Note: Solar Choice is not affiliated with Sungrow Solar Inverters and has no financial or other incentives to promote any product brand over another.
Overview of Sungrow – Company History
Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. was founded in China in 1997 by Cao Renxian, a professor at the Hefei University of Technology. Professor Renxian founded Sungrow after learning about the dire state of electrical availability in rural western China.
Sungrow has since grown to be one of the largest solar inverter manufacturers globally. Sungrow has manufactured over 100GW in 60 countries giving them a worldwide market share of 15%. This has contributed to the company’s valuation of $1.5 billion.
Sungrow entered the Australian market in 2012 and has stated that they have captured around 15% of the inverter market. Sungrow specialises in research and development, taking pride in being an innovation leader within the solar industry. This commitment has resulted in more than 1,600 patent applications as of June 2019.
What is a Solar Inverter?
A solar system’s inverter is the point at which the DC electricity produced by solar panels is turned into grid-compatible AC electricity. There are four types of solar inverters, these being string inverters, hybrid inverters, microinverters, and power optimisers.
String inverters have traditionally been the standard in the solar industry. They send the power produced by solar panels to a central inverter that changes it from DC electricity to the usable AC electricity that powers homes.
Hybrid Inverters have the same characteristics as a string inverters with the additional feature of a charge controller, which is used to manage a battery system. Charge controllers can also be bought as an additional unit, but hybrid inverters provide the option of an all-in-one device.
What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?
PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) with support from DNV GL has been independently testing Solar Panel reliability since 2014, and for the first time in 2019 has tested solar inverters. It is a voluntary test that manufacturers have to pay to be a part of. Solar panel testing is considered internationally as an excellent indication of solar panel quality. It’s expected that the inverter testing will have the same recognition. To read the full PVEL scorecard click here.
Sungrow Inverter Efficiency
An important aspect of getting the most value out of a solar inverter is choosing an appropriately sized inverter to optimise the solar panel system efficiency. To read about the importance of inverter sizing and system efficiency click here.
Residential inverter efficiency standards are generally 95 to 98 percent. Sungrow’s CEC Approved inverter models range in max efficiency from 97.7% to 98.6%, with the majority of the models over 98%. This places Sungrow Inverters towards the top of the residential inverter market based on efficiency.
Sungrow Inverter Costs
The majority of Sungrow inverters are manufactured in China, which means that they will generally be cheaper than European-manufactured competitors.
Indicative retail price excluding installation
| Sungrow Inverter Model | Price Range |
| Sungrow SG5.0RS 5kW inverter | $1,000 to $1,200 |
| Sungrow SH5.0RS 5kW hybrid Inverter | $2,000 to $2,200 |
| Sungrow SG10RT 10kW 3-phase inverter | $2,200 to $2,400 |
Keep in mind that inverter costs generally only run between 10-20% of your total system, so often it is worth investing in a high-quality inverter given this will have a large impact on the efficiency and performance of your Solar Power project.
Compare quotes from up to 7 installers in your area now.
Sungrow Inverters – Point of Difference
The Sungrow CEC-approved Inverter range differs from other inverter manufacturers as they offer different types and configurations in the typical power range. Sungrow manufactures both string and hybrid residential inverters, with the following string inverter models coming with Multi-MPPT; SG5KTL-MT, SG10KTL-MT, SG10KTL-M, & SG12KTL-M. All of the CEC-approved Sungrow Inverter ranges are Transformerless Inverters, which contributes to their high efficiency.
Inverter Monitoring
Sungrow provides users with the ability to remotely monitor inverter performance, as all inverter models come with WIFI capabilities. Users can monitor performance from their phone through the app iSolarCloud, which is available on both iPhone and android.
Sungrow Inverter Warranty
In Australia, the majority of CEC-approved Sungrow inverters come with a standard 5 year manufacturer’s warranty. Most current residential Sungrow inverters come with a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty while some of their older models came with a 5-year warranty. The warranty period commences on the date the inverter is installed, or 6 months after the date of production, whichever occurs first.
Our advice to customers is that a warranty is only worth something if the company providing it is still around and there is an accessible route to claiming it if your Solar Installer is no longer around. Sungrow is well established in Australia with an office in North Sydney, NSW.
Read more about Sungrow’s Inverter Warranty here.
