This Fronius inverter review is performed independently by Solar Choice and has no affiliation with Fronius.
Overview of Fronius – Company History
Founded in Austria on June 20th 1945, Fronius is an international company with a 75-year history in the manufacture of welding equipment and nearly three decades of experience with solar inverters and other devices for monitoring and controlling energy, including battery chargers.
Fronius launched its first grid-connected solar inverter back in 1995. Since then Fronius has grown to become one of the industry leading solar inverter manufacturers, with 19 of 28 offices worldwide being involved with solar energy. This includes the Australian office located in Tullamarine, Victoria.
Fronius inverters are suitable for a wide range of applications, including residential solar and commercial solar projects, including their recently launched Fronius Tauro inverter with 100kW capacity.
A Brief Rundown on Solar Inverters
A solar system’s inverter is the point at which the DC electricity produced by solar panels is turned into grid-compatible AC electricity.
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 usable AC electricity that powers homes.
Microinverters, on the other hand, convert DC to AC electricity at each individual panel and allow for monitoring and power regulation at the panel level. This is useful for homes that are located somewhere with shading from clouds, trees, or other buildings.
What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?
PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) independently test solar inverter reliability. The tests are voluntary, with solar inverter manufacturers paying to participate in the testing. This testing process is internationally renowned and is an accurate reflection of the solar inverter’s performance. To read the full PVEL scorecard click here.
In 2019 Fronius Symo ranked as a top performer in the following tests:
- High-Temperature Operation
- Transient Response
- Ground and Arc Fault
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How Much Do Fronius Inverters Cost?
As Fronius inverters are manufactured in Europe this higher quality product comes with a higher price tag in comparison to the inverters that are manufactured in China.
The most popular Fronius GEN24 Primo 5kW model retails for about $2,200 to $2,400, which excludes installation and any additional required wiring and components.
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 entire system.
Fronius Inverter Review – Point of Difference
There are many solar panels out there, what makes Fronius inverters stand out?
Fronius has earned a strong reputation for its high-quality inverters, advanced technology, and excellent customer support. Their inverters are widely used in residential, commercial, and industrial solar installations across Australia. Based on information from Solar Choice’s database of residential solar quotes, Fronius has maintained over 50% market share of installers’ premium options.
Monitoring and Data Communication
Fronius inverters offer advanced monitoring capabilities, allowing real-time access to energy production and system status through mobile apps and web portals. This data empowers users to detect and resolve issues promptly, optimise energy usage, and integrate with smart home systems and energy management platforms for more efficient energy consumption.
Fronius Inverters Technologies
A unique aspect of Fronius inverters is the SnapINverter technology. It’s a standardised wall-mounted bracket with the inverter on a hinge system. This enables easy access for servicing as the inverter opens like a car boot, without needing to be removed from the wall.
The majority of Fronius’s Inverters are approved by the Clean Energy Council for the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which is Australia’s home solar rebate program.
Fronius GEN24 Primo
The Fronius Primo series is designed primarily for residential household applications with power ranging from 3.0kW to 10kW. These inverters are single-phase inverters, meaning they are suitable for smaller solar PV systems typically found in homes.
The newer GEN24 series has dropped the LCD screen which displayed the real time performance of the system and has replaced with status lights. The GEN24 series includes their Dynamic Peak Manager which helps the inverter improve output in shaded situations without any optimisers or micro-inverters installed on the panels.
Contrary to many other inverter manufacturers, Fronius has stuck with active cooling with a built in fan. This may mean that the inverter makes a bit more noise, but Fronius argue that it improves the service life of their products.
The Fronius Primo also comes in a GEN24 Plus option which is Fronius’ hybrid version suited to connecting a battery to the system. All other features and appearance remain similar to the GEN24.
Fronius Symo
These inverters are three-phase inverters that are suited to larger residential homes and small commercial projects. The power range of Symo is from 3.0kW to 20kW.
The Symo series offers higher efficiency and the same advanced features as the Primo series, including reactive power control and support for dynamic grid conditions
Fronius Eco
The Fronius Eco is a transformerless three-phase inverter designed for medium to large-scale commercial solar systems. The commercially used inverter comes in 25kW or 27kW power ratings. The Fronius Eco inverter holds an Ingress Protection Rating (IP Rating) of 66, which means it’s dust-tight and able to withstand heavy seas or powerful jets of water. Both power categories hold an efficiency rating of over 98%.
