Sungrow review

Sungrow - Inverter Reviews

4.8

Based on 472 ratings

Finn's Sungrow Inverters Review & Verdict

Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO

In my opinion, a solar power system that will be on your roof for 30+ years deserves the best inverter you can afford.  But if you want to save the ~$1,000 premium that a high-end inverter brand such as Fronius will command, then my favourite budget inverter brand is Sungrow - although Goodwe are snapping at their heels.

Sungrow solar inverters are reliable and well supported in Australia with excellent warranties.

Sungrow hybrid inverters when paired with the impressive Sungrow batteries are an excellent way to get home storage for thousands of dollars less than a Tesla Powerwall and separate solar inverter. 

Sungrow Inverters: Pros & Cons

  • Excellent value.
  • Well supported with local office and 10+ years Australian history.
  • Good monitoring platform.
  • Capable hybrids with AC coupling available for more solar on backup circuits.
  • Well regarded amongst installers.
  • Tech support can be patchy with some script readers in place of actual technicians.
  • Failure rate and subsequent warranty work has made some installers gun-shy. (These issues can both be attributed somewhat to stellar growth)
  • Plugged connections can be fiddly to terminate, especially when hybrids require very large supply cables which must be broken down into small cables.
  • Hybrid back up circuits are limited to their rating regardless of if there is grid or no grid. The inverter doesn’t have a higher “pass through” rating when grid connected.
  • This limited capacity means the backup circuit struggles with high inrush loads such as motors, i.e. household water pressure pumps. (Savvy installers will alleviate this with a changeover switch or contactor)

About Sungrow

Sungrow Customer Service: 1800 786 476

Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd is a Chinese company that was established in 1997 and operates in several different energy-related niches, including wind power conversion, inverter production for photovoltaic systems and energy storage.

The company says more than 340 GW of Sungrow inverter capacity had been installed worldwide as as at the beginning of 2023. To give a sense of how rapidly the firm's manufacturing capacity has grown in just the last couple of years, 154GW of capacity had been deployed by the end of 2020.

Walking the clean energy talk, Sungrow has also committed to sourcing 100% renewable electricity for its operations by 2028.

Sungrow In Australia

Sungrow has been present in the Australian solar inverter market since 2012. Its Australian operations are based in North Sydney, NSW. So, should you need technical assistance or in case you have any questions about their warranty policies, you can contact Sungrow easily by calling or shooting them an email.

Australian customers can choose from a pretty solid range of solutions, including single-phase and three-phase inverters in the SG series. Sungrow's inverter range also includes hybrid models available in the SH series.

To view specifications and approximate pricing of various Sungrow power conversion products available in Australia, check out the SolarQuotes solar inverter comparison table. For hybrids models, see the hybrid inverter comparison table

Sungrow Hybrid Inverter Cybersecurity Flaw

While Sungrow has enjoyed signficant success in Australia, it hasn't always been sunshine and puppies for the company. In early January 2020, an engineer based in Brisbane revealed he had identified a series of security flaws in Sungrow's hybrid inverter, model SH5K-20. In March 2020, Sungrow announced they had shipped a firmware update that fixed the flaws.

Sungrow Warranty Notes

Sungrow generally offers a standard product warranty period of five years from the date of installation and no more than six years from the manufacturing date of a solar inverter - so that's something worth checking.

However, in April 2020, the company announced it was offering 10 years’ warranty for some inverter models purchased from 1st April 2020 and installed in Australia. Eligible Sungrow inverter models can be identified here.

If you have problems with your Sungrow inverter, your first port of call is the original  installer. Despite what some might say, if the installation company is still in business then they are the ones liable for the repair/replacement of a faulty inverter assuming it is still within its warranty period. If your original installer is no longer in business or is uncontactable, you'll need to lodge a warranty claim with Sungrow.

In order to do so, Sungrow advise you must arrange an installer to test the solar inverter to determine if it is faulty. Sungrow can help you find someone in your area if you call them on the number listed above. If a fault is confirmed, Sungrow will work with the installer to arrange a replacement inverter. Notably - you are not compensated for the out of pocket cost of the initial testing.

My Recommendation

Given the quality of the company's products and support along with generally positive feedback from installers and customers over years (you can read Sungrow customer reviews below), Sungrow is currenly listed as a SolarQuotes recommended solar inverter brand

In the 2023 SQ Installers' Choice Awards, Sungrow took out the top spot for best value inverter for the third year, and second place in a new category, best after-sales support.

If you're an owner of one of the company's products, we invite you to share your experience with others. You can add your Sungrow solar inverter review by clicking the "leave a review" button at the top of this page.

