If you’re thinking about installing a solar system, you’ve certainly heard about solar batteries. Every article you’ve read (and every salesperson you’ve chatted with) has enthusiastically suggested that you get one. But there are so many different solar batteries. Which one should you choose? Why should you choose it? Where do you begin when researching them? At this stage, you have nothing but questions.
At PSC, we understand how frustrating it can be at the beginning of your solar journey. The learning curve seems steep, and something as simple as searching on Google can yield untrustworthy results.
This is an unbiased guide designed to help you narrow your scope while considering options. Our priority is giving you the information you need to be an empowered shopper. Your energy usage is unique and your pathway to finding the right battery will be different from your neighbours.
In the spirit of being unbiased, it’s important to let you know that we sell three of the batteries that made the cut in our top 6 best solar batteries list: the Enphase IQ Battery 5P, the Sigenergy SigenStor, and the Tesla Powerwall 3. While we believe in their performance for our customers, we also realise that these are not necessarily going to be good options for your specific needs.
In this article, you’ll learn about the best solar batteries on the market in 2025. You’ll get information about the features, benefits, and drawbacks of the following brands:
- Alpha ESS
- Enphase
- Sigenergy
- SolarEdge
- Sungrow
- Tesla
While we don’t install all these battery brands, we do believe that educating solar enthusiasts is critical for building a cleaner, greener future. So without reservations, here is a brief walkthrough of the best solar batteries on the market.
Guide to Our Guide
We’ve listed the 6 batteries in this class alphabetically. We’ve also included links to company websites and product information for your researching convenience.
Here’s how the specs for each battery are broken down:
Overview: Each battery will have a brief introduction/overview of the company and the battery you’ll be reading about.
Then we’re going to get into the specifics of each battery.
Weight: the weight of the battery in kg.
Round-trip efficiency: This is a measurement of how much electricity is lost as a solar battery performs its functions. The chemical reactions within the battery require energy, so there is some loss of power as the electricity is converted. A battery with 90% round-trip efficiency loses 10% of its power in this process.
Operating Temperature: The operating temperature of the battery from coldest temperatures to hottest. It’s important to know this, especially in Australia, where extreme heat can impact the efficiency of your solar battery. If you want your solar battery installed outside, this can be a significant issue to consider as you shop around.
Warranty: How long the warranty lasts and other warranty small print.
Compatibility: The compatibility of the battery. When we talk about battery compatibility, there are two types of “coupled” batteries. They are either AC-coupled or DC-coupled. Our guide will include whether the battery is AC-coupled or DC-coupled.
But first, it would probably be helpful to go on a little walk to understand what the difference between these two types of batteries is, and what it means for you as a customer.
Solar panels convert sunshine into DC power. Your home and the electrical grid use AC power to operate. And a battery can only store DC energy. So the conversion process is from DC to AC to DC again.
It can get a little confusing to summarise, all that converting from AC to DC and back again. Here’s a picture of the way electricity flows through your solar system if you have an AC-coupled battery:
In an AC-coupled system with a battery, the solar panels collect the DC power and a microinverter mounted beneath the solar panel converts the DC power to AC power. This is a much safer form of electricity. AC power has fewer risks involved as it travels from the roof to your main switchboard. If you’re interested in learning more about that, you might want to check out our article on the benefits of a microinverter system. The home and the grid operate on AC power.
It can get confusing when a battery enters the equation. Batteries can only store DC energy. Some brands of batteries are DC-coupled to more efficiently direct and store electricity for use. They do not require converting the DC power to AC power because the electricity doesn’t flow immediately to the main switchboard.
Instead, it goes to an inverter, usually located on the side of the house. That inverter converts the DC power to AC power if it’s going to the switchboard, but if it’s going to the battery, it leaves it alone. This leads to better round-trip efficiency in DC-coupled batteries.
Energy Storage: The energy storage of the battery in kWh (kilowatt hours).
Power Output: The power output of each battery in kW (kilowatts).