A Full Range of Sungrow Inverters Available in Australia
There are 39 of Sungrow Inverters (under the name of Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd) approved by the Clean Energy Council for the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which is Australia’s home solar rebate program. The majority of the listed inverters are available in Australia.
Sungrow offers string, central, and turnkey inverters to accommodate various solar projects. Their string inverters, ranging from 2kW to 352kW, are well-suited for residential and commercial installations. Sungrow’s central and turnkey inverter series target larger commercial and utility-scale solar projects. This review will primarily focus on Sungrow’s string inverters, which are commonly found in Australian solar markets.
RS Series – Residential Single Phase Inverters
Sungrow offer single phase inverters with output capacity of 2kW to the recently added 10kW. For the commonly used 5kW inverter size, Sungrow offer the SG5.0RS and the SG5.0RS-ADA. Seemingly similar in most characteristics the SG5.0RS-ADA is almost twice the size and weight.
The extra size seems to be invested in the inclusion of an additional maximum power point tracker (MPPT) allowing solar designers to includes solar panels on a 3rd orientation on the roof.
Both inverters have low voltage requirement to start up meaning they will turn on slightly earlier in the morning than other inverters on the market and stay running slightly later in the evening. The inverters have a maximum efficiency rating of up to 97.9% which puts them ahead of the European residential inverter options on the market.
RT Series – Residential Three Phase Inverters
Sungrow’s RT series is their main 3-phase solution catering to residential solar systems and small businesses with an output capacity ranging from 5kW to 20kW.
The inverters reach an impressive maximum efficiency of up to 98.5% for their 20kW inverter.
Unlike the RS series, the RT series does not include a built-in screen or even LEDs on the inverter body so customers will have to rely solely on the monitoring app to check performance.
One limitation for users with more complicated solar panel layouts on the roof, is that the inverters only come with 2 MPPTs. Many other 3 phase inverter options have 3 or 4 MPPTs at similar inverter capacities.
SH Series – Hybrid Solar Inverters
All of Sungrow’s residential single phase and three phase inverters come in a hybrid option. A hybrid inverter has the ability to convert power from AC/DC as well as regulate solar power so that it can charge a battery. This option is designed for customers adding a battery, or hoping to keep their options open to add a battery in the future.
Sungrow manufacture their own battery solution which can be seamlessly connected with their hybrid inverters.
The amount of solar panels connected to these inverters can be significantly oversized to ensure the battery is fully utilised. For example the 5kW option (SH5.0RS) allows owners to connect up to 12kW of solar panel capacity.
For their 5kW inverter there is roughly a $1,000 premium to add in the hybrid functionality from their regular 5kW inverter.
CX Series (Commercial Solar Inverters)
One place where Sungrows excels for value and quality is in their commercial solar inverter range.
The Sungrow CX series, coming in 30kW, 50kW and 110kW sizes, is very popular amongst commercial solar installers due to their versatility, performance and attractive price point.
These inverters range from 3 MPPTs and a max efficiency of 98.6% on the 30kW model to 9 MPPTs and 98.7% max efficiency on their 110kW model.
These inverters still lack a decent display screen on the physical device and are supported by an online web portal and app.
Sungrow Inverter Comparison
| Sungrow 5kW Hybrid SH5.0RS |
Sungrow 5kW SG5.0RS-ADA |
Sungrow 10kW 3 Phase SG10RT |
|
| Inverter Type | Hybrid | String | String |
| Rated AC Power Output | 4999W | 4999W | 9999W |
| Maximum Continuous Output Current | 22.7A | 21.7A | 15.2A |
| Maximum DC Voltage | 600V | 600V | 1100V |
| Maximum Inverter Efficiency | 97.7% | 97.8% | 98.5% |
| Dimensions | 490 x 340 x 170 mm | 490 x 340 x 125 mm | 370 x 480 x 195 mm |
| Weight | 18.5kg | 19kg | 18kg |
| Warranty | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Operational Temperature Range | -25°C to 60°C | -25°C to 60°C | -25°C to 60°C |
| Made in | China | China | China |
Example of a Sungrow Commercial Solar Project
Sungrow’s 1500V Central Inverter Model SG3125HV-MV were installed at Kristal Solar Park, located in Lommel, Belgium. The 100MW solar park has nine different plots covering 227 Acres and is the largest in the Benelux region. The solar park has been grid-connected since Q4 2019 and is expected to generate 85 GWh annually.
