Alpha-ESS review

Alpha-ESS - Battery Reviews

4.5

Based on 121 ratings

Finn's Alpha-ESS Batteries Review & Verdict

Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO

Alpha ESS make some of the cheapest battery systems approved for grid connection in Australia. If price is your only criteria when buying a battery system, then they are an option. But in my opinion, a low, low price should never be your only criteria when buying a home battery.

Feedback on Alpha ESS batteries from customers generally falls into two camps: 1) The battery is installed and working and they are happy with how little it cost. 2) They have had problems and are rather frustrated.

If I was looking for a cheaper battery, I'd personally choose to pay a bit more and get a Sungrow.

Alpha-ESS Batteries: Pros & Cons

  • The low price point.
  • A nice looking battery. Everything is behind a unified façade which comes away easily to make for neat installation and easier servicing.
  • The cover arrangement lets you remove a whole brick from the wall and so feasibly run cables in a wall cavity.
  • Models available for DC coupled solar, with blackout protection and "black start" if you run the battery flat overnight.
  • Popularity means they're likely supported by (Virtual Power Plants) VPPs or power-sharing software.
  • Warranty support is proven and acknowledged to be embarrassingly lacklustre.
  • Some AlphaESS models have dismal surge capacity during a blackout.
  • Some models don't offer blackout protection.
  • "Some models" means there's a lot of different options to be confused with.
  • Technical support is poor in our experience.
  • Proper monitoring requires two consumption meters in many cases.
  • Review ratings are in the low four-stars (but trending better).
  • At the bottom end of the market in terms of price, they are more likely to be sold by shonks who don't offer decent after-sales support. Choose your installer wisely!

About Alpha-ESS

Energy storage manufacturer Alpha ESS was established in 2012. A Chinese company, it has offices in Australia, the UK, Germany and Italy.

In Australia, the main Alpha-ESS product line is the Storion SMILE5. This is an all-in-one unit, meaning the system includes batteries, a battery management system (BMS) and an inverter.

The battery modules used in the Storion SMILE5 are lithium iron phosphate chemistry; widely considered the safest type of lithium ion battery technology.  As far as we're aware, Alpha-ESS still sources battery modules from another Chinese company, EVE, which has been in the battery business since 2001. 

The Storion SMILE5 range is available in various capacities and AC/DC/Hybrid coupling options are available. As for power output, the SMILE5 series offers 5kW. This unit does have blackout protection capabilities.

Alpha ESS Warranty

The Alpha ESS SMILE 5 has 10-year product warranty on the batteries themselves, but the balance of the system only has five years warranty.

The performance warranty for Alpha ESS solar batteries guarantees a minimum of 80% of their original capacity after 10 years, assuming the system is connected to the internet and is only used for self-consumption. If the system is not internet connected, the warranty plummets to three years. 

If the system is used for purposes other than self-consumption, assumed to include use as part of a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), the warranty will expire earlier - when total energy of 2.92MWh per kWh of usable capacity has been dispatched from the battery.

As for how strong the warranty backing is, we're aware of a situation where an Australian customer battled for months with Alpha ESS over a Storion OF5 warranty claim; which resulted in the owner sending a letter of complaint to the ACCC and Office of Fair Trading. 

If you're an Alpha-ESS battery owner, we'd really appreciate you adding your review by clicking the button towards the top of this page.

Images from customers

Alpha-ESS has 5 solar batteries in our database

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Battery Type 
Usable Storage 
Power 
All-In-One unit 
Off-grid capable 
Product Name
Approx Price
Battery Type
Usable Storage Capacity
Power
All-In-One unit
Off-grid capable
Alpha-ESS SMILE-B3-PLUS
$4,000
Lithium-ion (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
4.79 kWh
3 kW
Yes
No
+ More details
Alpha-ESS SMILE5 10.1 kWh
$7,458
Lithium-ion (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
9.07 kWh
5 kW
Yes
Yes (back-up built in)
+ More details
Alpha-ESS SMILE5 13.3 kWh
$9,372
Lithium-ion (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
13.3 kWh
5 kW
Yes
Yes (back-up built in)
+ More details
Alpha-ESS G3 10.1 kWh
$8,500
Lithium-ion (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
9.6 kWh
5 kW
Yes
Yes (back-up built in), Can communicate with Generator
+ More details
Alpha-ESS T10
$10,692
Lithium-ion (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
7.8 kWh
10 kW
Yes
Yes (back-up built in)
+ More details

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Alpha-ESS Reviews (121)

Show Most Relevant reviews from All time

  • 5 star 96
  • 4 star 11
  • 3 star 4
  • 2 star 3
  • 1 star 7

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The 5.04kWh Alpha ESS B3-Smile battery has performed well so far and has resulted in 89% self-sufficiency. The Alpha monitoring app is basic but functional. The monitoring dropped out but after re-configuring the WiFi settings is was re-instated and is now stable.

Panel Brand

Qcells solar panel review

Installed By

Smart Energy Answers Melbourne Metro West
I’m impressed with the battery and the app system but it’s too early to say much yet!