There is a difference between energy and power. Some solar “experts” use the terms interchangeably, which is wrong. When electricity is in motion, like in a cable going from the solar panels to the home, it is power. When that same electricity is stored, like in a battery for later use, it is energy. Think of it like water following the path of least resistance: power flows through a hose and energy is stored in a bucket.
Pricing: Many of the prices listed are subject to change depending on who is installing the equipment. Some installers charge more for services, and some solar systems require additional equipment. What’s listed is the price for the equipment only from the respective company’s websites.
Who Is This Battery a Good Fit For? Everyone has different needs for batteries based on their unique energy self-consumption patterns. It’s difficult to dilute those needs down to a thumbs up or down. Because of this, there’s a brief summary for those who might want to research the product further.
Alpha ESS
Alpha Ess has been around since 2012. It’s a Chinese company with offices in Australia, the UK, Germany, and Italy. The Australian product line is the SMILE series, with the Alpha ESS SMILE5 being the best-seller.
Alpha ESS SMILE5 Batteries: The SMILE stands for
Self-sufficient
Modular
Intelligent
Long lifespan
Elegant
The battery is an economical option for homeowners. It’s lithium-ion phosphate, one of the safest batteries on the market. There are four different product choices in the SMILE5 series. The smallest stores 2.9 kWh with the biggest at 13.3 kWh. The following specs are for the 10.1 kWh, one of their best-selling options in Australia.
- Weight: 122.7 kg
- Round-trip Efficiency: 92.72%
- Operating Temperature: –10°C to 50°C
- Warranty: 5 year product warranty, 10 year battery performance warranty. It’s important to note that it’s a requirement that the battery be connected to the internet so Alpha ESS can monitor the battery’s performance. If the battery is not connected to the internet or if it’s disconnected from the internet for longer than 48 hours (in an electrical grid blackout, for example) without reporting it to Alpha ESS, the warranty is reduced to 3 years.
- Compatibility: AC-coupled or DC-coupled
- Storage: 10.1kWh.
- Power Output: 5kW
Who is the Alpha ESS SMILE5 a Good Fit For? If you already have a solar system installed, the Alpha ESS SMILE5 is aimed at you. You can choose an AC-coupled model or a DC-coupled model, which means it can be installed with any solar system depending on your needs. This high compatibility makes SMILE5 a great option.
It’s also a favourable option if you’re on a budget. However, a quick Google search will yield mixed reviews here and here of its quality. Some customers are thrilled with the low cost while others are frustrated by poor customer service from Alpha ESS. There are also a lot of models available in Australia, each with different specs and features that vary slightly. Make sure you have the correct make and model number if you research it further.
Enphase IQ Battery 5P
Enphase IQ Battery 5P: Enphase Energy is an American company whose claim to fame was the development and wide-scale distribution of microinverters for solar panels. A microinverter is a small inverter that is mounted to each solar panel. It converts DC electricity to AC electricity for distribution to the home.
A special distinction about the Enphase IQ Battery 5P is that it has 6 microinverters installed inside the battery itself. They decentralize the charging and discharging of the battery and the conversion from DC power to AC power and back again. If one of those microinverters fail, the battery can continue to charge and discharge at just over 80% efficiency.
We’ve written quite a bit about the Enphase IQ Battery 5P. If you’re interested in reading more about it, we suggest you check out this review of the Enphase solar battery and this article on how much an Enphase battery costs at PSC.
- Weight: 66.3kg
- Round-trip Efficiency: 90%
- Operating Temperature: –15°C to 55°C
- Warranty: 15 years or 6,000 cycles
- Compatibility: AC-coupled
- Storage: 5kWh
- Power Output: 3.84kW
Who Is This Battery a Good Fit For? If you have an existing Enphase solar system or are keen on installing one with a battery, this is a great option. Unfortunately, it’s only compatible with other Enphase technologies, so if you have a string inverter solar system for instance, you’re best to look at other battery options. Because it only stores 5kWh, you’ll need to “stack” multiple batteries (which is fairly easy) together to get more energy storage.