Unfortunately, the 27kW inverter is not well-designed for the Australian market where inverters are able to extend to 30kW without requiring extra network protection. The optimal design for many small businesses is to use a 30kW inverter and extend the solar panel capacity to 39.9kW, while the Fronius Eco 27kW can only support 35.9kW of solar panels.
Fronius Inverter Efficiency
In Australia, all CEC-approved Fronius inverters come with a 5-year warranty for parts and labour. A free additional 5-year extension (parts only) to the warranty can be claimed by, registering at solarweb within 30 months of the factory inverter dispatch. This means in the first 5 years Fronius will cover most of the labour and shipping associated with any covered repairs or replacements. In years 6 – 10 the customer will bear that cost.
This is definitely now below what is the standard for an inverter warranty in Australia. Most inverter companies offer 10 years full coverage including labour, including both of Fronius’ European competitors SMA and Fimer.
A full warranty extension can also be purchased from the inverter installer within 30 months of the inverters dispatch from the Fronius factory. This can extend the full parts and labour coverage to a total of 10, 15, 20 or 25 years.
Fronius do have a local office and excellent local support for their customers looking to resolve issues with their system.
See Fronius’ full Australian warranty document here.
Fronius Solar Inverters Pros and Cons
Pros
- Fronius has one of the strongest brand names and recognitions in the solar inverter market having stood the test of time with regard to its quality
- Fronius have an Australian office and helpful support staff to handle sales and service enquiries
Cons
- Fronius’ products are amongst the most expensive string inverters on the Australian market
- The 5 years full + 5 years parts-only warranty is now below the market standard
- Fronius’ monitoring is a freemium service. They only provide 3 days of history for free and attempt to upsell customers to the premium version to get greater visibility. Most other inverters offer full data and history at no cost.
Fronius Inverter Specifications
| Fronius Primo 5.0-1 AUS | Fronius Symo 5.0-3-M | |
| Rated AC Power Output | 4,600W | 5,000W |
| Maximum Continuous Output Current | 21.7A | 7.2A |
| Maximum DC Power | 7,500W | 10,000W |
| Maximum Inverter Efficiency | 98.1% | 98% |
| Dimensions with Safety Switch/Connection Unit | 645 x 431 x 204 mm | 645 x 431 x 204 mm |
| Weight | 21.5kg | 19.9kg |
| Warranty | 5 Years (Extendable up to 25 years) | 5 Years (Extendable up to 25 years) |
| Operational Temperature Range | -40°C to 55°C | -25°C to 60°C |
| Made in | Austria | Austria |
So, Should I Buy Fronius inverters?
We consider Fronius as the premium option for both residential and small commercial uses. Fronius is one of the longest-standing brands in the solar inverter market with an excellent reputation.
In recent years, many of the Chinese solar inverters have caught up to Fronius (and in some cases overtaken) when it comes to the technical performance characteristics of the inverter. Fronius’ point of difference comes from the long track record they hold in terms of reliability and after-sales support.
In our opinion, you can’t go wrong with Fronius, and it would be worth paying a bit more to go with this brand over many of the others in the market.
Example of a Fronius Commercial Solar Project
The Philippines has seen quite a rise in the number of solar systems being installed over the past few years. This is due to the public grid being unable to reliably supply power to the 13 million Filipinos living in the metropolitan area surrounding Manila.
In April of 2019, a field located in Tarlac City, Philippines had a 20MW system equipped with 612 Fronius Eco inverters go live. The system included 61,200 solar panels to total the 20MW, the installation was completed in 5 months.
By installing the Fronius Eco the overall potential yield of the panels was increased. Although, for an installation of this magnitude it is unusual for the inverters used to be string inverters. However, it is because of the string inverters that the system is able to be more efficient. String inverters work better in conditions such as partial shade compared to central inverters. It was estimated that the system will produce around 32,000MWh of electricity, reducing CO2 by around 18.6million kg.
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Since 2008 our knowledge and sophisticated software has allowed over 300,000 Australian households and businesses to make a well-informed choice on their solar & battery installer.
This Fronius inverter review is performed independently by Solar Choice and has no affiliation with Fronius.
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Reviews from Australians who have installed Fronius Inverters
Works very efficiently in conjunction with the Trina panels. We regularly generate 20kw - the inverter capacity
Would highly recommend this brand with above mention panels and installer if you live in South Australia
Monitoring is great, looking forward to the next update.
