SolarEdge review

SolarEdge - Inverter Reviews

4.6

Based on 103 ratings

Finn's SolarEdge Inverters Review & Verdict

Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO

There seems to be an almost 50/50 split with Aussie installers I know, either hating them with a passion or loving them to bits.

How can this be? Threatening to sue an Aussie installer who questioned their reliability is one reason.

A history of frustrating technical service and warranty delays for some installers is another.

In their defence, although issues still persist for some, SolarEdge's attitude and technical service has markedly improved since 2023.

SolarEdge isn’t my cup of tea, but I'm happy to recommend them as a long-established brand in Australia that should do the right thing by the consumer. If you want the yield and safety advantages of optimising every panel and don't want the expense of microinverters they are your best choice.

Just don't criticise the company too much, or they may send in the legal attack dogs.

Oh shit...

SolarEdge Inverters: Pros & Cons

  • Good quality units
  • Ability to have very flexible arrangement of arrays due to optimisers on every panel (akin to Enphase or Huawei)
  • Quite reasonable app with good UI
  • Native ecosystem of accessories like battery, EV charger & hot water controller
  • Hot water control has large 4.8 kW capacity
  • Much improved warranty support after some historic complaints
  • Much improved warranty process where installers are better paid and should be able to solve problems with one visit
  • Battery hybrids are rated for solar oversizing to 200% or even more
  • Tech support has been slow in the past, but has been improving - particularly over the phone
  • Particular models have had numerous warranty failures
  • Installers need to be well-versed in SolarEdge system design
  • Some installers refer to SolarEdge as the red-headed stepchild of complexity
  • No 3-phase hybrid (due to Australian electrical rules)
  • Passive cooling means they don't have great thermal management & anecdotally installers observe they seem to suffer in hotter climates
  • They threatened to sue my mate Mark on Christmas Eve 2018 after he criticised them.

About SolarEdge

SolarEdge Customer Service: 1800 465 567

SolarEdge is an Israeli inverter and energy storage company with a unique approach to solar inverters. Normally, power optimisers can be placed on solar panels if desired, but most installations do entirely without them. SolarEdge inverters are different, as they require a SolarEdge optimiser on every panel.

Putting optimisers on each panel provides some advantages:

  • It gives installers flexibility with positioning panel arrays.
  • The output of individual panels can be monitored, rather than only the system as a whole.
  • Dirt or shade on one panel can be prevented from affecting the output of other panels.
  • Panels can be rapidly shut down in emergencies.
  • It potentially provides more energy generation over the system's lifetime.
  • SolarEdge inverters can be smaller because a lot of its work -- such as the Multi Power Point Tracking (MPPT) -- is done by the optimisers.

While their approach is different, SolarEdge inverters currently have a good reputation for reliability and efficiency. They're also backed up with one of the longest inverter warranties around.

SolarEdge Is A Large Company

SolarEdge was founded in 2006 and began producing solar inverters with optimizers in 2010. While not the largest solar inverter manufacturer in the world, SolarEdge isn't a small company. As at the end of the third quarter in 2024, they claimed to have shipped:

  • 5.7 million inverters
  • Around 130 million power optimisers.

They also claim to have:

  • 4.1 million separate PV systems connected to their internet monitoring platform.

Manufacturing Locations

SolarEdge manufactures products in Israel, Vietnam, the USA, Korea, Hungary and Romania. While one of their manufacturing locations used to be China, the firm pulled out of manufacturing in that country in 2023. As at late 2024, Australian stock comes from Vietnam, but sometime in 2025, it will come from SolarEdge's new USA factories.

Safety

Safety is a major selling point for SolarEdge. While all solar inverters sold in Australia must have a high level of safety, SolarEdge boasts they have an edge over others.

When most inverters are shut down, the cables on the roof can still have dangerously high voltage if sunlight is falling on the panels. SolarEdge's "SafeDC" feature will reduce the voltage in the cables to just 1 volt. Additionally, if a power optimiser is unable to communicate with the inverter it will automatically reduce the output from its solar panel to 1 volt.

Additionally, SenseConnect was introduced to the market a few years ago with S series optimisers that monitors all the MC4 connections on the roof for potential arcs before they happen. Arc faults can result from poor installation, bad wire crimping, or faulty, incompatible or improperly connected MC4 connectors, and have the potential to start fires. 

Efficiency

The efficiency of SolarEdge inverters is excellent, with most having an average efficiency of 99%. By fixing the voltage on the roof using buck/boost optimisation, they have a wider efficiency band than a typical inverter

But this isn't the full story, as their power optimisers have an efficiency rating of around 98.8%.

Whether or not SolarEdge optimisers on panels will increase overall energy output will depend on its location and situation. If a solar system is mostly unshaded there may be no noticeable benefit. The greatest benefit is likely to be seen for solar systems with substantial shading. But even in these cases, the overall benefit is likely to be small compared to modern inverters without optimisers.

Low Nighttime Energy Consumption

At night SolarEdge inverters draw under 2.5 watts. While the benefit of this low energy consumption when the sun isn't shining is small, it still helps.

