SMA solar inverters reviews

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About SMA, Solar Inverters

SMA solar inverters review
SMA is a SolarQuotes approved brand
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SMA Customer Service: 1800 762 287

SMA are the big granddaddy of inverter manufacturers. Founded way back in 1981, the company is based in Germany, turns over billions annually and employs around 3,500 people.

SMA solar inverters were originally only produced in German factories, but the firm went through a period in 2017-2018 where they manufactured their "Sunny Boy" inverters, which are used extensively in home solar installations, in China.

Then in December 2018, the company announced it intended to move manufacturing out of China. However, in May 2020 we were informed SMA will continue to partly manufacture their Sunny Boy inverters in China and partly in Germany for the foreseeable future. What is manufactured where isn't clear.

SMA Inverters - Core Products

Regardless of country of manufacture, if you want a safe bet, you can't go wrong with an SMA inverter. The only downside is that you tend to pay a premium for them.

The Sunny Boy (single-phase) and Sunny Tripower (three-phase) product lines form the core of SMA's home and commercial offerings. SMA also manufacture a battery inverter for off-grid applications called the Sunny Island.

Beyond home and commercial products, the company also produces thumping great central inverters for solar farms.

You can compare specifications and estimated pricing of SMA residential solar products available in Australia with models from a bunch of other brands on the SolarQuotes inverter comparison table. 

SMA A Solar Battler

The company has faced its share of challenges over the years from increasing competition and thinning margins (hence its China fling), but appeared to be turning things around - although COVID threw a spanner in the works.

  • 2023 (January - June): 7,213MW capacity shipped
  • 2022: 12,200 MW
  • 2021: 13,584 MW
  • 2020: 14,415 MW
  • 2019: 11,409 MW
  • 2018: 8,449 MW
  • 2017: 8,538 MW

Challenges Persisted For SMA In 2022

The 2022 and 2021 result was a little disappointing, attributed in part to a shortage of electronic components that restricted the company's delivery capacity rather than a lack of orders. The company said it was attributable to the continued tight situation with the supply of electronic chips - and it wasn't the only inverter manufacturer experiencing similar issues. 

Looking past supply chain issues, SMA sees sunnier days ahead and is planning to close-to-double production capacity at its headquarters in Germany from 21 GW currently to almost 40 GW by 2024.

In August 2023, SMA reported a successful first half; with significant increase in sales and earnings in all segments; returning to profitability earlier than planned.

According to the company, more than 750,000 SMA inverters had been installed across Australia by the end of 2020; so they've certainly been popular here and remain so - both among Australian households and installers.

Overall, SMA has shipped more than 130 GW of solar inverter capacity globally to date.

SMA Inverter Warranty Notes

SMA Sunny Boy and Tripower inverters come with a standard 5 year warranty. But from 1 October 2021, all home inverters commissioned in Australia receive an extra 5 years of full warranty upon product registration - so a total of 10 years.

SMA have a strong local presence in Australia - first established way back in 2007 -  in the rare event you experience an issue requiring technical or warranty support.

The contact number for SMA support is 1800 SMA AUS (1800 762 287). Note that the initial voice message encourages SMA inverter owners to first contact their installer. But if you stay on the line and choose the appropriate menu option, you'll find the SMA team to be very helpful in answering technical and warranty related questions.

If you're looking to find an SMA-certified installer to assist you with an existing SMA installation, you can use SMA's "Power Up" online service here.

As you'll see from the SMA inverter reviews below, complaints about SMA inverter performance or reliability pretty rare, which is why the brand is one of the most popular in Australia - and part of the reason why the company is currently listed as an SQ recommended inverter brand.

If you're an Australian owner of an SMA inverter, feel free to contribute your review and rating.

SMA Solar Inverter Reviews

Bought From: Central Solar Services Show additional information
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
Bought From: Positive Energy Solutions Pty Ltd Show additional information
I had an SMA Sunnyboy inverter at a previous residence and that worked flawlessly for 9 years ( then I move), so I decided to stick with the SMA brand.
Bought From: Solaire Connect Show additional information
Bought From: Positive Energy Solutions Pty Ltd Show additional information
Bought From: Expert Electrical Beaudesert to Warwick Show additional information
Excellent monitoring app.