The three-level topology design of the Sungrow SG3125HV-MV contributes to the inverter’s maximum efficiency of 99% and Europe efficiency of 98.7%, guaranteeing premium yields for the solar park. Due to the 20-foot container design, the Sungrow SG3125HV-MV has low transportation and installation costs.
Read more product reviews from Solar Choice
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Reviews from Australians who have installed Sungrow Inverters
The sungrow 8.0 kw inverter works very well. I would have paid a few hundred more than the cheaper system using a solis inverter, hoping few a more reliable longer term solution.
Recommended
App is easy to use and get real time info on usage, feed in and purchased energy. We have changed our habits based on the info available in the app.
No system not working and no one responding to my calls and messeges
Having teething problems with the app but Roy has been helping us to sort it
Best clue for money and recommend product.
Great
Good monitoring app and the hybrid functions are working well with battery house and EV monitoring with Charge HQ
Installed with Consumption meter to allow us monitor the production and consumption through there isolarcloud app.
Too early to tell
We are very happy with the app for this inverter. It is very easy for us to use and its real time data means we can choose when we want to run appliances that are less energy efficient, knowing we are keeping an eye on the load and our costs down.
Excellent
Very good.
Happy with inverter. App has glitches occasionally.
The app freezes. The inverter freezes.
The app is a bit odd, but gives the basic info perfectly well
Happy with the multiple string inputs and how we can monitor our power
Excellent
No comment. It works.
Setup with consumption monitoring and app on our devices.
It's working. Can't fault it so far.
The monitoring portal is easy to read.
App is wonderful.
Very easy to monitor as Countryside Solar team done the setup on the day of installation
Happy so far. App works well
Nice inverter no issues. App is good
too early to tell
Installed Sungrow Hybrid Inverter SH10RS. Although the iSolarCloud mobile App is a bit hard to navigate, most of the default settings are perfectly adequate for our needs and the primary graphics screens reflect most of the information of interest to us. The Inverter handles the interaction between the Grid, PV-system and Battery admirably.
Very pleased that Roy's recommendations led to the choice.
The app provides real-time data on how much energy my panels are generating. All good.
Working great and looks great ????
As the system has only been installed for two weeks it is too early to say, but so far we are very happy.
The app is strange and links direct to a server in China. I get strange messages from people in China from the app (no joke!). It is like someone there is monitoring the system and playing games with me. Connection drops out regularly.
Same as above
The Sungrow hybrid inverter is great, the device is connected to the Wi-Fi to provide data to my iPhone, it is also connected to a hosted Sungrow system monitored by LMS. The connection to the Sungrow server required the password of my Wi-Fi router, which I dutifully entered into an LMS/Sungrow system. The hosted Sungrow/LMS system allows LMS (and I assume Sungrow) to monitor the inverter and push through patches etc. I will admit that I am concerned with a 3rd party having access to my router (inside the firewall) via a password. The vulnerability is clearly that if the hosted system is hacked, access to my Wi-Fi is possible and I assume details of my address etc. I understand that I can effectively disable the access by changing the password. The app is easy to use, immediately informative and if you want you can dive into a heap of detail. I would very much like the opportunity to download the data that the app collects, I would love to run some code over it.
i didnt know this brand but have trusted quality solar advice
noice looking inverter with no fuss app
All good
I chose the Sungrow as it was one of the few that would let me oversize my panels by 200%. It goes well with my sungrow battery.
Nice looking and premium inverter with a really detailed app
So far so good. Will be interesting to see the difference between iSolarCloud and Solar Analytics.
Happy with the app and monitoring portal.
Happy with solar inverter and app.
It is a three phase unit hybrid unit allowing the panels to charge the battery even in an outage
Looks good and easy to set up comms
No problems live the simple app that shows you how much you are using and how much you are generating
Very happy with the app
Easy app as we can see the consumption and export
The two inverters are working well. The supporting App is useful and I consult it every day.
Inverter works great and getting maximum feed in tariff. Apparently, there is a limit of 5kw on the feed in. We have 2 phases (unusual arrangement) so we are getting a good feed in rate of 5kW per phase. The Monitoring app can't handle dual phase but I have a work around using the retailer's website. (The app can't show the amount consumed if you have 2 phases, it can handle 1 or 3 but not 2).
