Growatt - Battery Reviews

About Growatt

Growatt is a Chinese company best known for producing low-cost solar inverters. In 2019, they also moved into home battery systems. Like their inverters, these are also at the lower cost end of the market.

They currently offer several home battery systems in Australia. They all require hybrid inverters, which Growatt also produces. Like the large majority of home battery systems, they use lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO) battery cells.

Warranty Concerns

At this time, we don't have enough information on the reliability of Growatt batteries to recommend them. But before September 2023, I definitely would have warned against buying any Growatt battery as their warranty was one of the worst I'd ever seen.

Growatt has now updated the warranty available for their ARK series of batteries. While it's not the best around, it is a huge improvement on the first one I saw, which was so bad it could potentially end after only one year.

If you are considering purchasing any Growatt battery, it's vital to check that it comes with a decent warranty. Their terrible warranty was very confusing, so if you can't understand it, stay away from it.

Manufactured In China

I mentioned Growatt is a Chinese company. While that's where they do their manufacturing, as far as I can tell, the company is incorporated in the Cayman Islands.

But as their headquarters are in Shenzhen, China, I have no problem calling them a Chinese company.

Growatt doesn't appear to manufacture their battery systems in-house. Instead, they use an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). This will be a company with battery system experience that produces them to Growatt's specifications, and Growatt then brands them as their own.

This type of business arrangement is common among inverter manufacturers that have moved into supplying home batteries. In of itself, it's not a reason for concern.

A Range Of Batteries

I'm writing this in September 2023, and currently, Growatt has a range of battery systems on their Australian website. But not all of them are currently approved for use in Australia.

As most of their batteries are modular, they're available in a range of storage capacities. The smallest possible arrangement will provide 2.3 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of storage when new, while the largest will provide 36.8kWh. Of course, these details may vary as Growatt changes their battery selection.

Location Requirements

While they can be installed outside, all Growatt batteries should be placed out of direct rain and sunlight. Unlike some batteries, Growatt says installing theirs at a slight tilt is fine:

Hybrid Inverter Required

All Growatt batteries require the use of a hybrid inverter or a battery inverter. Unless there are special circumstances, this will normally be a Growatt hybrid inverter. Using a battery and inverter from the same company will -- or at least should -- avoid compatibility problems.

Growatt produces both single-phase and 3-phase hybrid inverters. Unfortunately, they only have a 5-year warranty, rather than the 10 years some manufacturers provide.

Off-Grid

Currently, Growatt only has one hybrid inverter suitable for off-grid use. This is their SPF 3000-5000 ES. It is a single-phase inverter available in three different kilowatt (kW) capacities -- 3kW, 3.5kW, and 5kW. Growatt doesn't provide its warranty on their Australian site, but it's likely to be the same 5 years as their other hybrid inverters.

Backup Power -- Check It's Available!

Not every Growatt battery system is able to provide backup power during a blackout. This makes it important to check that any Growatt battery system you're considering can provide it. It's also important to check if any additional components that may be required are included in the price.

Some setups will require the Growatt Backup Box. Growatt describes the backup power it provides in a very strange way:

I doubt what they're trying to say is that it will provide backup power to every particle of your home. I suspect they mean "partial home load backup" but for all I know, they're trying to say, "practical".

If you are considering a system that uses the Backup Box, check how long its warranty lasts, as Growatt does not currently provide that information on their site.

Cobalt Free!

Growatt uses lithium iron (LiFePO4) batteries and describes them as "cobalt-free". But the basic point of lithium iron batteries is that they use low-cost iron instead of cobalt or other materials, so calling them "cobalt-free" is like describing vegan food as "meat-free". But because they don't contain any cobalt, I guess I can't fault them for pointing that out.

Updated Warranty For ARK Batteries

Growatt has two batteries in their ARK series, the ARK LV and the ARK XH. These have modules that can be stacked on top of each other to provide varying amounts of storage. When new, each module can supply a maximum of 2.3kWh of usable storage.

Growatt's latest warranty document for ARK batteries says their warranty will last for 10 years or until it has discharged 6,670kWh per module. Whichever comes first. This means the warranty will last a full 10 years for households that discharge a daily average of 1.8kWh or less per module. But if the average daily discharge is 2.3kWh per module, the warranty will end just before eight years. Higher average discharges will result in even shorter warranty periods. This makes the warranty potentially suitable for people who aren't expecting to work their batteries hard each day.