New monitoring app is ok by me.
Bought From: EcoSmart Solar Rockhampton Show additional information
Bought From: Better Call Solar Show additional information
The SMA inverter is working well. The app gives real time feedback on power generation.
Bought From: Case Statewide Solar Show additional information
Looks good, seems to be working very well.
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
Bought From: Teho Residential Show additional information
Bought From: Exceed Solar Adelaide Show additional information
Bought From: Yorke Solar Show additional information
Bought From: Exceed Solar Adelaide Show additional information
Bought From: Exceed Solar Adelaide Show additional information
Bought From: Yes Solar Show additional information
Bought From: Teho Residential Show additional information
Bought From: Natural Solar Show additional information
Bought From: Synergyze Electrical Show additional information
Bought From: Shannon Fraser Solar and Electrical Pty Ltd Show additional information
S/W was stuck in a loop for several months until I did a full power off / reset. It was inverting and exporting (as far as I know), just not reporting it, because it was ignoring the DHCP response from my router, and self-assigining a non-routable IP address
Bought From: Hawking Electrical Energy Solutions Show additional information
Bought From: Sparklife Solar Show additional information
Bought From: Euro Solar Show additional information
A few months ago I had my second SMA Sunnyboy replaced. The first one lasted less than two years (about 18 months), the second one lasted less than 12 months.
I don’t recommend them, the company I went through to have solar put on my roof, won’t use them anymore and the electrician (subcontractor) said they are no good. Electrician said that they used to be good but have dropped the ball on the quality in a big way.
SMA wouldn’t cover the warranty on the last inverter and I listened to the sparky arguing over the phone with them, that the initial installation was fine and that it was the inverter that had failed (note he didn’t install it, so it wasn’t his work and therefore had no need to defend the previous electricians work). The sparky was pretty frustrated with their warranty department.
I’m glad I was with a solar installation company, that are still operating (they replaced the SMA inverter with another brand, at their cost) as I would have been up the creek and had to pay for the whole bill myself.
Don’t buy SMA.
Bought From: Allstate Solar Show additional information
Bought From: Velocity Solar Geelong Show additional information
So happy I could have a red one!
Bought From: Platinum Solar Designs NSW Show additional information
Bought From: Sunwise Energy Batteries Show additional information
The SMA app had problems when I first got the system, however after those rough 1-2 months the app has been rock solid and any outages they let you know when they will happen and for how long and what is affected as a notice inside the app. Honestly, the best way they could let users know. Outages of the app are only typically an hour or 2 twice a month, nothing major.

As for the inverter itself, fantastic it just works. In-fact I forgot the whole system is even installed, just dramatically lowered power bills.

The SMA app could do better to be 100% honest the information it provides is very basic. It a little frustrating they only account for flat rate priced electricity, not peak/off peak. So they need to improve that, however on the other hand they haven't locked the inverter down so even if SMA was to go out of business and the app shutdown you can still get a lot of information from the inverter and applications like Home Assistant integrate with the inverter (without an internet connection required!!) to get your stats and present it in a different way. So while I think SMA has some work to do on the app, they have allowed others to come in and develop their own apps.
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
The computer interface only shows the solar energy production but doesn’t show how much I am using on site and how much is being exported to grid. This is information I want and expected.
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
Happy so far
Bought From: Case Statewide Solar Show additional information
Being single phase coupled with an existing 3 phase 5kw SMA system.
Bought From: Solaire Connect Show additional information
Bought From: Platinum Solar Designs NSW Show additional information
Bought From: EcoSmart Solar Rockhampton Show additional information
Very happy with system .
Bought From: Electro Service Solar Show additional information
Make sure the installer re-sets the default for Australia.
Bought From: Perth Solar Force Show additional information
Bought From: MLEC Solar Perth Show additional information
Bought From: Avery Solar and Electrical Show additional information
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
So far so good, just over a year in.
Bought From: Expert Electrical Brendale Show additional information
Seems great. The system was providing readings to the app before it was connected to the grid, which has been fun to watch
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
Bought From: All Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd Show additional information
Bought From: Home Efficiency Group Show additional information
Like the daily report from Germany
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
Bought From: Expert Electrical TAS Show additional information
Bought From: RK Solar And Consulting Central Coast - Newcastle Show additional information
So far no issue identified although the SMA apps is not the greatest - slow and often frozen.
Bought From: Sungen Northern NSW Show additional information
It's working well
Bought From: NKB Electics Show additional information
Bought From: All Energy Systems Australia Pty Ltd Show additional information
Bought From: Sunwise Energy PV Show additional information
Looks good and no noise like some.
Bought From: Platinum Electricians Albury Show additional information

