20 years is forever in the solar manufacturing industry and to last that long as Chinese inverter manufacturer Solis has done is quite an accomplishment. But is Solis gear any good?
Solis manufactures residential, commercial & industrial (C&I) and utility scale solar inverters, plus hybrid and battery inverter solutions. The firm boasts more than 4,500 employees worldwide; around 800 of whom are Research & Development personnel according to Solis.
The company’s history kicked off with the 2005 founding of its parent Ginlong Technologies in Ningbo, Zhejiang by Wang Yiming after he had dropped out of a PhD program at Bristol University in the UK. He remains the CEO of Solis today.
Ranked 3rd Globally For Inverter Shipments
2024 saw another important milestone for company, with 100GW+ of cumulative shipments achieved around September last year. The firm’s production pace has greatly accelerated in recent years — in 2020, it had racked up just 15 GW of shipped capacity. So, 15 years for the first 15 GW, and more than 85 GW in the 5 years since.
In Wood Mackenzie’s global inverter shipment rankings for 2024, the company was again ranked third. But there’s a huge gap between Solis and the top 2 players — Huawei (branded iStore these days in Australia) and Sungrow, with both firms each shipping far more capacity last year than Solis has done over its entire 20 years.
As for Solis’s future in Australia, it looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.
“Here in Australia, we’re proud to be part of this global story,” says the company. ” From homes to businesses, every Solis installation is a step toward cleaner energy and a stronger commitment to our communities and environment. Thank you to our Aussie partners, installers, and customers for being part of this evolving canvas. Together, we’ll keep powering Australia’s transition to a greener tomorrow.”
Is Solis A Good Inverter Choice?
Solis entered the Australian market around 2011, so their gear has had plenty of time operating under Australia’s often harsh conditions. One of the attractive aspects to Australian solar shoppers is price — cheap, without being cheap and nasty; although shonky installation can make a dog’s breakfast of even the best inverters.
And the price difference is significant. For example, a Solis S5-GR1P6K (6 kW) inverter is around $1,700 cheaper than an Austrian-made Fronius Primo GEN24 6 kW unit.
You can see how pricing and specifications of Solis inverters stack up against a bunch of other brands on the SolarQuotes solar inverter comparison table (string inverters), or compare hybrid inverters here.
SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock’s opinion of Solis:
“A solar inverter is the workhorse of a solar power system, so it’s wise to get the best of the best if you can. But if you’re on a tight budget, I’m comfortable recommending Solis inverters, which have generally held up well under Australian conditions. And if things go wrong there’s a decent warranty backed by local support.”
In Australia, Solis inverters under 110kW capacity have been accompanied by a 10-year warranty if they were purchased on or after January 1, 2024, and 10 years for inverters under 20 kW since 2021. Inverters purchased prior to that have a 5-year warranty.
Extended warranty options up to 20 years can be purchased online for all Solis inverter products. I’m not sure of the cost, but 20 years might be overkill — a good solar (string) inverter should last between 10-15 years and the Solis warranty has dozens of exclusions, including if a defect is a result of normal wear and tear.
Solis is currently listed as a SolarQuotes recommended inverter brand. At the time of publishing, Australian customer reviews of Solis inverters here on SolarQuotes averaged 4.5 stars based on 348 ratings overall and 4.6 stars in the past 12 months.
About Michael Bloch
RSS - Posts
Speak Your Mind