Overview of Fronius – Company History
Founded in Austria on June 20th 1945, Fronius is an international company with a 75-year history in the manufacture of welding equipment and nearly three decades of experience with solar inverters and other devices for monitoring and controlling energy, including battery chargers.
Fronius launched its first grid-connected solar inverter back in 1995. Since then Fronius has grown to become one of the industry leading solar inverter manufacturers, with 19 of 28 offices worldwide being involved with solar energy. This includes the Australian office located in Tullamarine, Victoria.
Fronius inverters are suitable for a wide range of applications, including residential solar and commercial solar projects, including their recently launched Fronius Tauro inverter with 100kW capacity.
A Brief Rundown on Solar Inverters
A solar system’s inverter is the point at which the DC electricity produced by solar panels is turned into grid-compatible AC electricity.
String inverters have traditionally been the standard in the solar industry. They send the power produced by solar panels to a central inverter that changes it from DC electricity to usable AC electricity that powers homes.
Microinverters, on the other hand, convert DC to AC electricity at each individual panel and allow for monitoring and power regulation at the panel level. This is useful for homes that are located somewhere with shading from clouds, trees, or other buildings.
What is PV Evolution Labs Top Performer?
PV Evolution Labs (PVEL) independently test solar inverter reliability. The tests are voluntary, with solar inverter manufacturers paying to participate in the testing. This testing process is internationally renowned and is an accurate reflection of the solar inverter’s performance. To read the full PVEL scorecard click here.
In 2019 Fronius Symo ranked as a top performer in the following tests:
- High-Temperature Operation
- Transient Response
- Ground and Arc Fault
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How Much Do Fronius Inverters Cost?
As Fronius inverters are manufactured in Europe this higher quality product comes with a higher price tag in comparison to the inverters that are manufactured in China.
The most popular Fronius GEN24 Primo 5kW model retails for about $2,200 to $2,400, which excludes installation and any additional required wiring and components.
Keep in mind that inverter costs generally only run between 10-20% of your total system, so often it is worth investing in a high-quality inverter given this will have a large impact on the efficiency and performance of your entire system.
Fronius Inverter Review – Point of Difference
There are many solar panels out there, what makes Fronius inverters stand out?
Fronius has earned a strong reputation for its high-quality inverters, advanced technology, and excellent customer support. Their inverters are widely used in residential, commercial, and industrial solar installations across Australia. Based on information from Solar Choice’s database of residential solar quotes, Fronius has maintained over 50% market share of installers’ premium options.
Monitoring and Data Communication
Fronius inverters offer advanced monitoring capabilities, allowing real-time access to energy production and system status through mobile apps and web portals. This data empowers users to detect and resolve issues promptly, optimise energy usage, and integrate with smart home systems and energy management platforms for more efficient energy consumption.
Fronius Inverters Technologies
A unique aspect of Fronius inverters is the SnapINverter technology. It’s a standardised wall-mounted bracket with the inverter on a hinge system. This enables easy access for servicing as the inverter opens like a car boot, without needing to be removed from the wall.
The majority of Fronius’s Inverters are approved by the Clean Energy Council for the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which is Australia’s home solar rebate program.
Fronius GEN24 Primo
The Fronius Primo series is designed primarily for residential household applications with power ranging from 3.0kW to 10kW. These inverters are single-phase inverters, meaning they are suitable for smaller solar PV systems typically found in homes.
The newer GEN24 series has dropped the LCD screen which displayed the real time performance of the system and has replaced with status lights. The GEN24 series includes their Dynamic Peak Manager which helps the inverter improve output in shaded situations without any optimisers or micro-inverters installed on the panels.
Contrary to many other inverter manufacturers, Fronius has stuck with active cooling with a built in fan. This may mean that the inverter makes a bit more noise, but Fronius argue that it improves the service life of their products.
The Fronius Primo also comes in a GEN24 Plus option which is Fronius’ hybrid version suited to connecting a battery to the system. All other features and appearance remain similar to the GEN24.
Fronius Symo
These inverters are three-phase inverters that are suited to larger residential homes and small commercial projects. The power range of Symo is from 3.0kW to 20kW.
The Symo series offers higher efficiency and the same advanced features as the Primo series, including reactive power control and support for dynamic grid conditions
Fronius Eco
The Fronius Eco is a transformerless three-phase inverter designed for medium to large-scale commercial solar systems. The commercially used inverter comes in 25kW or 27kW power ratings. The Fronius Eco inverter holds an Ingress Protection Rating (IP Rating) of 66, which means it’s dust-tight and able to withstand heavy seas or powerful jets of water. Both power categories hold an efficiency rating of over 98%.
Unfortunately, the 27kW inverter is not well-designed for the Australian market where inverters are able to extend to 30kW without requiring extra network protection. The optimal design for many small businesses is to use a 30kW inverter and extend the solar panel capacity to 39.9kW, while the Fronius Eco 27kW can only support 35.9kW of solar panels.