Monitoring

One advantage of having an optimiser on every panel is it lets you see exactly what is going on with your system, down to the level of individual panel output. Using the mySolarEdge app will let you see...

  • The amount of power each panel is producing.
  • Total solar output.
  • Your home's solar power consumption.
  • How much power your home is importing from the grid or exporting for a solar feed-in tariff.

As far as these things go, the mySolarEdge monitoring app is relatively easy to use. It also lets you see if all the optimisers on your roof are working, so helps avoid the problem of people not knowing if something is wrong with their system.

Even if you aren't looking at the app every day, peace of mind comes from being alerted to issues as they arise. 

Hybrid Inverters For Batteries

SolarEdge produces hybrid inverters for use with batteries and sells their own battery called the StorEdge. One advantage of SolarEdge hybrid inverters is that when installed with a battery, the solar panel capacity can be up to 200% of the inverter's capacity. This is very helpful for installing a large solar system.

SolarEdge makes both single-phase and three-phase hybrid inverters. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, their 3-phase ones are unable to provide backup power during blackouts. This problem is due to Australian wiring rules, as they can provide it in other countries. Hopefully, this will be resolved in the future.

SolarEdge Hot Water Diverter

If you have a SolarEdge inverter and monitoring, you can install their hot water diverter they call the SolarEdge Hot Water Controller. This sends surplus solar energy that would normally be exported to the grid to your hot water system, provided it's a conventional electric resistance hot water system. Unlike some diverters, it will work with large 4.8kW heating elements. It only has a 5 year warranty but at the moment that's good for a diverter.

You can find its details on our Hot Water PV Diverter Comparison Table.

SolarEdge EV Charger

SolarEdge also makes a home charger for electric vehicles. It has a 3-year warranty and you can check out its details on our EV Charger Comparison Table.

SolarEdge Warranty

SolarEdge have one of the best standard inverter warranties in the industry at 12 years. If you like, you can pay to have it extended to 20 or 25 years. The optimisers have 25-year warranties.

The weak point of the SolarEdge warranty is a number of products normally required for installation only have a 5-year warranty. These include wireless communication devices and energy meters.

SolarEdge's Australian office is based in East Melbourne and they have field technicians across the country. This means they should be able to respond to any warranty issues that occur rapidly. But note that the first person you should contact if there is a warranty is the original installer. While some installation businesses -- ones we do not recommend -- may try to dodge their responsibility, they are obligated to address warranty issues.

If the original installer has disappeared, SolarEdge advises customers to contact their Australian office on the number listed at the top of this description. Alternatively, you can email them at: [email protected]. They will then arrange an installer in their network to fix the problem.

Reliability

We consider SolarEdge's current inverters to be reliable and are happy to recommend them -- despite the company earning a reputation for being prickly when it comes to well-intentioned criticism.

While we consider them dependable now, in the past SolarEdge inverters had some problems. At one point their power optimisers suffered a high failure rate. Some suggested high temperatures and humidity contributed to this, while others suggested poor installation. Whatever the reason, SolarEdge lived up to their responsibility to replace them under warranty. Any company can make mistakes, but good ones fix them. And so do good prickly ones.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important issue - even for home systems. SolarEdge considers itself a leader in this space and complies with current global cybersecurity standards - 2014/53/EU (RED), ETSI 303 645, ISO 27001. And as soon as UK PSTI and UL2941 standards are released, SolarEdge states it will be compliant.

Installer Vote Of Confidence

In SolarQuotes' Installers' Choice Awards for 2023, SolarEdge attained third place in the best inverter category.

Additional Info

You can find technical and estimated pricing information for the company's products on our solar inverter comparison page. SolarEdge is currently listed as a SolarQuotes recommended inverter brand.

If you have a SolarEdge inverter installed, please feel free to share your experience with us by hitting the "Leave a review" button above.

Reviewers report paying:
$5,000 - $24,000

For a

solar system with a
SolarEdge inverter

Depending on hardware choice and installation difficulty

SolarEdge has 7 solar inverters in our database

Filter by:

Price 
Inverter Size 
Phase type 
Model number
Approx Price
Inverter Size
Max Efficiency (%)
# of MPPT's
Phase Type
SE5000H
$1,300
5000 W
99.2%
2
Single phase
SE6000H
$1,500
6000 W
99.2%
2
Single phase
SE8250H
$1,500
8250 W
99.2%
2
Single phase
SE10000H
$1,600
10000 W
99.2%
2
Single phase
SE5K-AUB
$2,500
5000 W
97.8%
2
Three phase
SE8.25K-AUB
$2,800
8250 W
97.8%
2
Three phase
SE10K-AUB
$3,100
10000 W
97.8%
2
Three phase

 

SolarEdge Reviews (103)

Show Most Relevant reviews from All time

  • 5 star 82
  • 4 star 12
  • 3 star 3
  • 2 star 3
  • 1 star 3

View Timeline

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Inverter died within 3 years. Dealing with customer service to get a replacement installed has been a truly painful experience. Would not go with them again.