Great inverter and easy to monitor on app.
Yes happy no reason
Satisfied with the monitoring app. Added consumption meter on top of default installation to get a better picture of my power consumption habits.
monitoring on phone and mains all great.
Easy to read monitoring of the system is a great bonus and the Inverter is working great.
Easy to monitor via their app
SEEMS TO BE DOING THE JOB BUT ONLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS OLD.
All fine so far but would have loved to also have what I now know is the add on to measure usage against generation. While we can do this retrospectively (next day) with our power company’s app, I’d love to see the data in real time. We didn’t know this wasn’t possible until after the install.
I personally recommend this inverter to all as it is the premium inverter and shows the exact production which I am getting.
Easy to use app and no issues. Well priced
This is a great inverter. The app is a real bonus
I’m impressed with the whole setup , it’s easy to read as well as I can check the output in real time using the app as well as it shows any issues in the system . As I explained earlier , these guys really know their stuff and I definitely have no reservations whatsoever in recommending One Power for the instillation of a solar system. My next door neighbour asked me as to who I got and he too used these guys . Great team , really professional outfit all round as well as a terrific product
Recommend the Sungrow inverter reliable and silent as my inverters are inside my house
No issues so far and appears to be working as anticipated. Liking the remote access app to check performance.
Conveniently got fried 6 months outside its warranty. I researched these too, to the best of my ability but there wasn't much information about them. I can't afford to replace the inverter every five years, this just sucks.
Easy to follow instructions
A small issue with power surge was rectified.
Great inverter
So Far So Good
Jasbir recommended the inverter and it is working perfectly
Works great
No problem in 2.5 y
No issues in 2 years
Online monitoring is very good. .
The inverter works ok, but we kept getting error messages which Sungrow failed to properly address. Claimed it was a software problem but didn't send anybody out and even our installer had problems getting a satisfactory response from them. Fom reviews it looks like they've dropped the ball a lot with after sales support.
Ita doing its job....wifi data is useful
No comments
Not my area of expertise, but to date, no problems.
Sungrow keep giving you the run around - without clear answers. The first warranty claim which took ages, gave us another inverter - which doesn't work either. Right now I have two broken inverters in my garage that are useless.
I really like the Sungrow app that keeps track of how much is being generated and shows me graphs for each day, week, month, etc. It also stores all the data even when my internet disconnects, and the app is updated retrospectively once I connect again. The 5kW inverter seems to hit a maximum of about 4.6kW-4.9kW during the middle hours of the day.
Replacement warranty
Not sure yet, I’ve heard they’re good
To early to tell its long term reliability but, looks well made and is working as planned. The monitoring isolarcloud took some setting up though.
My friend was happy with this brand so I went with this company and inverter too
Personal research confirmed recommendation
No problems as far as we know. Satisfactory result in our electricity bill.
So far so good
Excellent
as above
Excellent
As per comments for the panel. Install also included 3 phase consumption meter
I have investigated this brand and was satisfied and asked Afnan her recommend this product also
Got the wifi module installed so I get live data.
Highly recommended
Best value for money inverter and reliable brand.
I chose the Sungow inverter as it was ranked in the middle of all inverters and competitively priced. All come with a 10 year warranty
Really nice looking inverter and phone app is just amazing
Producing as expected
Haven’t start use it
Still early to tell but the Solar Analytics app indicates that the system is performing as expected.
Happy with the Inverters we have and the monitoring on my phone is great!
Working great and has great monitoring!!
They do the job
No problems so far, and the app is exactly what we need. There was a glitch initially when a firmware update misfired. Solbase immediately had a tech on site who fixed the problem immediately. No further issues.
Good brand. I had a 8kw inverter installed. I had it paired with the Sungrow smart meter, which shows me the production, exports to grid and consumption of my electrical devices in real time and helps me in targeting their use. I was concerned about inverter noise since installed close to the bedroom, but it is actually extremely silent.
Not the best on the market but able to combine a three string array. Plus is the easy to use networked interface application.
Research suggestions it’s a middle of the road inverter which I was after. Connects to an app to show in real time how the system is performing.
works well - great mobile app too
WE are not sure how you rate their performance
Early days so far but looks good
dont know yet
Hard to tell so early.
Inverter is great - low noise & have had no trips or issues so far. The Sungrow App on the phone is a bit clunky, but works
Solar was meant to be able to except batteries at a latter date now i am told would need to change inverter.