Sigenergy
Sigenergy SigenStor: The SigenStor is an all-in-one solar inverter and battery system designed to increase efficiency and simplify energy storage. It lets solar panels send power directly into the battery, reducing energy losses. And if you have an electric vehicle, you can even charge the battery from your car when paired with a bidirectional EV charger.
Let’s break down how it works.
SigenStor combines five essential components into one streamlined unit, making installation easier and freeing up wall space:
- Hybrid Inverter: Converts the DC power from solar panels into AC electricity for home use.
- Battery Storage: Stackable battery modules store excess energy for nighttime use or peak demand times.
- Battery Power Conversion System (PCS): Transforms the DC power in the battery into AC power for your home.
- Energy Management System (EMS): AI-powered software that optimises energy flow, adjusting charge and discharge times for maximum savings.
- Optional EV DC Charger: A direct DC charging option for electric vehicles, offering greater efficiency than AC charging.
This modular, all-in-one design means you’ll need fewer separate components, reducing installation complexity and giving you more flexibility in your energy setup. Think of the components like Lego or Duplo building block toys. They stack up on top of each other.
With so many variations, the stats will change based on how you mix and match them.
- Weight: Varies
- Round-trip Efficiency: 98%
- Operating Temperature: –20°C to 55°C
- Warranty: 10 years
- Compatibility: AC-coupled or DC-coupled
- Storage: 8kWh per block
- Power Output: Varies
What’s most exciting to us is the AI integration with this battery. It runs Chat GPT-4 and uses it to observe your energy habits and take control of your system if you want it too. It’s a great shortcut to optimising your system if you don’t know much about solar or energy monitoring apps. We love it.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about the cost of SigenStor, we recommend you check out the following article titled, How Much Does the Sigenergy SigenStor Cost?
SolarEdge
SolarEdge is a company founded in 2006 and made a name for itself by inventing the DC optimiser technology that’s used in some central inverter solar systems. They have offices worldwide, including Australia.
For more information on what a DC optimiser is and what it might do for your solar system, check out our article comparing String Inverters vs Microinverters vs DC Optimiser: How Are They Different?
SolarEdge Home Battery: The SolarEdge Home Battery is designed for, well, homeowners looking for energy storage solutions who have a SolarEdge string inverter system already installed.
- Weight: 121kg
- Round-trip Efficiency: 94.5%
- Operating Temperature: –10°C to 50°C
- Warranty: 10 years
- Compatibility: DC-coupled
- Storage: 10kWh
- Power Output: 5kW
Who is SolarEdge a Good Fit For? SolarEdge is one of the biggest solar panel companies operating in Australia. Its batteries are only compatible with SolarEdge systems, but if you want to install a SolarEdge system, the company has a large presence here.
The SolarEdge hybrid inverter is considered the best overall inverter by many for string solar systems. When combined with a SolarEdge battery, the whole system is incredibly efficient. It’s possible to stack up to three batteries together, but you’ll need to purchase a DC Combiner Box from the company in addition to an inverter. We would love to let you know how much that additional equipment will cost, but like the battery, SolarEdge does not list the price on their website.
There is also the issue of what type of inverter you have on your SolarEdge string solar system. If you are adding a battery, you’ll need to upgrade your inverter as well for additional cost.
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Sungrow
Sungrow has a unique history as a company compared to other solar battery manufacturers. It was founded in 1997 by a professor, Cao Renxian, of Hefei University of Technology in China. The mission was to improve energy solutions in western China.
Sungrow SBR HV Batteries: The Sungrow High Voltage LFP Battery is a lithium-ion phosphate battery with a modular design. This modular design makes your energy storage easily upgradable if your energy needs change. Just purchase and stack additional battery modules. Each battery module has a capacity of 3.2 kWh and is expandable up to 8 in a stack for 25.6 kWh. Then, four of those stacks can be combined for a whopping 102.4 kWh of storage.
For the purpose of this comparison, we’re going to be looking at the Sungrow SBR HV 12.8 kWh option as its closest to the other batteries in its class that we’re comparing. This is a four-module combination that you would purchase all together.
