Finn's Growatt Inverters Review & Verdict
Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO
While Growatt inverters have been a popular choice for Australia home solar installations for some years, unfortunately I still can't personally recommend them.
The hardware quality is much better than it used to be, but I'm still getting feedback that Growatt's Australian support needs to improve. If I wanted a relatively cheap budget inverter for my house, I'd be looking at Solis or GoodWe.
Growatt Inverters: Pros & Cons
- Cheap
- Newer models are reportedly more reliable than older ones.
- Lacklustre support
- Tricky commissioning
About Growatt
Shenzen Growatt New Energy Technology Co. Ltd (simply known as Growatt), is a Chinese solar inverter manufacturer that was established in 2011.
Australian Contact Information
While much of the company's production is located in China, offices can be found in many countries; including Australia. Growatt has a couple of offices here - in Perth and Adelaide:
Service: [email protected]
Sales: [email protected]
Australian website
Western Australia Office
02 80049182 | 02 80049215
98 Catalano Cct, Canning Vale WA 6155
South Australia Office
0413452944 | 8004 3158
965 South Rd, Melrose Park SA 5039
Company Info
Growatt was founded in 2011 by a group headed by David Ding, who remains the CEO today. It wasn't long after the company was founded that Growatt started shipping inverters to Australia, focusing on the budget end of the market. The firm subsequently abandoned Australia for a few years; returning with new inverter line-up.
Aside from string, battery and central inverters, the company also produces EV chargers, monitoring and energy storage systems. Its Huizhou, China manufacturing facility is huge - covering 200,000 square meters and boasting an annual output of 3,100,000 inverters. Growatt's new manufacturing plant in Haiphong, Vietnam produces solar inverters and batteries, with plans to expand the facility to an annual production capacity of 500,000 inverters.
According to Wood Mackenzie, Growatt was the fifth biggest inverter shipper globally in 2023.
Quantity Is One Thing. What About Quality?
While Growatt inverters have received a number of industry awards, there are some issues worth noting.
In 2021, there was a recall of 8kW Growatt inverters in Australia, affecting hundreds of units. While in the big scheme of things the impact was small when you consider how many inverters Growatt produces each year, no doubt owners of affected units weren't happy with the situation.
There have also been issues for some time around getting satisfactory support from Growatt. This post about Growatt from SQ's Anthony, a veteran installer, is quite enlightening and a little unsettling.
Growatt Inverter Models
Growatt offer a wide range of string and battery inverters in Australia, including:
MIN Residential String Inverters
Available in capacities of 2.5kW - 10kW, the MIN range offers a maximum claimed efficiency of 98.1% and two or three MPPTs; depending on the model. These units have an operating temperature range of –25 °C - +60 °C and an ingress protection rating of IP66. In the 7kW to 10kW range, the inverter dimensions are 425 x 387 x 180 mm and the units weigh 18.2 kilograms.
MIN And MOD Storage Inverters
There's quite a selection of battery inverters in the MIN and MOD range. The MIN range offers capacities from 2.5kW - 6kW, and the MOD range from 3kW to 10kW. These inverters have claimed efficiencies ranging from 98.2% to 98.6%
The single-phase MIN models are 375 x 350 x 160mm and weigh 9.1kg - 10.8kg, while the MOD line is 425 x 387x 147mm and weights range from 11.5kg to 13kg.
Note that some Growatt battery inverters are only compatible with certain Growatt batteries.
Warranty Details
Growatt inverters are backed by a standard 5 year warranty from the date of installation, and no more than 5 and half years from the date of delivery from the Growatt factory. 5 years is a pretty common warranty duration among inverters at the budget end of the pricing spectrum. But for Australian owners, there's also the option of extending this by an additional 5 years on selected models; so a total of 10 years.
Conclusion
Like any brand, there are fans and critics. Judging by the reviews below it appears many Australians who have Growatt inverters installed seem pretty happy with them. But given the hit-and-miss nature of Growatt inverter gear and what appear to be ongoing support issues, the company *isn't* currently listed on SolarQuotes' recommended inverter brands chart.
If you're an Australian Growatt inverter owner, feel free to leave your own review.
Growatt has no solar inverters in our database
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14 September 2023
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I am particularly happy that I can use a phone App to check performance of the system, a feature that the older system did not have.
LATER: After the first year of operation, the Growatt inverter is still performing well. Had one minor glitch when data wasn't showing on the App, however, a call to the suppliers maintenance office soon resolved the issue without the need for him to attend. They were very quick getting onto the issue and resolving it.
11 September 2012
04 September 2012
05 July 2024
02 June 2024
29 April 2024
The review is therefore purely about my experience in purchasing a Tesla Powerwall 2 Solar Battery from Natural Solar.
29 January 2024
01 January 2024
- Connected via Wifi
- All information about electricity generation is stored
- Mobile App is very useful.
- Real-time Monitoring with Mobile App
- Hitorical data can be viewed with Mobile App, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc.
30 November 2023
08 September 2023
An incentive was offered by Sunterra for this review. Learn more here.
16 August 2023
An incentive was offered by Boost Solar for this review. Learn more here.
11 August 2023
An incentive was offered by Arise Solar for this review. Learn more here.
29 July 2023
05 July 2023
21 June 2023
07 June 2023
05 April 2023
04 April 2023
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27 February 2023
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04 November 2022
An incentive was offered by Sunterra for this review. Learn more here.