Sungrow Hybrid Inverter (SH5K) Review
Recently, Sungrow asked me to record installation training videos for their new SH5k Hybrid Inverter. I was flattered. Yes, it’s a Chinese inverter, and the rule of thumb is to avoid Chinese inverters. Sungrow, however, has proven themselves an exception to that rule. Four years ago I began subcontracting to Sungrow as their solar warranty agent in […]
Tesla Powerwall Compatible Inverters
Mark & Fin Peacock with the PowerWall – Melbourne 2015 Powerwall Compatible Inverters Since Elon Musk made his huge (albeit premature) announcement about the Tesla Powerwall, it seems everyone wants to be Tesla ready with a compatible solar inverter. There’s two for review on the Australian market: the Fronius Symo Hybrid and the SolarEdge. I’ll […]
SolarEdge vs Enphase : Optimisers vs Micro Inverters
Review & Comparison The debate between Optimizers and Micro-Inverters regularly rages in the solar industry, particularly between the two leading products: SolarEdge and Enphase. Over the last few years, I have all but sat on the fence, seeing the advantages and disadvantages of both. Now I’m putting SolarEdge and Enphase head to head. We decided by […]
Bosch Inverter Review
A new German made solar inverter has entered the market: the Bosch BPT-S Series. Bring it on! Update: Well that didn’t last long! Bosch apparently read my post and saw the flaws in their inverter 😉 They pulled the pin on the Bosch Inverter in January 2016. It seems they sold their remaining stock to […]
Setup of the Sungrow Hybrid with LG Batteries
Working as Sungrow’s warranty agent in South East Qld, Sungrow asked me to do a training video to help with electricians as they install and program the new Sungrow Hybrid SH5kTL inverter. The Sungrow SH5K and LG Chem is one of several systems that power our office at Eagle Farm. We have them on a […]
Earth Fault Alarm Requirement
As of July 11th 2015, all solar power systems installed must comply with IEC62109 by having an Inverter Earth Fault Alarm. What is an earth fault? DC Voltage is not generally referenced to earth, so earth fault risk is commonly overlooked by electricians. However, when DC voltage is connected to an operating transformer-less inverter, the potential […]
The True Value Solar Battery Ready inverter? It’s not
True Value Solar have been pumping out TV ads in Brisbane touting their “ABB battery ready” solar system. Sounds great – how had I missed the ABB hybrid inverter release date!? So I called my solar supplier and asked for a price and specification so I could look into offering it to our customers. Pat […]
Sunny Roo Inverter Warranty Brisbane
Sunny Roo: Repair or replace? So you have a faulty Sunny Roo inverter, and it’s about time to get it working again. Is it worth repairing, or should you just replace? Be it the SR1500TL, SR2000TL, SR3000TL, SR4200TL or the SR5000TL the short answer is no – it’s not worth repairing. The Sunny Roo, most commonly installed […]
Has Energex introduced a 3.5kW solar inverter limit?
Again today I got a phone call from a customer asking if it was true that Energex is going to limit the size of domestic solar inverters to 3.5kW. The short answer is no – if you are one of the lucky ten per cent of Queenslanders who live in the South East. However, unscrupulous […]
Do I need a three phase inverter?
Do I need a 3 phase solar inverter if I have 3 phase power? I often get the phone call, usually from a retired engineer or the like, asking – “I have 3 phase power at home, don’t I need a 3 phase solar inverter?” Good question – (of course it is, he’s an engineer!) […]