Working fantastic and great location love the app on our phones and easy to understand
So far so good. Only been installed about 5 weeks.
Fronius seems good no problems at all
Brand chosen reliability Happy with monitoring
Gen 24 model often voted best in Australia, certainly in top 3.
Love the app, have been looking at it the last couple days! Very informative and with the consumption meter, I'm constantly looking at ways to reduce buying from the grid. I know a few people that have had Fronius installed for a few years now and cannot fault them, plus Fronius has been around for a long time, so I feel comfortable in making the right decision. I really like the look of the GEN24 too!
Easy to monitor and top quality inverter
Inverter looks and works great. The app connects giving a lot of information. The direct connection to the system by IP address gives a lot of control. The only problem I have had was when I wanted to do a system reset and couldn't remember the sequence. Fronius tech support were very patient and talked me through the process and waited while the system came back online. He then pushed a system update through. I can't rate Fronius highly enough.
I am happy with the monitoring App. I can see the performance of my panels. Very reliable and efficient
I am happy with the monitoring App. I can see the performance of my panels. Very reliable and efficient
Seemed to be a reliable and well used brand. Not sure it was installed in an ideal place, it's in the direct sunlight when it could have been in the shade most of the day.
Very happy and chosen on Roys advice.
App works well.
Very good reliable inverter
Happy with Genius.
I chose one of the better inverters. I’m happy with the app/ monitoring portal.
I chose because of PV backup option. Annoying that website is trying to upsell to premium monthly service.
Of the three systems, two are Fronius, and one is Huawei. We still do not have the ability to communicate with the Huawei despite repeated requests to Green and Gold.
The Gen 24 plus works well and no issues thus far. However very disappointed in the Fronius app that shows only 3 days of history forcing you to pay and subscribe for more where as my enphase app has comple history available.
See comment above
WiFi modules are very poor and integration between two or more inverters seems to be less than optimal, almost like the different inverters came from different companies
Works great and reporting on phone and computer accurate and informative
No issues with the inverter and excellent data available to monitor the system output - how I managed to clearly see we had an issue in 2020.
Without a Perth service/assessment office the process of sending inverter to Melbourne without knowing if the warranty would be accepted and could cost over $200 was not worth the risk! Very poor support
No problem
I did thorough research online and went with Fronius GEN24 inverter and one of the recommended solar installers Essential Solar. My solar system got install in July 2023. The inverter ran for less than a week then it stopped working totally. I reported to the installer immediately, Essential solar couldn't find the problem; then reported it to Fronius; Fronius Australia couldn't find the problem; then reported to Fronius International. The whole "kicking the ball" process took them 2 whole weeks 14 days! During this period, none of the companies bother send their technician to come to my house to give an actual diagnoses for the problem. After two week, they eventually showed up with an electrician and find a tiny issue that could be solved immediate onsite! 7 months on, here comes my 2nd bad experience - again the Fronius GEN24 inverter stopped working on Tuesday 13th Feb. at 15:31 immediately after the catastrophic weather conditions in Melbourne. I live only 9km from city so we didn't experience power outrage or anything too serious in the whole area. I reported it to Essential Solar on Wednesday morning 14th. The whole "kicking the ball" process starts again! The technical from Essential Solar can not diagnose the issue remotely, it was then passed to Fronius Australia, and now I was told it has been escalated to Fronius International. I am still waiting... no one has come to my house to even have a look, all done remotely! I have been paying my electricity bill since the inverter broke down, and we have experience few hot days and today will be another 38C but I can't use my solar energy! I won't recommend Fronius to anyone as their service is the worst! Don't expect to get problem solved quickly as their technicians are not capable to doing so quickly.
Once again, recommended by the installer, they are the most used brand as far as I can see. I researched the brand and was happy to have this unit.
Inverter performs well and has a good online portal/app to see what it is doing.
Monitoring app provides good detail on the energy production of the system.
Able to download usage data.
Fronius slave failed on the day, replaced in two days by Sparkin, Sungrow was great new Fronius all good
Inverter makes a 'screaming noise you can actually hear it blocks away, ear piercing, its really gotta be heard to appreciate, its February, installed June still not fixed, no wifi connection either, no after sales service to speak of
We have been slow to the solar system world and as a result there are a lot of early adopters that made the move before we did.When asking around we always got glowing reports about Fronius.
