 3 to 5 seconds to switch over to off-grid or backup mode during an outage. This is virtually instantaneous, so the system now works like a UPS (uninterruptible power supply).
Typically, refrigerator and freezer, light circuits, and office or entertainment are chosen. These items will continue to function as long as the panels receive enough sunlight or the battery is charged.
During the day, the inverter will charge the battery in a blackout with any extra power that your household is not consuming.
Warranty
Whilst older Sungrow models offered 5 year warranties with the option to upgrade to 10, all Sungrow products offered by SolarOak come with a 10 year warranty as standard. This extended warranty currently is applicable to all inverters purchased and installed in Australia.
Monitoring App - iSolarCloud
Sungrow inverters come standard with WiFi monitoring (via the included dongle) and use the new, modern, cloud-based monitoring portal iSolarCloud, which is a vast improvement over the previous outdated monitoring platform as well as many other products in the market.
The new free smartphone app is also very simple and effective.
With this monitoring platform, all Sungrow systems installed by SolarOak are monitored for free, in the event an issue occurs, SolarOak will act on your behalf to rectify the issue.
Final Thoughts
With a long history of manufacturing renewable power systems and very good feedback from our network of solar installers, Sungrow is a great option for those wanting a reliable, cost-effective inverter for solar or energy storage systems.
This is further reinforced by the 10-year warranty now standard on most next-generation inverters. For residential rooftop systems, the Sungrow SG series inverters have become a very popular choice and the new and improved IsolarCloud online portal makes monitoring and firmware upgrades easy.
In terms of energy storage, the newly designed SH-RT and SH-RS series hybrid inverters, as well as the new high-voltage modular SBR battery system, are a powerful and affordable combination with instantaneous backup power, making it a dependable option for households in need of backup power. Sungrow offers a variety of utility-scale energy storage systems for larger energy storage requirements and aspires to be an industry leader in this space.
We believe the performance, reliability and Australian support in addition to the range of features the Sungrow products offer make it one of the most competitive products on the market for residential solar power and battery storage needs.
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