Sofar Solar is a Chinese firm specialising in the creation, advancement, and production of solar inverters and energy storage solutions. It was established in 2012 by a group of skilled engineers and driven entrepreneurs who shared a fervour for renewable energy and its transformative potential.
In its initial years, Sofar Solar concentrated on crafting top-tier solar inverters known for their efficiency and reliability. The company swiftly earned a reputation for manufacturing some of the industry’s finest inverters, gradually expanding its range to encompass energy storage systems and related products.
By 2016, Sofar Solar had emerged as a significant player in the global solar industry, serving customers in over 40 countries. The company maintained its momentum through ongoing innovation, directing efforts toward smart energy solutions that empower customers to optimise energy utilisation and reduce their environmental impact.
In 2018, Sofar Solar unveiled its cutting-edge energy storage system, the Sofar HYD-ES, designed to offer dependable and efficient energy storage for residences and businesses. This system garnered acclaim from both customers and industry experts, firmly establishing Sofar Solar as a leader in the energy storage sector.
Today, Sofar Solar remains committed to innovation and the development of novel products that enable customers to harness the potential of renewable energy. The company’s unwavering dedication to sustainability and environmental responsibility underscores its commitment to shaping a cleaner, more sustainable future for all.
Sofar Solar boasts a cutting-edge manufacturing facility situated in Foshan, Guangdong, China, covering a spacious area exceeding 20,000 square meters. This facility is fully equipped with the latest manufacturing equipment and advanced technology.
The manufacturing facility is structured into various departments, including:
- Research and development
- Production
- Quality control
- Logistics
The company maintains a skilled team of engineers and technicians who supervise the production process, ensuring that all products consistently meet the highest standards of quality and reliability. Sofar Solar holds an impressive annual production capacity of over 2 GW for solar inverters and energy storage systems.
Their product range is extensive, encompassing single-phase and three-phase inverters, hybrid inverters, and energy storage systems. Apart from the Foshan manufacturing facility, Sofar Solar also operates a research and development centre located in Shenzhen, which is home to prominent technology firms worldwide.
This R&D centre is staffed by experienced engineers and scientists dedicated to creating innovative products that empower customers to optimise energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint. Sofar Solar’s manufacturing facilities adhere to the highest international standards, including ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, to ensure that their products are manufactured in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.
The company remains deeply committed to reducing its environmental impact and fostering sustainability across its operations. Sofar Solar has received numerous awards and recognitions over the years, including the China Good Design Award, Intersolar Award, and Solar Power International Innovation Award, showcasing their innovative approach to energy solutions and unwavering commitment to sustainability.
Additionally, they have earned multiple accolades, such as the Red Dot Design Award and the Global Energy Storage System Innovation Award, underlining their prowess in design and engineering. With a consistent presence in the industry, Sofar Solar has achieved various honours and certifications, making it a top choice for those seeking reliable and sustainable energy solutions.
Sofar Solar AusCo Pty Ltd.
6 / 81 Beal Street
Meadowbrook, QLD 4133
Tel : (+61) 1300 176 327
Email : service@sofarsolar.com.au
If you wish to complete their contact us form, this can be found here.
Single Phase Solution
If you have a single phase grid connection, there is only one choice available from Sofar if you wish to add a battery solution to your already purchased and installed solar system. That would be to add the ME 3000-SP inverter, along with the GTX5000 Battery.
Some of the product advantages are there are various operational modes available, smart fan-less cooling design, it comes with a smart battery energy management system, and it has a flexible configuration, allowing for both lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries to be fitted to it. (Although it does state you can add lead acid batteries to this inverter, i would also check with the installing company that if you did this, would you still be covered by their warranty?)
How it works is that you would start with purchasing the ME 3000-SP inverter to the left, and then buy an additional battery. This inverter is capable of having anywhere between 1 to 4 batteries added, giving you a maximum capacity of 20.48 kWh, with a depth of discharge of 90%.
The inverter comes with a 10 year product warranty and weighs 16 kg. All batteries come with a 10 year product and performance warranty and weigh 47 kg each.