Reviewers report paying:
$1,700 - $19,700

For a

solar system with a
Sungrow inverter

Depending on hardware choice and installation difficulty

Sungrow has 10 solar inverters in our database

Filter by:

Price 
Inverter Size 
Phase type 
Model number
Approx Price
Inverter Size
Max Efficiency (%)
# of MPPT's
Phase Type
SG5.0RT
$1780
5000 W
98.40%
2
Three phase
SG6.0RT
$1850
6000 W
98.40%
2
Three phase
SG7.0RT
$1950
7000 W
98.40%
2
Three phase
SG8.0RT
$2100
8000 W
98.50%
2
Three phase
SG10RT
$2250
10000 W
98.50%
2
Three phase
SG12RT
$2500
12000 W
98.50%
2
Three phase
SG15RT
$2600
15000 W
98.50%
2
Three phase
SG5.0RS-ADA
$1700
4999 W
97.8%
3
Single phase
SG8.0RS-ADA
$2200
8000 W
97.8%
3
Single phase
SG10.0RS-ADA
$2300
10000 W
97.8%
3
Single phase

 

Sungrow Reviews (472)

Show Most Relevant reviews from All time

  • 5 star 413
  • 4 star 47
  • 3 star 5
  • 2 star 1
  • 1 star 6

View Timeline

I did research & saw a friend's Goodwe, but I felt Sungrow was better - it did cost a bit more & is connected to my wifi & Solar app on moblie. also the installer technician said they only had 1 problem sungrow inverter, after installing many Sungrow

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

The contractors assisted in downloading the app so you access how the inverter is performing - excellent

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

Every element of the installation is working, and you can track via the apps

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

All, good, did a great job, cleaned up well after they finished, would recommend them to my friends

Panel Brand

I don't know

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

The Inverters are running quite well, aside from an occasional issue with the inverter not coming back online after a power outage which is easily resolved by a turn it off and back on again, both inverters function as expected. The Sungrow app is not as user friendly as it could be but it does the job.

Panel Brand

Tindo Solar

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

Monitoring software app needs a bit of work, but the web portal (which I mostly use) is very good.

Panel Brand

Canadian Solar Inc

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

7kW

Installed By

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Sungrow SG8-RS. Love the app showing live data: Solar panel power generation, house power draw, and excess power going to the grid, and in the evening power being pulled from the grid. This data helps you quickly make wise decisions of when to run certain appliances to save more money.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

Panel Brand

Canadian Solar Inc

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

9kW

Installed By

System Cost

$10,000 to $12,500

System Size

10kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Extremely Quiet operation and easy APP Navigation. Considering we went for an in-garage installation we wanted an inverter to be quiet in its operation

Panel Brand

REC

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

20kW

Installed By

Sungrow's software could be improved, but it is getting there.

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

8kW

Installed By

The inverter provides all the features I was looking for - export curtailment, black start, blackout protection, but is also silent and when cable-managed properly (as mine is) looks great! The inverter provides access to lots of data and functions via its 'WiNet' interface. I'm integrating the inverter with my home automation system (HomeAssistant) with no problems. It's too early to speak to long-term reliability but apart from that I'm very happy with it.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Sungrow SG5.0RS 4999W

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

Very early days but it all seems to be working extremely smoothly

Panel Brand

I don't know

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Sungain Solar for this review. Learn more here.

SG 5.0 RS - Good looking, quiet, performed well during the hot summer days.

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

The inverter makes a extremely unpleasant high pitched noise continuously when producing. Sungrow support have been completely unhelpful and insist this noise is "normal". There are a dozen people online reporting the same problem with numerous different models of Sungrow inverter. If you're going to get one of these inverters, don't install it anywhere you want to spend any time eg a balcony, a garage etc.

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6kW

Installed By

The system is fine. It's the Eco-elite company I have problems with

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

An incentive was offered by Solar Air Energy for this review. Learn more here.

Has been known to occaisionally trip out, but after carrying out system shut down and restart, is soon back on line. A recent firmware update may have solved the problem.

System Cost

$2,000 to $4,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

The inverter is mounted undercover on an outside wall above the battery and is quite attractive to look at. The APP has a few quirks but once you have played with it a while it gives you the information and system control you need.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

System Cost

$0 to $2,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

Love the live tracking

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

No issues.

Panel Brand

Jinko Solar

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

5kW

Installed By

Not noisy, happy with how it manages power flow based on our needs to this point.

Panel Brand

Trina

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

9kW

Installed By

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

System Cost

$4,000 to $6,000

System Size

3kW

Installed By

Great monitoring!

Panel Brand

LONGi Solar

System Cost

$15,000 to $20,000

System Size

15kW

Installed By

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

System Cost

$6,000 to $8,000

System Size

6.6kW

Installed By

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

13kW

Installed By

System Cost

More than $20,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

System Cost

$8,000 to $10,000

System Size

10kW

Installed By

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