I refer to the inverter website every day. Reliable and easy to use.
The Fronius Gen 24 inverter has a fan which comes on and off but is unobtrusive and quiet even though it is close to the door to our living area. I have read comments relating to earlier series inverters and noise but we have not experienced that and you need to be close to hear the fan. The supplied Solar.web app works well and reports on immediate power generation and also daily, monthly and yearly generation. It has worked faultlessly.
App is simple and easy to use Some people may find the Fronius noisy but that is just cooling fan keeping the system cool, i have no issues with this
Very happy with the monitoring app After a lot of reading and research the fronius inverter was the stand out one for
Display panel should have a cover on to protect from elements and sun
Works well - wifi drops out on occasion and needs reconnecting.
Absolutely delighted
No issues still working in new installation
Excellent - very easy to use and provides excellent information
We chose the Fronius brand inverter due to the reputation the brand has world wide. The Quality Solar System reps. felt that as a 'top of the range' brand, we had made the right choice. We opted to have the inverter installed inside the garage. There was the usual 'mess' from the drilling of the garage wall for the inverter and associated switch but everything was left 'spick and span' at the end of the installation. The inverter display is easy to read but as I am not a tech nerd, not too easy to interpret. The installing tech. however stated that so long as the green 'ON' light was illuminated, I could rest assured that the Fronius was doing it's job. I also have the Fronius App on my phone but it also is a bit difficult to understand. The system did trip it's circuit breaker twice but Quality Solar's rep. and electrician were at our house within an hour and the 'problem' rectified. The system has also been setup by Quality Solar Systems to email a log of unusual events which is reassuring.
Excellent! Wifi enabled
Fronius inverter is still going well, the subscription to the app is also helpful.
not had a problem with it, and receiving monthly report telling me how much power was generated over the preceding month (by day) is most useful.
Largely Trouble-free, with good monitoring software. Fronius support has been good. Had the hybrid model been available and selected I would have a battery by now.
Fronius has done the job it was designed for excellent converter no problem.
No problems - very good.
Primo GEN24 5.0
Aside from a few niggles with their monitoring app, the Inverter itself performs flawlessly. I believe that some people find the fan in the Fronius inverters a little loud to be on the wall outside a bedroom. We haven't found this to be a problem.
I have duel inverters and am very pleased with the performance to date.
Top Brand
Went with another company and fronius has been fantastic
Seems to be operating as it should. The web interface works well. The technical service is very good.
Sleep and compact design
Great inverter with daily performance information available for viewing on both my smart phone and PC
The only brand that I would consider. Highly rated by the installer too.
Runs quietly and the software is easy to use.
good solid unit.
All good so far
Reliable, no issues. Good access to data through Fronius portal.
The access via web browser is not intuitive, but I don't use it anyway. I get all my operational details from the associated Tesla Gateway.
Good quality
Delivers excellent results
A bit more expensive, but fan cooled and locally supported with long warranty
Very happy, a slight humming can be heard on big sola days.
Fronius Inverter is a premium solar inverter option with great performance and features
Good Inverter Locally Accessible API is excellent for my Home Automation System
Our Fronius Inverter is brilliant.
The best
Great
Went well until I had my modem upgraded to a newer model. The Smart Meter could not be reconnected. Supplier has been trying to get a response from Fronius, but this has been dragging on for well over a month now, and I am unable to review my consumption of power.
Primo 5.0-1 not battery storage ready, as advised by solargain when purchasing.
Was recommended solar inverter brand and was happy Amazing solar solutions was able to offer it. Very happy ????
No issues
Fronius, was my preferred inverter requested by ne,
I briefly looked at the installation instructions and thought they made an effort to get the installation hasslefree done.
A little bit noisy in operation, especially when starting up at the start of daylight and closing down at the end of the day. Otherwise excellent. Note that I was aware of this issue - noise- (from reading reviews and owner comments), but as system is installed in/on a large farm shed, it does not intrude on house with the noise generated.
