{"id":96580,"date":"2025-12-20T06:05:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T20:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=96580"},"modified":"2025-12-20T08:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:47:07","slug":"supersize-me-the-rise-of-the-mcbattery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/supersize-me-the-rise-of-the-mcbattery\/","title":{"rendered":"Supersize Me: The Rise of the McBattery"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AAussies love big things.<\/p>\n

After the rebate, battery systems are heading the same way.<\/p>\n

But bigger systems can bring bigger inefficiencies.<\/p>\n

MC Electrical recently tested battery round-trip efficiency<\/a> across a few systems. One result got a lot of attention. A Sigenergy battery stack with a 20 kW inverter was charged at 10 kW and discharged at just 700 W. Measured round-trip efficiency was 63%.<\/p>\n

That sounds bad, but it\u2019s not surprising.<\/p>\n

At small loads, big hybrid systems struggle.<\/p>\n

And seven hundred watts is being generous. Many homes draw closer to 300W overnight to power the fridge, lights, and standby loads.<\/p>\n

Why Size Hurts Efficiency<\/h2>\n

Inverter efficiency is not a single number. It\u2019s a curve.<\/p>\n

As output drops to a small fraction of rated power, efficiency drops fast. At the same time, the battery system must still operate its control boards, power electronics, DC-DC converters and cooling systems. When output is low, that fixed overhead becomes a large percentage of the energy flowing through the system.<\/p>\n

The result is a large battery stack working harder than it should to supply a very small load. More heat. More losses. Less useful energy out the other end.<\/p>\n

MC Electrical also tested a smaller setup. A 10 kW Fronius inverter and battery stack discharging at just 300W measured at 82% round-trip efficiency.<\/p>\n

That difference matters.<\/p>\n

If Battery A is 30% more efficient than Battery B, then 20 kWh of the efficient one can give a similar real-world outcome to about 26 kWh of the less efficient one. Capacity numbers alone can mislead.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a gentle plea to anyone rushing to lock in the battery rebate before it reduces in May:<\/p>\n

Between now and May, your feed will be full of ads shouting urgency. Big batteries. Big stacks. Big numbers. \u201cGet in before the rebate drops by $10,000.\u201d<\/p>\n

That message plays straight into panic buying.<\/p>\n

Before you sign, pause and consider how your system will operate most of the time. Overnight loads are small. That\u2019s where batteries spend a lot of their life. A smaller, better-matched inverter and battery can outperform a huge system once losses are taken into account.<\/p>\n

It can also soak up less of a taxpayer-funded rebate while doing the same job.<\/p>\n

(You can check how much battery rebate your choice of battery is gobbling up with our battery rebate calculator<\/a> – just updated with the latest changes to the scheme.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, a giant battery with a giant inverter will still cut your bill a lot if it\u2019s working properly. And as a bonus, some of the wasted energy will help warm your garage in winter.<\/p>\n

But in my experience with energy systems, good design ages better than brute force.<\/p>\n

The McBattery looks great on the menu.<\/p>\n

But once you get it home, you may find you paid for size you never use, and losses you didn\u2019t need.<\/p>\n

If You Already Went Big<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve already bought a giant battery, don\u2019t panic.<\/p>\n

Check your monitoring after a few months. Look at how many kWh of battery sit unused most days. If there\u2019s plenty of slack, consider a Virtual Power Plant<\/a> or a tariff that pays well for battery exports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pushing more energy through the system by exporting to the grid can improve efficiency, reduce heat, and put some money back in your pocket. Big systems tend to behave better when they are kept busy.<\/p>\n

Phase Shift is a weekly opinion column by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock. Subscribe to SolarQuotes\u2019 free newsletter<\/a> to get it emailed to your inbox each week along with our other home electrification coverage. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aussies love big things. After the rebate, battery systems are heading the same way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[551],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-battery-storage","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSupersize Me: The Rise of the McBattery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aussies love their McMansions. Big and inefficient. 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I agree, because there's a limitation of three-phase battery systems you need to understand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":96315,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solaredge-three-phase-mb3327\/","url_meta":{"origin":96580,"position":1},"title":"SolarEdge 3-Phase Battery + Hybrid Inverter Get AU Approval","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"December 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar inverter, optimiser, battery storage and EV charger manufacturer SolarEdge has announced its Home Hub Universal 3-phase inverter was last week approved by the Clean Energy Council for use in Australia, following the CEC's recent tick for the company's 3-phase battery system. What Are The Home Hub Universal 3-Phase Inverter's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SolarEdge Home Hub Universal 3-phase hybrid inverter and battery","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solaredge-three-phase.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solaredge-three-phase.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solaredge-three-phase.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solaredge-three-phase.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solaredge-three-phase.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":97661,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/when-did-ac-coupling-become-a-fashion-crime\/","url_meta":{"origin":96580,"position":2},"title":"When Did AC Coupling Become A Fashion Crime?","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"February 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s a strange certainty creeping into battery talk lately. The idea that DC coupling is the grown-up option, and AC coupling is something we did back when we didn\u2019t know any better. I keep seeing installers and Facebook pundits claiming the only proper way to attach a battery to a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ac-coupling","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unfashionable-ac-coupling.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unfashionable-ac-coupling.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unfashionable-ac-coupling.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unfashionable-ac-coupling.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unfashionable-ac-coupling.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/unfashionable-ac-coupling.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101412,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/kilowatts-vs-kilowatt-hours-the-mix-up-that-never-dies\/","url_meta":{"origin":96580,"position":3},"title":"Kilowatts vs Kilowatt-Hours: The Mix-Up That Never Dies","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"August 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rS0fyFMUwJI I first wrote about this back in 2012. Fourteen years later, I'm still writing about it. That should tell you something about how sticky this confusion is. Kilowatts (kW) measure power: the rate at which electricity flows. Kilowatt-hours (kWh) measure energy: the total amount you've either generated or consumed.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-8.30.42-pm.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-8.30.42-pm.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-8.30.42-pm.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-8.30.42-pm.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-8.30.42-pm.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-23-at-8.30.42-pm.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59122,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/q-cells-home-core-mb2365\/","url_meta":{"origin":96580,"position":4},"title":"Q CELLS “First To Market” 15 Year Home Battery Warranty","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"February 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A new Q CELLS home battery system to be first sold in Australia is accompanied by a 15 year product and performance warranty as standard. Q.HOME CORE is Q CELLS\u2019 third generation energy storage system (ESS) and will be available in Australia from next month. The first systems sold here\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Q CELLS HOME.CORE solar battery system","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/q-cells-home-core-battery.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/q-cells-home-core-battery.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/q-cells-home-core-battery.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/q-cells-home-core-battery.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/q-cells-home-core-battery.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100117,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/intersolar-2026-the-worlds-biggest-solar-show\/","url_meta":{"origin":96580,"position":5},"title":"Intersolar 2026: Europe’s Biggest Solar Show, In A City That Couldn’t Keep Cool","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"June 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=feBryJXCqfY Last week I went to Intersolar Europe in Munich, and the first thing to tell you is the scale (watch my video above to get a real feel for the exhibition). The show floor was eighteen halls big[1. I say 12 in the video for some reason - but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Innovations"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Innovations","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-innovations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Longi solar","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Longi-solar.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Longi-solar.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Longi-solar.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Longi-solar.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Longi-solar.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/big-batteries-rebate.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96580"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96747,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96580\/revisions\/96747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}