Sonnenschein - Battery Reviews

About Sonnenschein

Sonnenschein's batteries have been manufactured since Adam was a pup and shouldn't be confused with the German home battery company, Sonnen. 

Company Info

The Sonnenschein name translated simply means "sunshine". The firm was founded way back in 1910 in Berlin and was acquired by Exide in 1996. 

One of Sonnenschein's claims to fame was the patenting of gel-cell lead acid batteries in the 1950's. The tech involves liquid electrolyte suspended in a fumed silica gelling agent, which causes it to partially solidify. This approach offers better resistance to leakage, longer life and with little maintenance.

Sonnenschien Batteries In Australia

Known for their robustness, Sonnenschein batteries are mainly used in Australia in off-grid applications. However, the company did produce a couple of residential grid-connect batteries at one point.

@home Lithium 

Two models were available: SL@home 7.0 (6.8kWh nominal capacity) and SL@home 9.0 (8.5kWh nominal capacity). These were compatible with the SMA Sunny Island and SP Pro family of inverters.  Both measured approximately 640 mm x 465 mm x 490 mm and weighed 95 kg and 97 kg respectively. Their operating temperature was 0°C ~ + 45°C. The @Home battery was manufactured in Germany.

Sonnenschein PRO Series

Also made in Germany, the Sonnenschein PRO was a modular battery system based on 2.4kWh LFP modules, stackable up to 9.6kWh. Maximum power matched module capacity - so the 9.6kWh model offered 9.6kW output power. The enclosure dimensions were 510 x 1110 x 290 mm and weight was 64kg to 180kg, depending on capacity. Operating temperature range was: Discharge -20°C to +45°C / Charge 0°C to +45°C

When production of both the @home and PRO series was discontinued and the reason why isn't clear. 

Sonnenschein Warranty Details

The @home performance warranty is 5,000 cycles, 10 years, or minimum energy throughput of 19MWh for the SHL48V 7.0 and 25MWh for the SHL48V 9.0, whichever comes first.

The PRO series also had a 10-year warranty, but we weren't able to locate cycle and minimum energy throughput information.

In the case of a warranty issue, your best bet is to first contact the party that installed the battery, as they have warranty responsibility. Failing that, try contacting Exide for advice on next steps.

Looking for a good home battery? Check out my guide to brands, pricing and everything you need to know.