I consciously choose an expensive inverter (but I had no need for sophisticated one). This is a critical component, and I wanted to have open access to it with reliable API and known protocol (so that I could gather statistics independently, without 3rd-party tools). But this may not matter for most. Fronius Primo is clearly a well-designed unit with enough customisation, which is pleasure to work on, and which worked flawlessly so far (1.5+ years). The only thing that the users should be conscious about: it has a fan, which can get appreciably noisy when the power output is close to maximum. (It will be practically silent at night and most times in winter). Don't install it next to windows and doors, if possible.
never missed a beat
Awesome
The 6KW Fronius Primo Dual-MPPT inverter! Since its installation, it has been working flawlessly without any issues, excellent build quality.
Unit is of high quality and designed to accept battery backup when required
Too early to comment.
Product seems fine. However, Fronius has poor customer support. If you aren't an installer they don't want to know you, which is no help if the installer is no longer involved with the installation.
Very satisfied
Another top brand offered by Chris and whilst I was offered alternatives that would have saved me money I was happy to go with this design option.
no problems since installation
Even in Tasmania on a hot day it limits production due to overheating which will also no doubt shorten its life. This only happens on hot days and in the afternoon when the inverter itself is in the direct sun.
All good
No problems
Good inverter, but complex to interface with - but now done.
This system is Off Grid but the Grid is present as a manually switched backup. The Fronius is electronically coupled to a Selectronic SP PRO which acts as the battery inverter and charger and controls the 240v to the house. The Fronius is there to convert Solar DC to 240v which is AC coupled to the Selectronic.
To date, there have been no problems with the inverter.
Again, it works.
Wanting to update to a battery at a later stage Jack took this into consideration and opted to use the Fronius brand inverter to save on costs of installation when we add a battery to our set up.
It was highly recommended by our friend who is using a Fronius inverter himself.
Working well Wireless connection with phone and computer
It works, easy to read meter.
Used to the product
Poor performance
Very good inverter
3.Phase inverter
No issues and great reporting available.
It works well and is one of the leading invertor brands so I feel very comfortable knowing that.
Best brand inverter on the market worst app to use very limited and basic information available only. Need a smart meter to get more information on export consumption and other information
Top of the range solar inverter.
Easy to use mobile app for real-time tracking
N/a
Looks great and so far no problems. Web based member data reading is great
Choose a quality inverter.
Working very well
Easy to operate, smart technology and performs as per the rating
First inverter arrived DOA. second device works fine.
Thee Rolls Royce of inverters
Everyone is saying a Fronius brand is reliable but they forgot to tell me that you won’t get full feature reporting until you subscribe to their service of $33 every year.
Suggested by NDF Group to us, we couldn’t be happier with the outcome and solution provided.
Brand is well respected.
Sam Had recommended the Fronius brand inverter for its great reliability & Service support along with the extended 5 year warranty.
I have a Fronius inverter and Smart Meter. The inverter seems to be working okay but the Smart Meter is not. I’ve been trying to get it fixed in the last 2 months but there is very little support. This is not acceptable.
Been working perfectly so far - after 2 months, couldn’t be happier.
Fronius works supremely well.
As yet cannot really comment but seems fine.
Excellent inverter, we've had a few issues with the Fronius app to monitor our usage and production. The app issues are annoying, but have nothing to do with the performance of the inverter itself, which has been easy and smooth.
Happy with specifications and technical information provided by the manufacturer.
GOOD REVIEWS
Working and performing as expected. The monitoring ap is good. Registering for warranty is a bit clunky but we don't expect it to be needed.
WORKING VERY WELL INSTALLED FEB 2021
Again exactly what we requested after researching
Went with the Fronius Gen24 10KW 3phase inverter. Installed in the Garage, extremely quit and the performance is top notch. The monitoring solution provide is excellent.
We choose the Fronius gen24 as this was a hybrid and it seems to work as intended.
Fronius seems to be the most popular inverter and seems to be the best from a technology point of view. Also can monitor power generation and consumption via the Fronius Smart Meter and the Solar.web iterface.
Great inverter
German made, top quality
Fronius inverters are a very good quality product that deliver good capabilities to manage the Trina Solar panels. This inverter has the ability to add on a battery.
so far so good
Very satisfied
Too early to say
Small quiet unit. Able to check on progress of panels.
The Fronius inverter looks good. The app is limited unless you pay $60 for the premium app. I have not yet purchased the app.
Very happy with this Fronius inverter - the best brand.
Too early to tell, believe its a reputable brand.
inverter has been working flawelessly for over 18 months
The inverters have performed satisfactorily, meeting our expectations.
Very good
Happy so far
