SMA solar inverters reviews

SMA Customer Service: 02 9491 4200

SMA are the big granddaddy of inverter manufacturers; with more than 90GW of installed capacity under its belt. Founded way back in 1981, the company is based in Germany, turns over billions and employs around 5000 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 single-phase "Sunny boy" inverters, which are used in home solar 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 that SMA will continue to partly manufacture their Sunnyboy inverters in China and partly in Germany for the foreseeable future. What is manufactured where isn't clear.

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 company has faced its share of challenges over the years in light of increasing competition and thinning margins, but seemed to be in a good spot in 2020, reporting sales increased 42% in the first half of the year - an impressive result given the extra challenges that 2020 brought to everyone. Preliminary figures for the full year released in early 2021 indicated 14.4 GW of sales, 26% higher year-on-year

According to the company, more than 750,000 SMA inverters had been installed across Australia by the end of 2020. Overall, the company has shipped more than 100 GW of solar inverter capacity globally to date.

SMA Inverter Warranty Notes

SMA inverters have a strong local presence in Australia in the rare event you experience an issue requiring warranty support.

However, you may find it difficult to be connected to the right person to help, as SMA's phone support system is quite opaque. At the time of checking (April 2019), calling SMA's phone line connects you with an automated voice-message that is directed at solar installers, with no prompts for inverter owners to be connected to a relevant department. 

If you ignore what the automated voice recordings tell you until you are connected to a human being, you will find the SMA team to be very helpful in answering 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 will see from the SMA inverter reviews below, complaints about their performance or reliability pretty rare, which is why the brand is one of the most popular in Australia. If you're an owner of one of these inverters, feel free to contribute your review.