Not switched on as yet
The daily amount produced stopped showing correctly and is now showing 0W constantly. Apart from that the inverter is working well.
SG8.0RS-ADA quiet and small dimension.
Looks neat and tidy. Working well.
Installed in 2018 by another company and have operated satisfactorily since
Good performing inverter with a informative phone app
There were some issues with the monitoring system but nothing major. it works great now.
Excellent Inverter!
Also installed a second Growatt inverter which was unwanted, but overall seems fine, the controls on the inverter are a bit hard to control and not documented for power users, so requires going through many forums online to find how to do things
Operating trouble free from the outset.
Love the app you can see in real time how much power you are using and the state of your batteries . We can use up to 10 KW directly from the panels in full sun. Maintains the system well and has a great warranty
Seems to be doing the job. Albeit needed a software upgrade before we could use the app to see its functionality.
This inverter is brilliant.. nice slick look and is nice and quiet. I got the monitoring app and communication device. Would definitely recommend this inverter
Great tracking of usage
So far so good. Telephone app wrks well.
Excellent performance todate
Minor annoyance: you lose access to the inverter's wi-fi dongle when the sun goes down, so you can't check live power consumption at night. The inverter failed after 26 months. Sungrow say there was an overvoltage alert after power was restored following an outage but it was about 5 days afterwards it started throwing internal module failure alerts. Raised a warranty claim with Sungrow on 28/10/22 and the replacement inverter arrived on 3/11/22.
Good quality at an affordable price.
Look great compact
The first inverter failed and after 25 days was replaced. The second failed to work as designed. Over time we learnt of the cabling issues, the wiring issues and the very likely possibility of programming issues. We also learnt that the inverter and battery pairing as wired would not provide WOHEPS nor would the pairing of the BYD battery and Inverter do so. In early 2021 Sungrow twice offered (Stag) to replace the Sungrow inverter. Stag did not take up those offers. Later on Sungrow offered (us) to replace the inverter. We declined as they could not confirm that the third inverter would not have the same issues as the first two. In fact an email from Sungrow advises that it would perform in a manner to the previous units. BYD Sydney and then China confirmed that the battery inverter pairing as was, could never in fact provide WOHEPS. • How is it that neither Sungrow or Stag appeared to know of this or when informed of it, failed to act in a positive manner. 10kW Sungrow Hybrid Inverter was replaced twice, fails to pair well with the BYD battery for Whole of House Emergency power supply, the reason the system was initially purchased. Sector specialists and a CEC sourced expert review found that the system as wired would never produce a whole of house EPS. • Further, only one circuit was connected for EPS. • Several specialists advised that the Sungrow / BYD pairing would not / could not provide WOHEPS. • Further, BYD Sydney and then BYD China confirmed that the BYD 11.2 kW battery and the 10kW Sungrow Hybrid Inverter when paired together would not in fact produce WOHEPS. • How is it that neither Sungrow or Stag appeared to know of this or when informed of it, failed to act in a positive manner.
Not much to comment on, we can monitor generation of energy on an app, unfortunately that loses connection to our network occasionally but I believe that has more to do with our network (which at the moment is temperamental) then with the inverter. The app provides lots of info by the way which is (in a nerdy way) quite interesting.
.
Great looking inverter without a fan therefore has very low noise transmission and is barely audible
Had to update firmware a couple of times, but this was done remotely relatively painlessly
App is great though can be a bit confusing at first. Allows us to track usage and profits made by feeding back to the grid.
One of the best in the market
Only a week in so hard to say,the read out is not totally intuitive and the apps not bad.
Hassle free inverter that has an excellent phone app to show all the aspects of the solar system
Easy to read the panel has WiFi connection to an App
Very quiet
Good (but not amazing - better export functionality would be beneficial) online portal to track solar output, feed-in, load etc.
The unit functions perfectly but the wifi monitoring could be a bit more informative
Had some problems with the iSolarCloud App initially but all seems to be working properly now.
all working well at this time
I can log on via an app on my phone and see what is happening and look back at previous days. It predicts the weather for the next two days.
NO COMMENT REALLY. IT JUST SITS THERE.
No comments
Works OK, Clear and easy to interpret display.
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Works well not very old yet
Early days, but so far, so good!