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, and has a maximum discharge of 3 kW at any one time. On a side note, if you want your property load to be covered completely by the battery, you cannot exceed a draw of more than 3 kW from the grid at any one time, so don’t be putting everything on all at once.
As mentioned previously, you can add up to 4 batteries in parallel, with a depth of discharge being 90%, this is what you can expect your usable capacity to be.
| Battery | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5.12 | 10.24 | 15.36 | 20.48 |
| Usable Capacity | 4.6 | 9.2 | 13.8 | 18.4 |
Three Phase Solutions
Choices……Choices……Choices……
If you have a three phase grid connection, there are several choices available from Sofar if you wish to add a battery solution to your already purchased and installed solar system. The best choice for you, is all down to how much power you want to draw from your battery at any one time and also how much battery capacity do you want.
The 3 phase AC coupled solution from sofar come in 5, 6, 8, 10, 15 and 20 kW inverter sizes! giving you lots of flexibility about the amount of draw you want from you batteries at one time. They can also be paired up with 2 battery offerings.
Firstly, the BTS E5-E20-DS5 high voltage battery, these come as 5kw batteries and you can add 1-4 batteries, but you must also purchase a battery distribution unit (BDU) at the same time. They come in a modular design for easy transportation and installation, flexible battery capacity expansion and user-friendly operations.
Secondly, the GTX3000 battery, these come in 2.5 kw batteries, you MUST start with a minimum of 4 batteries, and you can add up to 10 batteries in total. You do not need to buy any additional hardware with these batteries. They support a soft start up, user-friendly operations, simple stack design and have remote diagnosis and real-time data monitoring.
Some of the product advantages of using the ME5K to 20KTL inverters are that they have a maximum charge and discharge efficiency up to 97.5%, wide battery voltage range, flexible switching between grid-tied mode and energy storage mode, and compact design with 2 battery inputs.
The inverter comes with a 10 year product warranty and weighs between 30-34 kg depending on the model you chose. All batteries come with a 10 year product and performance warranty and the BTS Battery weigh 50 kg each and the GTX3000 battery weighs 30 kg each.
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.
Please look at the tables below to compare these two types of batteries, paying attention to the battery capacity vs usable capacity, and then also consider the ‘rated power’ this is how much power you can draw consistently from the battery or battery pack at once, providing your inverter is capable of it.
BTS E5-E20-DS5 BATTERY
| Battery | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5.12 | 10.24 | 15.36 | 20.48 |
| Usable Capacity | 4.75 | 9.5 | 14.25 | 19 |
| Rated Power | 2.5 | 5 | 7.5 | 10 |
GTX3000 BATTERY
| Battery | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 10 | 12.5 | 15 | 17.5 | 20 | 22.5 | 25 |
| Usable Capacity | 9.0 | 11.25 | 13.5 | 15.75 | 18 | 20.25 | 22.5 |
| Rated Power | 5.12 | 6.4 | 7.68 | 8.96 | 10.24 | 11.52 | 12.8 |
Sofar Solar inverters also come with an online monitoring portal called SolarMAN and further information on this can be found here.
If you change your Wi-Fi provider or password, then you may need to set your inverter up again. The Sofar Solar Wi-Fi setup tutorial can be found here.
Sofar Solar warranty terms and conditions can be found here.
Pros
PRO – Great product and Price.
PRO – Australian Office
PRO – Good selection of inverters
PRO – They manufacture all components themselves.
Cons
CON – Struggling to find one really. for the price, they’re a good little unit.
Our Thoughts
A quality product, manufactured by a Chinese company with a strong and long trading history. We expect to see great things from Sofar in the future.
The Australian office allows for warranty issues to be catered for, even if your installation company disappears. From our experience dealing with Sofar Solar previously, they have exceptional customer service and honour warranty claims quickly and efficiently.
They will be a good choice by anyone, that will last the test of time and produce power for years to come. The inverters come with a standard 10 year warranty, but you can extend the warranty up to 20 years via their website.
We would definitely install them on our own house or business.