- Weight: 147kg
- Round-trip Efficiency: 93.3%
- Operating Temperature: –30°C to 50°C
- Warranty: 10 years
- Compatibility: DC-coupled
- Storage: 12.8kWh
- Power Output: 7.68kW
Who is Sungrow a Good Fit For? Sungrow really made a name for itself with its hybrid inverters. Because their solar business is primarily hybrid inverters, it should come as no surprise that Sungrow batteries are only compatible with Sungrow hybrid inverters.
If you have a string solar system, you’ll need to purchase a Sungrow hybrid inverter to direct traffic for the electricity supplied to your home. So if compatibility with an existing solar system is important to you and you don’t want to invest in a Sungrow hybrid inverter, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
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Tesla Powerwall 3
Tesla was founded in 2003 as an electric vehicle company. It quickly expanded into commercial and home energy battery storage. The first Powerwall came out in 2015, and the Powerwall 2 was hot on its heals in 2016 with multiple upgrades since then. The one we’re here to talk about today is the Powerwall 3.
Our favourite thing about the Tesla Powerwall 3 is that it is completely brand-agnostic in terms of compatibility. You can bolt onto any solar system in the world, and it will function beautifully, exactly as it’s designed. If you want to explore the Powerwall 3 a little more comprehensively, you might want to check out our Tesla Powerwall 3 Review or this article on Tesla Powerwall 3 Lifespan.
In addition to the Enphase IQ Battery 5P, PSC also sells the Tesla Powerwall 3.
The Tesla Powerwall 3 is a lithium iron phosphate battery with advanced safety features that minimise fire risk.
- Weight: 130kg
- Round-trip Efficiency: 96 – 97%
- Operating Temperature: –20°C to 50°C
- Warranty: 10 years
- Compatibility: AC coupled and requires a separate solar inverter or DC-coupled with solar inputs.
- Storage: 13.5 kWh
- Power Output: 11.04kW but depending on DNSP regulations, it might be capped at 10kW or even 5kW.
Pricing: The Powerwall alone costs $11,900, but you’ll also need a Tesla Gateway which costs $1,700, which brings the cost to $13,600. And don’t forget installation costs.
Who is the Tesla Powerwall 3 a Good Fit For? The Powerwall is a popular choice for a solar battery in Australia. The Powerwall 3 is an AC-coupled battery, which is widely compatible, which we mentioned above. But the Powerwall 3 can be installed as a DC-coupled system too with solar inputs that go directly into the battery from the panels. This creates screaming efficiencies for your energy system.
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Things to Consider When Choosing a Solar Battery
Every battery, like every solar system, is unique. What works for one home or business will be different for another. Each of these solar batteries are fantastic products that may or may not suit you. The decision will always come down to what you need.
If you’re scratching your head about which battery to choose, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is your solar system already installed, or are you installing a new system with a battery included?
- How much storage capacity do you need for your energy consumption patterns?
- How much money do you want to spend on a battery?
You’ll be able to narrow down your choices once you get more and more specific about your needs.
If you’re looking for an AC-coupled battery that’s compatible with microinverter solar systems, then the Enphase IQ Battery 5P or the Tesla Powerwall 3 might be perfect for you.
For solar systems that are already installed and need a highly compatible battery at a low cost, the Alpha ESS SMILE5 might be your best option.
Sungrow offers stackable battery technology that will help you zero in on your specific energy storage needs. It’s also good for an existing string solar system looking for an upgrade.
SolarEdge is a good way to go if you’re considering installing a whole system at once; from panels to battery. Much like Enphase, it’s only compatible with its own brand.
BYD is a great solution for customising your storage capacity. This modular battery can expand up to some significant sizes if you’re looking for larger storage solutions. Keep in mind that you’ll need a hybrid inverter to get the most out of these batteries. Fortunately, it’s compatible with a wide variety of them.
At PSC, we understand that this is a lot of information to digest. We’ve provided some details here about different solar battery brands.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about solar batteries, you might want to start with the following article titled, Adding a Battery to a Solar System.
