Solar Edge
Is This Your Business?Author: Kaitlyn Short
SolarEdge, known for its contributions within the smart energy technology realm, has combined engineering expertise with innovation to create smart energy solutions.
While SolarEdge is widely recognized for its manufacturing of solar panels and solar inverters, the company also provides a residential battery and storage solar solution that is helping homeowners save money and more efficiently utilize solar produced energy.
Founded in 2006, SolarEdge started with its DC optimized inverter. This product was created to ultimately change the way power is harnessed and then utilized within a solar PV system. The design of the SolarEdge intelligent inverter allowed for solar systems to essentially maximize power production while simultaneously decreasing the cost of energy actually created by the PV system adding to overall client savings.
As SolarEdge continued to advance efforts within the smart energy industry, the company expanded its product manufacturing and supply offerings. In addition to offering residential battery solutions, SolarEdge provides full scale PV systems for residential and commercial properties, EV charging solutions, home energy management and technology, grid services and virtual power plants, and finally uninterrupted power supply solutions.
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The Good
- Installation Process
- System Flexibility
- Solar + Storage Efficiency
- Power Boost Feature
Installation Process
Installation is a driving factor behind increased costs of battery and storage systems. SolarEdge has remained committed to making products affordable and accessible. One of the ways the company has done this is through offering affordable and efficient installation practices.
The integrated design of the SolarEdge Home Hub allows for installation speeds to be drastically reduced thus minimizing installation costs. With pre-installed meters and CTs, retrofit capabilities, and the reductions of the number of main panel upgrades needed, installation time is cut.
System Flexibility
The flexibility of the SolarEdge Home Battery also allows homeowners to meet all property needs. Those looking to add solar or smart energy add-on equipment pieces can do so with a SolarEdge Home Battery.
The system will connect up to three SolarEdge Home Batteries per inverter allowing for more power, financial savings, and energy independence. The SolarEdge Home Battery is also compatible with the Level 2 SolarEdge Home EV Charger so vehicles can continue to run.
Smart add-ons like the SolarEdge Home Hot Water Controllers, SolarEdge Home Smart Relays, and Smart Switches are also available. While many storage systems are modular, there is a difference between being able to add storage capabilities and system flexibility that allows for improved technology features. SolarEdge Home Battery allows for both to occur.
Solar + Storage Efficiency
SolarEdge is responsible for one of the most efficient solar and storage platforms on the market. That’s not just a marketing ploy, the numbers back up those claims.
With the Solar+Storage system from SolarEdge, homeowners can receive more power at a reduced cost. This is a result of the 94.5 percent round-trip efficiency the SolarEdge system delivers allowing for increased solar use allowing for reduced utility bills. Since the SolarEdge Home Battery uses DC-coupled technology, only one power conversion is required. This is substantial to note as most comparable batteries utilize AC-coupled technology which requires three conversions which has a negative impact on overall efficiency.
Power Boost Feature
The power boost feature is one that SolarEdge Home Battery customers typically rave about. This adaptive specification allows for more power to be delivered directly to the home during an outage in comparison to batteries that are tied to the grid and utilize an AC inverter.
With the power boost feature, SolarEdge Home Battery owners can expect the home to continue running during an outage with the energy stored in a single battery. The Home Battery powers large appliances like AC units and laundry appliances for longer periods of time.
Owners can reach a higher ROI by sending more energy back to the grid while also charging the battery during an outage.
Weather guard is enabled which allows the system to automatically charge the battery when impending inclement weather is detected. This extends the backup power even before the utility grid goes offline.
The Bad
- Lower kW Specifications
- Low Power Rated NMC Battery
Lower kW Specifications
The SolarEdge Home Battery has one of the lower continuous power ratings on the market. While the system is modular and additional units can be purchased and installed to boost these numbers, one single unit itself can only provide 5 kW of continuous power.
Homeowners with larger homes to power or who frequently experience outages may want to consider these limitations prior to purchasing a SolarEdge Home Battery.
Low Power Rated NMC Battery
Like many solar batteries, the SolarEdge Home Battery is made up of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, or in other words a NMC battery. This type of chemical makeup is commonly found within the solar storage industry and while it is the safest chemical makeup on the market, it does come at a cost.
NMC batteries typically have a high energy density, meaning the amount of energy that can be stored in relation to the physical size of the system is favorable. But the actual power that can be used to power the whole home is diminished, hence the lower power rating.
That means that while these units are smaller in size in comparison to other products, homeowners will have to add additional units to match continuous power ratings. This defeats the purpose of having a “smaller” system.
The Bottom Line
While many in tune with the solar industry will recognize SolarEdge for its inverter manufacturing capabilities, the company also offers a dependable and affordable home battery solution. The SolarEdge Home Battery aims to make solar storage and backup more accessible.
SolarEdge design allows for greater flexibilit,y meaning homeowners can have more opportunity to maximize solar solutions and smart energy features. The Solar + Storage platform available through SolarEdge is one of the most efficient combinations on the market, boasting DC-coupled technology.
Lastly the SolarEdge power boost feature allows for homeowners to have more energy delivered during an outage than the traditional on-grid AC inverter.
Due to its design, flexibility, and affordability, there are limitations associated with the SolarEdge Home Battery. For instance, the power rating of 5kW is the starting point with one SolarEdge Home Battery.
While this number can increase with the addition of multiple units, the power rating is lower than some comparable systems on the market. The SolarEdge Home Battery is also made up of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, or an NMC battery. This chemistry has its advantages, but power limitations to be aware of as well.
Homeowners looking for a quality storage system that does what it is designed to do without breaking the bank will likely benefit from what the SolarEdge Home Battery has to offer. While it does not have the fancy bells and whistles other batteries offer, it does store and transfer energy like a backup system should.
