Sonnen solar batteries reviews
Based on 26 ratings Aus Ranking
- 5 star 24
- 4 star 2
- 3 star 0
- 2 star 0
- 1 star 0
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Sonnen is a German brand that has attracted quite a bit of attention in Australia, partly due to manufacturing (well, assembling) batteries here - in South Australia (at one point - not currently).
Founded in 2010, Sonnen GmBH was one of the first suppliers of lithium ion solar batteries for home use in Germany.
About sonnenBatterie Evo
Unveiled in early December 2021, the sonnen Evo battery offers 10 kilowatt-hours of usable storage and 5 kilowatts continuous power. Aside from a power boost compared to sonnen's previous home battery, other improvements include the Evo can be installed outdoors and has built-in backup capabilities. To be available in early 2022, you can learn more about sonnen's new home energy storage product in our sonnenBatterie Evo review.
About sonnenBatterie Eco
Sonnen's flagship product prior to the Evo was sonnenBatterie Eco (yes, the weird caps situation is annoying), which translated simply means 'sun battery' - clever, huh? For some reason, things always sound cooler in German.
The sonnenBatterie Eco is an all-in-one unit - sort of. It includes AC battery inverter built-in but requires a solar inverter. The unit can be AC coupled or DC Coupled with 3-phase hybrid variant.
Various capacities are available, for example the 9.43 - which actually has 15kWh nominal capacity, 13.5kWh of which is usable (same as Powerwall 2). The 9.43 has pretty low power output capabilities, a maximum 3.3kW.
You can view more specifications on our battery comparison table.
SonnenFlat
Sonnen battery owners in NSW, QLD (Energex region), SA, ACT, TAS and VIC have the option of joining sonnenFlat, which enables them to receive a guaranteed annual allowance of electricity from the mains grid for a fixed monthly fee, with supply charge included.
Pricey Batteries, But Okay
At the prices Sonnen charges, its batteries (like many others) currently won’t pay for themselves under realistic conditions within the warranty period (10 years or 10,000 cycles, whichever comes first) if purchased directly from the company.
Cheaper prices can be had from the company's partners; but you'll still need to crunch the numbers to determine if a Sonnen battery is right for you financially-speaking.
A significant reduction in cost would certainly help Sonnen achieve its stated vision of a "world in which everyone is able to cover their energy needs with decentralised and clean energy sources".
Another disadvantage, depending on your situation, is the sonnenBatterie Eco is indoor-rated only - it can't be installed outside, but the arrival of the Evo solves that. Other than that, we haven't found much to complain about, except for some of Sonnen's claims from time to time that we've found to have been a little optimistic.
The products are good and the company seems stable - so if you're happy to fork out the extra cash and are aware of its limitations, a Sonnen battery could be a suitable energy storage solution in your situation.
If you're an Australian Sonnen owner, your opinion of your system would be valued by other visitors this page - please leave your rating and review.
Sonnen Solar Battery Reviews
Bought From: Solar Wholesalers SA Show additional information
Reliable solid performer
Got the 9.43 Eco 7.5kwh unit in Dec 2018 after having a 3.8kw micro inverter array installed in Dec 2014.Started benefiting from using our own power during the day in spring/summer months & with some left to use at nights.
Recently installed 3 more panels taking us to 5kw array - immediately noticed more battery uptake.
Plan to increase battery to max 15kwh module very soon, now we can fill it more easily - should give us more of our own power left to use on hot summer nights.
Very happy with this Battery which has performed flawlessly since installation.
Prior to our Battery, we were selling most of our power to the provider for 7c/kwh & buying it back from them when we were home at night for 27c/kwh !
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Love the app, can easily track remotely
Sonnen monitoring made contact when battery offline
Bought From: Kozco Energy Group Show additional information
Bought From: Solar Wholesalers Show additional information
Bought From: Green Solar Energy NSW Show additional information
Bought From: Smart Energy Answers Sydney O Show additional information
near 3 years on
We originally installed a 10 kW-Hr system in Aug 2018, and expanded to 14 kW-Hr in Aug 2020. The system has worked well for 2.5 years, and apart from a glitch when Sonnen upgraded the firmware, it has been very reliableThe monitoring app provides all the detail we need on power generated, used to charge the battery, exported to grit, consumed locally.
We also participate in the SonnenConnect VPP, which more than pays for itself. Overall, with the generated power, battery usage and VPP fee we receive, our overall power bill is around $0 per year (down from $4500 per year prior to solar)
The only downside is that it does not provide backup during grid outages, which thankfully are not a common event
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Bought From: Natural Solar Show additional information
Bought From: RK Solar And Consulting NSW Show additional information
Bought From: RK Solar And Consulting NSW Show additional information
Bought From: Natural Solar Show additional information
Bought From: DQ Electrical Pty Ltd Show additional information
Bought From: NRG Solar - National Renewable Group Show additional information
Bought From: Natural Solar Show additional information
That in itself, is a bonus !
Bought From: Green Solar Energy NSW Show additional information