Installed By

MLEC Solar Perth
We are really pleased with the system that Nepean Solar installed

Installed By

Nepean Solar Solutions

Installed By

Direct Solar Wholesaler Energy Group

Installed By

Kozco Energy Group

Installed By

Skylight Energy

Installed By

Teho Residential
So very impressed with the installer and the follow up.
I love I can see how much charge it has and how any excess is fed back to the grid, that my house is using stored energy through the night. love it.

Installed By

Ryde Energy
Excellent awesome

Installed By

Open Electrical Pty Ltd

This 3 star review was removed at the request of the reviewer

Learn More

Installed By

Smart Energy Answers Sydney O

Installed By

PSW Energy Perth Solar Warehouse

This 1 star review was removed at the request of the reviewer

Learn More

Installed By

Kozco Energy Group
Once another company checked and rectified poor workmanship, the battery did a good job but i found the need to increase kw panels to 10kw from 5kw to make full use of battery, now almost totally grid free.

Installed By

Solar Secure

Installed By

Sapphire Solar

Installed By

Tasmanian Energy Company North
Looks good working fine

Installed By

Skylight Energy

Installed By

Exceed Solar Adelaide

Installed By

Direct Solar Wholesaler Energy Group
We went for a 10.1 kW (rated) battery and are probably getting at least 90% of that.
To qualify for the ACT Government battery rebate, we were required to enable an internet connection for the battery (which was immediate and very straightforward) and then pair it on-line with Evergen software (which took a few weeks, as it was over the Christmas holidays).
We were initially ambivalent about allowing third party software to access and potentially 'control' our battery, but it has been a very positive experience. The Alpha battery pairs very smoothly and sensibly with Evergen.
The software is constantly 'learning' our electricity usage habits and then guides the times of feed-in versus times of grid draw-down in order to maintain sufficient charge to last us through the night or an overcast rainy day, and to calculate the most economical time and quantity of charge to make available to the grid.
We are on a TOU electricity tariff and, if necessary (e.g. if it's been heavily overcast the previous day, or if we've had a dinner party or a big movie night the night before), the software enables the battery to top up in the early morning (i.e. at the cheapest TOU rates) so we almost always wake up to a battery that is charged enough to last us through the morning peak of usage and TOU tariff until the sun is high enough for the panels to start generating again.
We always have enough charge in the battery to cover the peak in evening activities, and only buy electricity from the grid at the cheapest TOU rates.

Panel Brand

Hyundai Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Stag Electrical Solar and Refrigeration NSW
Very competitive price

Installed By

Renergetic Group
The 13.3kw Solar battery works well in harmony with the solar inverter and solar panels. Also provides timely and up to date information through the App, which installed on my mobile and iPad.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Natrix Solar

Installed By

ShineHub

Installed By

Solar Service Group
This battery is purposely for our air conditioner and operates throughout the night extremely well.

Panel Brand

ET Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Carbo Solar

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Kozco Energy Group
Simply the best

Panel Brand

JA Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Wattsup Solar and Electrical

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar solar panel review

Installed By

RESINC Solar

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Risen solar panel review

Installed By

Battery Solar Solutions

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar solar panel review

Installed By

RESINC Solar

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar solar panel review

Installed By

RESINC Solar

Panel Brand

Risen solar panel review

Installed By

Teho Residential

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Target Solar (Alex - Melbourne)

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Better Call Solar

Panel Brand

Risen solar panel review

Installed By

Mondiaux Pty Ltd

Installed By

Teho Residential
13.34kw battery keeps me off the grid.

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Trenton Gill Electrical
The previous owner has installed this AlphaESS SMILE5 in 2019. I moved into the house in 2022. I have 1 year experience with the battery so far.

My experience as below
AlphaESS tech support with some slight confusion caused by the previous owner. Support was able to help me setup my own account and take over monitoring of the battery.
My SMILE5 from 2019 only has ethernet support(no WiFi) which isn't a problem for me.
There has been 2 or 3 instances of random black outs of 30 seconds. I havent been able to determine if it was a grid problem or not. I have contacted support and they havent been able to see anything in the logs
The battery does regular self checks/health checks and during that time my ceiling LED lights flicker very briefly.

The good - the app and monitoring website is constantly improving.

Despite those issues above, im happy with the product.

Panel Brand

Risen solar panel review

Installed By

Energy Buster

Panel Brand

JA Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Clean and Green Solutions

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Class A Energy Solutions

Panel Brand

EGing solar panel review

Installed By

Global Solar Solutions
The system app that was provided via this purchase (Alpha ESS) is very easy to use and provides real-time performance insights.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Kozco Energy Group
Great during power failure, 10kw sees us through till the next morning.

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Class A Energy Solutions

Panel Brand

Chint Solar Zhejiang solar panel review

Installed By

Kozco Energy Group

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JA Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Clean and Green Solutions

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Canadian Solar Inc solar panel review

Installed By

Ozora Energy A
Very easy to read , no noise and at night lights up the carport nicely

Panel Brand

Trina solar panel review

Installed By

Kozco Energy Group

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Trenton Gill Electrical

An incentive was offered by Clean and Green Solutions for this review. Learn more here.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar solar panel review

Installed By

Clean and Green Solutions
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