Fronius Inverter Efficiency
In Australia, all CEC-approved Fronius inverters come with a 5-year warranty for parts and labour. A free additional 5-year extension (parts only) to the warranty can be claimed by, registering at solarweb within 30 months of the factory inverter dispatch. This means in the first 5 years Fronius will cover most of the labour and shipping associated with any covered repairs or replacements. In years 6 – 10 the customer will bear that cost.
This is definitely now below what is the standard for an inverter warranty in Australia. Most inverter companies offer 10 years full coverage including labour, including both of Fronius’ European competitors SMA and Fimer.
A full warranty extension can also be purchased from the inverter installer within 30 months of the inverters dispatch from the Fronius factory. This can extend the full parts and labour coverage to a total of 10, 15, 20 or 25 years.
Fronius do have a local office and excellent local support for their customers looking to resolve issues with their system.
See Fronius’ full Australian warranty document here.
Fronius Solar Inverters Pros and Cons
Pros
- Fronius has one of the strongest brand names and recognitions in the solar inverter market having stood the test of time with regard to its quality
- Fronius have an Australian office and helpful support staff to handle sales and service enquiries
Cons
- Fronius’ products are amongst the most expensive string inverters on the Australian market
- The 5 years full + 5 years parts-only warranty is now below the market standard
- Fronius’ monitoring is a freemium service. They only provide 3 days of history for free and attempt to upsell customers to the premium version to get greater visibility. Most other inverters offer full data and history at no cost.
Fronius Inverter Specifications
| Fronius Primo 5.0-1 AUS | Fronius Symo 5.0-3-M | |
| Rated AC Power Output | 4,600W | 5,000W |
| Maximum Continuous Output Current | 21.7A | 7.2A |
| Maximum DC Power | 7,500W | 10,000W |
| Maximum Inverter Efficiency | 98.1% | 98% |
| Dimensions with Safety Switch/Connection Unit | 645 x 431 x 204 mm | 645 x 431 x 204 mm |
| Weight | 21.5kg | 19.9kg |
| Warranty | 5 Years (Extendable up to 25 years) | 5 Years (Extendable up to 25 years) |
| Operational Temperature Range | -40°C to 55°C | -25°C to 60°C |
| Made in | Austria | Austria |
So, Should I Buy Fronius inverters?
We consider Fronius as the premium option for both residential and small commercial uses. Fronius is one of the longest-standing brands in the solar inverter market with an excellent reputation.
In recent years, many of the Chinese solar inverters have caught up to Fronius (and in some cases overtaken) when it comes to the technical performance characteristics of the inverter. Fronius’ point of difference comes from the long track record they hold in terms of reliability and after-sales support.
In our opinion, you can’t go wrong with Fronius, and it would be worth paying a bit more to go with this brand over many of the others in the market.
Example of a Fronius Commercial Solar Project
The Philippines has seen quite a rise in the number of solar systems being installed over the past few years. This is due to the public grid being unable to reliably supply power to the 13 million Filipinos living in the metropolitan area surrounding Manila.
In April of 2019, a field located in Tarlac City, Philippines had a 20MW system equipped with 612 Fronius Eco inverters go live. The system included 61,200 solar panels to total the 20MW, the installation was completed in 5 months.
By installing the Fronius Eco the overall potential yield of the panels was increased. Although, for an installation of this magnitude it is unusual for the inverters used to be string inverters. However, it is because of the string inverters that the system is able to be more efficient. String inverters work better in conditions such as partial shade compared to central inverters. It was estimated that the system will produce around 32,000MWh of electricity, reducing CO2 by around 18.6million kg.
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Reviews from Australians who have installed Fronius Inverters
We luv the fact we can monitor our usage on the phone very cool.
Inverter is quiet and can be accessed remotely. Perfect for the job.
Repeat offender, have a Symo 8.8 single phase on my home which is great.
Review left 3 years after system installed
Really happy with our choice in Fronius I can track all our energy usage real-time which allows us to make informed decision around our energy management.
I have had zero problems with the inverter. I don't know enough to comment on them, I left it up to the installer to recommend. I just wish it had a better app to watch the power produced. It works ok, just very basic
The app and monitoring is informative. The web version gives a detailed report too.
Good inverter but arise should have sold me 5kw instead of 8kw due to their poor design of the system
Easy to use app and not too noisy inverter when at full speed
Only one to go with for 3 phase. Works very efficiently in low light.
Review left 3 years after system installed
Recommended and still great after 3 years
Chose this brand because of the built in fan, meaning that the inverter is more efficient when its really hot in summer.
Panel is neat and attractive and the brand has an easy to use app for monitoring performance
Review left 2 years after system installed
Works very efficiently in conjunction with the Trina panels. We regularly generate 20kw - the inverter capacity
Review left 1 years after system installed
Would highly recommend this brand with above mention panels and installer if you live in South Australia
Monitoring is great, looking forward to the next update.
Working fantastic and great location love the app on our phones and easy to understand
Review left 5 years after system installed
Very happy with the inverter so far - no problems in the first five years.
So far so good. Only been installed about 5 weeks.
Review left 1 years after system installed
Brand chosen reliability Happy with monitoring
Gen 24 model often voted best in Australia, certainly in top 3.