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

8kW

Installed By

When our solar system was installed in 2021, the SolarEdge inverter failed to work and had to be replaced almost immediately. That inverter lasted a few weeks then had to be replaced by a third inverter. This one worked well until this week, almost 4 years later, when it failed again. I am now awaiting delivery and installation of a fourth inverter which presumably will be covered by the warranty. My installer suggested the problem was something to do with AusGrid and excess solar generation but I think it's more likely that the model of SolarEdge inverter used in my system is faulty. Hopefully the fourth inverter will have a longer life than the previous three.

Manufacturer Reply

Hello Janet, SolarEdge Customer Care team here. We’re sorry this has happened to you, it’s extremely unfortunate and rare that multiple inverters would fail within a short space of time. In the interest of eliminating potential future failures, we would like to (at our cost), conduct a full assessment of your site covering all factors. This includes installation, hardware, grid and any other possible external factors. This process will assist us in understanding what may be the root cause of the issue and we will work with your supporting installer to resolve.
Please email us at [email protected] with your site details so we can assist you.


System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

7kW

Installed By

Neat , not to big.

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

REC

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Had 28 panels and 10kw inverter installed in May 2023 paying top money for them. Going smothly but then several months later troubles started with the inveter not communicating with my wifi router. This gave me great deal of stress as I rely heavilly on the apps readings to charge up my EV and household usages. This wifi drop outs came on and off very frquently. Worse came last Sunday when inverter shut off completely for four days when the sun was at it's full shine. Installer came in but could not get it started, and apps also went kaput. Now it's back on working but for how long..... Why on earth Solaredge can not get it works properly??? Does Solaredge just simply shut off my system from their end remotely??? I believe I have got a lemon here.

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Had 28 panels and 10kw inverter installed in May 2023 paying top money for them. Going smothly but then several months later troubles started with the inveter not communicating with my wifi router. This gave me great deal of stress as I rely heavilly on the apps readings to charge up my EV and household usages. This wifi drop outs came on and off very frquently. Worse came last Sunday when inverter shut off completely for four days when the sun was at it's full shine. Installer came in but could not get it started, and apps also went kaput. Now it's back on working but for how long..... Why on earth Solaredge can not get it works properly??? Does Solaredge just simply shut off my system from their end remotely??? I believe I have got a lemon here.

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Aiko

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

REC

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Seraphim

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

7kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

SunPower

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

SunPower

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

8kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Aiko Solar Neostar 2 (Other)

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

I'm loving the app, I am a numbers person and I love to look at all the statistics. It's helping me better understand my overall power utilization, and to help shape better habits to use power when it's generated and not bought from the grid. I'm pretty overwhelmed with the efficiency and production numbers, and it's autumn. Certainly exceeding any expectation by a large margin. The inverter came battery ready as part of the package, so hopefully we see some gov't incentives to go battery and I can stop exporting all this excess power to the grid :)

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Looks not obtrusive

Panel Brand

Aiko

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

43 panels 415w Trina
43 solaredge optimisers
17.8Kw
2 x 8.25Kw energy hubs (2 phase supply to house)
1 issue is that Both inverters are power limited to 5kw each total output regardless of current power usage.

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

8kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

I'm told that with the SolarEdge DC system, including the battery and EV charger, the car can be charged with excess solar even if the panels generate in excess of 10kW because that can all be diverted into the charger. This would eliminate clipping due to the inverter being only rated at 10kW. I hope that is true because we're going into the middle of Autumn now and I haven't got a car to test that out yet. I haven't seen the system generate anything above 8kW despite the whole thing being a 16.92kW system.

Panel Brand

Aiko

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Happy with being able to monitor my production on the app.

Panel Brand

JA Solar

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Canadian Solar Inc

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Very happy so far (8 months)

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

It’s a 5kw hybrid inverter not string so get the capacity of each panel not the lowest producing only

Panel Brand

JA Solar

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Inverter was replaced under warranty after a few months.

Panel Brand

REC

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

8kW

Installed By

It appears that the Invertor is what isn't talking to United Energy ... so feed-in to the grid cannot be configured.
It might be the installers fault and nothing wrong with the invertor.
The APP to monitor the amount of generation is working OK ... and they were able to do a remote firmware update remotely just after install ... so there is nothing wrong with the network.

Panel Brand

AIKO (Other)

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Aiko (Other)

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

Happy that we can connect via an app to see how we are travelling.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

REC

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

LG

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

REC

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

JA Solar

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Challenges trying to work out how to implement solar curtailment from Amber, through the SolarEdge Inverter, and the Signerergy system...

Panel Brand

REC

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

SolaHart

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Aiko (Other)

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

This was a replacement of a 5kw system to a 13.2kw panels and 10kw inverters.
We kept the Powerwall II installed 5 years ago and added a second one.
To enable the backup circuit to work, there are two 5kw inverters.

Our old inverter was also a SolarEdge, they need optimisers on each panel, this gives you the ability to monitor the output of each panel. Which I guess is just handy to make sure they are all working.

Panel Brand

Aiko (Other)

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

SolaHart

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

SolarEdge

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar

System Cost

$12,500 to $15,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

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