SMA has 133 solar inverters in our database

Model DC Voltage AC Power Efficiency
1100LV400 V1000 W93.00
2000HF700 V200096.30
2500HF700 V250096.30
3000HF700 V300096.30
3600TL750 V360097.00
5000TL750 V460097.00
7000HV800V700096.20
SB 2000HF-30700 V200096.30
SB 2100TL600 V195096.00
SB 240-US-10240 V24096.00
SB 2500HF-30700 V250096.30
SB 3000HF-30700 V 300096.30
SB10000TL-US 208 V1000097.50
SB10000TL-US-12240 V1000098.00
SB11000TL-US240 V1100098.00
SB1100U240 V110091.00
SB1300TL-10600 V1300 96.00
SB1600TL-10600 V160096.00
SB2000HFUS-30 208 V200097.00
SB2000HFUS-30 240 V200097.00
SB2500HFUS-30208 V250096.50
SB2500HFUS-30240 V250096.50
SB2500TLST-21750250097.00
SB3000HFUS-30208 V300096.50
SB3000HFUS-30240 V300096.50
SB3000TL-21750300097.00
SB3000TL-US-22208 V305096.50
SB3000TL-US-22240 V305096.50
SB3000TLST-21300075097.00
SB3000US208 V300095.00
SB3000US240 V300095.50
SB3300U240 V330094.50
SB3600TL-21750368097.00
SB3800TL-US-22208 V385096.50
SB3800TL-US-22240 V385097.00
SB3800U208 V350094.00
SB3800U240 V380094.50
SB3800US240 V380096.00
SB3800US-12208 V380094.50
SB4000TL-21750 V400097.00
SB4000TL-US-22208 V405096.50
SB4000TL-US-22240 V405097.00
SB4000US208 V350095.50
SB4000US240 V400096.00
SB4000US (CL)208 V330095.50
SB4000US (CL)240 V380096.00
SB5000TL-21750 500097.00
SB5000TL-US-22208 V457696.50
SB5000TL-US-22240 V505197.00
SB5000US208 V500095.50
SB5000US240 V500095.50
SB5000US277 V500095.50
SB6000TL-US208 V600098.00
SB6000TL-US240 V600098.50
SB6000TL-US-22208 V520096.50
SB6000TL-US-22240 V600097.00
SB6000U208 V520094.50
SB6000U240 V600094.50
SB6000U277 V600094.50
SB6000US208 V600095.50
SB6000US240 V600095.50
SB6000US277 V600096.00
SB7000TL-US208 V700098.00
SB7000TL-US240 V700098.50
SB7000TL-US-22208 V600796.50
SB7000TL-US-22240 V700796.50
SB7000US208 V700095.50
SB7000US 240 V700096.00
SB7000US277 V700096.00
SB700U120 V69691.50
SB7700TL-US-22208 V673296.50
SB7700TL-US-22240 V770096.50
SB8000TL-US240 V8000 W98.00
SB9000TL-US240 V9000 W98.00
SC 1850-US1000 V1661000 W98.00
SC 2200-US1000 V2079000 W98.00
SC125U208 V125000 W93.50
SC250U480 V250000 W97.00
SC500CP-US600 V500000 W97.00
SC500HE-US-MV (w/ Cooper xfmr)600 V500000 W97.00
SC500U480 V500000 W97.00
SC630CP-US1000 V630000 W97.50
SC720CP-US1000 V720000 W97.50
SC750CP-US1000 V750000 W97.50
SC800CP-US1000 V800000 W97.50
SC850CP-US (w/ ABB xfmr)1000 V887914 W97.50
SC900CP-US (w/ ABB xfmr)1000 V942040 W97.50
SI 3.0M-11230 V2300 W95.30
SI 4.4M-11230 V3300 W95.30
SI201215200093.60
SI222431220093.60
SI332432 330094.50
SI424863420095.00
SI4548120 V2300 W94.50
SI504863500095.00
SI6.0H63460095.00
SI6048120 V5000 W94.00
SI6048240 V42000 W96.00
SI8.0H63600095.00
ST36240 V36000 W95.50
ST48240 V48000 W96.00
STP 10000TL-101000 V10000 98.10
STP 10000TL-201000 V10000 W98.00
STP 12000TL-101000 V1200098.10
STP 15000TL-101000 V1500098.20
STP 15000TLEE-101 000 V1500098.50
STP 15000TLHE-101 000 V1500099.00
STP 17000TL-10400-800V 17000 98.20
STP 20000TL-301000 V20440 W98.40
STP 20000TLEE-10580-800V 20000 98.50
STP 20000TLHE-10580-800V 20000 98.50
STP 25000TL-301000 V25550 W98.40
STP 5000TL-201000500098.00
STP 60-US-10400 V59859 W98.00
STP 6000TL-201000600098.10
STP 7000TL-201000700098.00
STP 8000TL-201000V800098.00
STP 9000TL-201000900098.00
STP10000TL1000 V1000098.10
STP12000TL1000 V1200098.10
STP15000TL1000 V1500098.10
STP17000TL1000 V1700098.10
STP20000TL-US-10277 V20000 W98.50
STP8000TL1000V800098.10
STP8000TL-101000 V800098.10
SWR1800U120 V1800 W91.50
SWR2100U240 V2100 W93.00
SWR2500U208 V2100 W92.50
WTP 5000TL-201000V500098.00
WTP 6000TL-201000V600098.10
WTP 7000TL-201000 V700098.00
WTP 8000TL-201000V800098.00
WTP 9000TL-201000V900098.20
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