Alpha Ess, a prominent energy storage systems manufacturer headquartered in China, embodies its core mission, as the acronym ‘ESS’ denotes Energy Storage Systems. Established in 2012 by a group of skilled engineers and dedicated entrepreneurs, led by Mr. Thomas Yuan as the founder and chairman, the company set out to pioneer groundbreaking energy storage solutions.
Initially, Alpha Ess concentrated on advancing lithium-ion battery technology tailored for electric vehicles. However, the company swiftly recognised the increasing need for energy storage systems in the renewable energy sector, particularly in residential and commercial contexts.
In 2014, Alpha Ess unveiled its inaugural residential energy storage system, the SMILE5, which swiftly garnered acclaim in the Chinese market. The company extended its product range, introducing more extensive energy storage systems for commercial and industrial purposes.
Presently, Alpha Ess boasts a network of over 15 subsidiary companies offering local support, with more than 90,000 systems actively operating in over 90 nations. In 2017, Alpha Ess formed a strategic partnership with the German energy storage firm Sonnen, significantly enhancing its global presence and access to new markets in Europe and North America.
Today, Alpha Ess stands as one of the foremost global energy storage companies, offering a diverse array of products and solutions tailored for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The company remains unwavering in its commitment to crafting innovative and eco-friendly energy storage solutions that play a pivotal role in reducing carbon emissions and advancing a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Alpha Ess operates multiple manufacturing facilities in China, situated in cities such as:
- Guangzhou
- Shenzhen
- Jiangsu
These establishments boast cutting-edge production lines and testing equipment and are managed by a team of seasoned engineers and technicians. The collective annual production capacity of Alpha Ess’s manufacturing sites exceeds 1 GWh (gigawatt-hour) for energy storage systems.
This encompasses residential and commercial/industrial systems, along with battery cells and modules. Additionally, Alpha Ess has a research and development centre in Germany with a focus on innovating new technologies and products tailored for the European market.
The company maintains unwavering dedication to upholding the highest standards of quality and safety in its manufacturing processes. It has secured several certifications, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001, underscoring its commitment to quality management, environmental protection, and occupational health and safety.
Alpha Ess’s manufacturing facilities are pivotal to its global success, enabling the production of dependable, top-quality energy storage systems that cater to the diverse needs of customers worldwide. Achievements:
- 2015 – Finalist for the Intersolar Europe EES Award
- 2018 – Recipient of the iF Design Award
- 2018 – Honored with the Reddot Design Award
- 2019 – Finalist for the EES Award
- 2019 – Top market share in the residential segment in Australia
- 2019 – Recognised as a Global Top 10 Residential Brand by IHS Markit
- 2020 – Winner of The Smarter E Award
- 2020 – Ranked as a top 5 supplier of global residential storage systems
- 2020 – Among the top 4 in overseas shipments
- 2021 – Named Top Brand PV (Storage) in Australia by EuPD Research
- 2021 – Recognised as a Top 5 Residential ESS Provider in Germany by EuPD Research
- 2021 – Ranked among the top 3 in Overseas Shipments by CNESA
- 2021 – Listed as a Top 6 Supplier of Global Residential ESS by IHS Markit
- 2022 – Repeatedly recognised as a TOP BRAND PV (STORAGE) in Australia, South Africa, and Belgium by EuPD Research.
Alpha ESS Australia Pty. Ltd.
Adelaide Office
19 Heath Street
Lonsdale, SA 5160
Sydney Office
8/15-21 Gibbes Street
Chatswood, NSW 2067
Tel : +61 (02) 9000 7676
Email : Australia@alpha-ess.com
The Alpha ESS Smile-B3 is an awesome little 3 kW unit for retro-fitting a battery to your existing solar system. It is suitable for any pre-existing solar system with no battery attached.
How it works is that you would start with purchasing the Smile-B3 inverter to the left, this has a built-in 2.9 kWh battery, which can be expanded upon. In fact you can add another 5 batteries to this, giving you a total of 6 batteries with a total capacity of up to 17.2 kWh, with a depth of discharge of 96%.
The inverter comes with a 5 year product warranty and the battery has a 10 year warranty and weighs 50 kg. All additional batteries come with a 5 year product warranty with a 10 year performance warranty and weigh 39 kg.
The battery is a lithium iron phosphate battery, meaning the cathode material is lithium iron phosphate, and the anode is a graphitic carbon electrode with a metallic backing. This means they have a lower cost, highly safe, toxicity is low (no cobalt) and a long life cycle. These type of batteries are used extensively within the EV market.
The inverter is 3 kW, this means it has a maximum discharge of 3 kW at any one time, therefore if you want your property load to be covered completely by the battery, you cannot exceed a draw of more than 3 kW, so don’t be putting everything on all at once.
As mentioned previously, you can add up to 6 batteries in parallel, with a depth of discharge being 96%, this is what you can expect your usable capacity to be.
| Battery | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 2.9 | 5.8 | 8.6 | 11.5 | 14.4 | 17.2 |
| Usable Capacity | 2.8 | 5.5 | 8.3 | 11.0 | 13.8 | 16.5 |
Pros
PRO – Large Chinese company
PRO -Australian Office
PRO – When it comes to pricing, definitely on the cheaper end of the scale.
PRO – Looks really nice
PRO – Easily expandable in the future, so you can start with 1-2 batteries and add more as funds allow for it.
Cons
CON – We’ve heard of some issues with the technical and warranty support, so this needs to be improved.
Our Thoughts
A quality product, manufactured by a massive company with a strong trading history. Relatively new within the Australian space, as only opened their office here in 2015.
The Australian office allows for warranty issues to be catered for, even if your installation company disappears.
They will be a good choice by anyone if price is a serious factor and you’re looking for the cheapest way to install a battery on your already purchased solar system.
We would install them on our own house or business if we’re trying to get the best price for a battery.