Battle of the Inverters! A Comparison Between Solar Edge and Fronius

Finding the best solar inverter is as important as the solar panels we select to maximize your solar system’s energy production. Two leading brands that are Australian approved and that we offer are SolarEdge and Fronius. In this article, we’re going to take a look on the key differences between the two.

SolarEdge

SolarEdge is an Israeli-based company that has expanded its residential offering in Australia. It produces inverters with “power optimizers.” These power optimizers combine the benefits of traditional string inverters and microinverters. String inverter sends electricity produced by solar panels to a centralised inverter. String inverters change the power from DC to AC which is the electrical currency for household items. In contrast, microinverters change DC to AC power at the level of individual solar panels. This allows for monitoring and power regulation at the panel level. 

By producing inverters with power optimizers, SolarEdge can leverage the benefits of panel-level monitoring and power management from a microinverter, but without a significantly higher cost. As a result, SolarEdge inverters are reported to be more efficient than other string inverters because they avoid loss of power caused by individual panel shading and malfunctions less commonly. They are are also more efficient than microinverters because the power optimizers are not limited by the cap of 21 microinverter panels, from voltage regulations. As a consequence, if there are shading issues affecting a single panel or panels, the installation adapts to minimize any impacts on spillover.

Because we use SolarEdge inverters, we are able to offer a comprehensive system monitoring service. It is one of our preferred suppliers as it allows us better design flexibility and fewer moving parts. This means it is easier to tailor the right inverter for your needs and if necessary, diagnose the problem faster and replace the affected parts more easily. 

SolarEdge power optimizers come with a 25-year warranty. However, the string inverter that the power optimizers are paired with typically has a 12 year warranty. As with most inverters, it will need to be replaced at some point of the lifetime of your solar PV system. This said, it has longer upfront warranty compared to its peers.

Fronius

Fronius is a European company established by founder Günter Fronius in Austria in 1945, and began with manufacturing battery-charging systems. The company, over time, has grown from being a welding, inverter and battery charger manufacturer and now extended its presence to Australia. With the abundance of solar harvesting options and a large market share already in Australia, it expanded in 2010.

As a European firm, Fronius inverters are designed to perform better in colder climates but are also suited to the North Queensland climate. The inverters have rapid shut down capabilities if necessary and we can provide supporting firmware updates remotely. We offer its high-performance inverters for grid connected photovoltaic systems along with software that allows system monitoring, data visualisation and analysis features to ensure your system is performing as per expectations. Some of the benchmarks, we will be able to measure are the energy balance (production and consumption,) estimate earnings and sustainability metrics (such as CO2 savings.) Fronius inverters are backed by a five year parts and labour warranty however, this can be extended. However, the Fronius inverters we offer have a 10-year warranty but in some instances, we can extend it by an additional 5 years for a cost.

This table summarises the differences between SolarEdge and Fronius.