Finn's SolaX Power Inverters Review & Verdict
Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO
Avoid. I'm not a fan of their support, hardware or software. If you want a cheap solar inverter, get a Goodwe.
SolaX Power Inverters: Pros & Cons
- Cheap
- 3 phase available
- Cheap
- Rubbish reputation amongst many installers I trust
- Tangled up with LG Battery recall
- Poor support (in our limited experience of them)
About SolaX Power
SolaX Customer Service: 1300 476 529
SolaX Power is a Chinese manufacturer that produces:
- Single and 3 phase solar inverters
- Hybrid inverters
- Home batteries
Their products are aimed towards the budget conscious.
Most SolaX inverters have a warranty of 10 or 12 years. But if their hybrid inverters are used off-grid they must be professionally inspected annually or their warranty will only last a single year.
The SolaX home battery warranty is 10 years, but the SolaX site has no information on how much capacity loss they can suffer before they will be replaced under warranty. If this makes you jump to the conclusion that SolaX batteries don't lose capacity, I'd say you're being overly optimistic.
At SolarQuotes we listen to installers we trust about the reliability of products and the level of customer service companies provide. Based on the limited information we've received so far, we do not currently include SolaX inverters or batteries among the products we recommend.
Australian Office
SolaX Power has an Australian office in Springvale, Melbourne. Thanks to Google Maps I know its exact location. But judging by their map of office locations, SolaX is a little fuzzy on where it, or any other location, really is.
SolaX Production
In 2022 SolaX opened a new factory and dramatically increased their potential production capacity. They say the new facility will let them to build up to 22 gigawatts (GW) of inverter capacity per year and up to 7.4 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery capacity per year.
You can read about the new factory here or you can check out the phrases I extracted verbatim from the SolaX website:
The new SolaX factory occupies a total area of around 100,000 sqm (30,341 sqm now in operation).
...a production capacity of 30GW (8.76 million annual units) in Inverter (600% increase) and 7.4GWh (7.3 million annual units) in Battery (400% increase).
...the AGV robots that shuttle through the factory are particularly eye-catching and intelligent.
The world is handing together on a sustainable path.
The factory is located in Hangzhou, a city of 12 million located 160km southwest of Shanghai.
Company History
SolaX was established in 2012. I'm almost completely certain it's not true there's a capital "X" at the end of their name because the company was founded by pirates who wanted "X" to mark the spot. Specifically, the spot where the name ends.
In 2013 they developed their first hybrid inverter and in 2014 they began selling in Australia. They now have over 2,000 employees around the world but I'm guessing most of them work at their factory in Hangzhou.
SolaX says they ensure all their suppliers meet ethical business standards, including on human rights and labour. So slavery would be right out.
SolaX Single Phase Inverters
SolaX has four different series of single-phase inverters. One that stands out is their X-1 MINI, as the smallest version has just 0.6 kilowatts (KW) of capacity. So if you're looking for a very small string inverter, SolaX is an option.
3-Phase Inverters
SolaX 3-phase inverters range from a small 3kW all the way up to 150kW, which is a size suitable for a large commercial solar installation.
Hybrid Inverters
SolaX produces a range of single-phase and 3-phase hybrid inverters or, as they call them, energy inverters. These can be used with compatible batteries, such as ones made by SolaX
Their single-phase hybrid inverters range from 3kW to 6kW while the 3-phase ones start at 3kW and go up to 30kW.
SolaX Batteries
SolaX produces multiple battery systems, but currently only sells one type in Australia -- the SolaX Triple Power battery. This is a modular battery that has two versions:
- The Triple Power: 1-4 modules each with 5.1kWh usable storage
- The Triple Power 3: 1-4 modules each with 2.8kWh usable storage
As up to 4 modules can be used, when new, this gives the larger one up to 20.7kWh of usable storage and the smaller one up to 12.3kWh of usable storage.
The larger Triple Power battery has an operating temperature range of 0°C to 55°C. This is the ambient or air temperature. The upper limit is exceptionally high for a lithium battery, making it suitable for hot climates. However, the lower limit of 0°C is also higher than most. This usually won't be a problem in Australia but could be an issue in some locations.
Unfortunately, the datasheet for the smaller Triple Power 3 battery does not give its full load operating temperature range. It only gives its operating range of -30°C to 50°C. While this looks like an excellent range, it only applies if it's used with the SolaX hybrid G4 inverter. What the range is without that specific inverter is not given. The exceptionally low operating temperature is due to it having a heating system.
Both the large and small versions are higher voltage batteries. These have more flexibility than low voltage batteries in where they can be located.
You can check out the technical details of the SolaX Triple Power battery and compare it to others using the SolarQuotes Battery Comparison Table.
Battery Recall
SolaX batteries sold in Australia from April 2017 to July 2018 were subject to an urgent recall because the South Korean made LG Energy batteries inside were at risk of catching fire. This problem has been resolved and the chance of a similar future recall should be low. Unfortunately, recalls like this are a possibility for all lithium batteries.
Warranties
If you'd like to examine it, here's a link to the Australian SolaX warranty.
There are two SolaX inverters that only have 5-year warranties:
- SolaX X3-PRO-G2 inverters of 17-30kW capacity
- SolaX X3-FORTH commercial inverters of 80-150kW capacity
All their other solar inverters have either 10 or 12-year warranties.
SolaX hybrid inverters have 10-year warranties but, if they are used off-grid, the warranties require you to pay for a professional inspection every year. Unless you are planning to have your system annually inspected anyway, this makes them a poor choice for off-grid use.
SolaX batteries have a warranty of 10 years but no information is given on the SolaX site on how much capacity they're permitted to lose before they will be replaced under warranty. Unless they've added magic pixie dust to the manufacturing process, capacity loss in LFP batteries is unavoidable. I know SolaX is aware it happens because they mention it on one of their hybrid inverter datasheets, but their actual battery datasheets and manuals have nothing.
I definitely recommend getting, in writing, just how much deterioration their batteries will be permitted to suffer before they will be replaced under warranty, along with how this will be measured.
The SolaX warranty says it covers labour. By my understanding of Australian Consumer Guarantees, that has to be covered anyway, but it's always good when they put it in the warranty because it means you're not likely to have to fight to get it.
But the warranty also says it won't cover lost generation when Australian Consumer Guarantees appear to say you can claim for that loss.
Making A Warranty Claim
If you have a problem with a SolaX inverter or battery, your first step should be to contact the business that installed it. They took your money in return for a properly functioning product and they have an obligation to see that's what you received.
If your installer is no longer around, then you can contact SolaX directly:
- SolaX service hotline: 1300 476 529
They can also be emailed at this address:
My Recommendation
SolaX products are priced relatively low, so you may want to try them for that reason. But I don't recommend it. Based on the information we have at this time on their reliability and level of customer support, we don't include SolaX among either the solar inverters or batteries we recommend.
If you do have a SolaX inverter or battery and want to leave a review, we'll be glad to have the extra information.
SolaX Power has no solar inverters in our database
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