Overview of Solarwatt – Company History
Solarwatt is a German company founded originally in 1993 and is still headquarted in Dresden. The business has expanded over the last 25 years now employing over 460 people globally across offices in Germany, France, Australia, Netherlands, Italy and Spain. The majority of the shares in the group are owned by Stefan Quandt who also owns a majority stake in BMW.
Solarwatt are known for their innovations with glass on glass Solar Panels introducing the world’s first in 1998. They also released the first 300W glass on glass panel to the market in 2016.
In 2021 Solarwatt and BMW joined forces in a technological collaboration aimed at enhancing home energy storage solutions.
Basics of Solarwatt Lithium Batteries
Solarwatt currently only have the Flex AC-1 battery available in the Australian market. This replaces their previous MyReserve battery and makes use of their new relationship with leading German carmaker BMW.
Solarwatt Flex AC Battery
Solarwatt’s Flex battery systems use BMW’s lithium-ion battery cell modules, and are modularly expandable batteries. With a usable energy range from 4.8 to 19.2 kWh, it can offer the flexible system sizes to most residential battery applications.
The battery is designed for a simple plug-in connection for the individual battery modules without complex cabling. This modular approach enables a single-person installation with each individual battery module weighing 25 kg.
The Flex AC batteries are designed to withstand environmental conditions meeting the IP54 standard suiting an indoor or outdoor installation.
The battery can be paired with the Flex Base AC which is an inverter that can be paired with the battery for retrofit installations. This enables the Solarwatt battery to be compatible with your existing solar and inverter set up.
Solarwatt Battery – Key Features
There are a number of features of the Solarwatt battery worth mentioning:
One Person Install
The Solarwatt battery solution has been purpose designed to limit individual components to no more than 25kg. The individual components do not require complex cabling and can connect together like pieces of lego. This means one installer can complete an installation by themself which can significantly decrease the installation costs for a consumer.
AC or DC Connection (Retrofittable)
The Flex AC battery can be connected with an Solarwatt inverter which enables the battery to operate independently. This means the battery can be retrofitted to most existing solar systems regardless of what brands and types of solar equipment have been installed.
In Australia, according to figures from Sunwiz, almost half the battery installations last year were retrofitted to existing solar systems.
How Much Do Solarwatt Batteries Cost?
A Solarwatt Flex AC battery module costs around $2,800 to $3,000 for 4.8kWh of nominal capacity on a wholesale basis. Please note these figures exclude installation costs and any product mark up that the installing company may add on to the wholesale cost.
Compare quotes from up to 7 installers in your area now.
Australian warranty terms for Solarwatt MyReserve batteries
Solarwatt’s Flex AC battery comes with a 10 year product and performance warranty which is on par for the expectations for batteries in the Australian market.
The product warranty covers any manufacturing defects that may occur during the life of the system. The performance warranty guarantees that the battery is still able to provide 80% of is starting usable capacity after 10 years, which reflects a typical degradation rate for Lithium Ion battery technologies.
One notable party of the warranty document states that if the battery “Control Module” breaks in years 5 to 10, then Solarwatt reserves the right to refund the customer the ‘remaining value’ of the control module instead of rectifying or repairing the system. This would be a bad outcome for a customer as it would likely mean the battery is no longer able to be used.
It’s not clear from their warranty documentation if you can make a claim in Australia through any authorised resellers. Unfortunately this means that customers would like have to attempt to contact Solarwatt on the information provided on the warranty document:
SOLARWATT GmbH
Maria-Reiche-Str. 2a
01109 Dresden Germany
Tel.: +49 351 889 50
E-mail: info@solarwatt.de
Read Solarwatt’s full battery warranty documentation here
Solarwatt Batteries Pros and Cons
Pros
- Brand with long history in solar panels (back to 1993) with a reputation for premium quality solutions
- Made in Germany
- Flexible battery system sizes and single person installation
Cons
- No Australian local office or support for warranty policy
- Small market share in Australian market
Battery government rebate schemes across Australia
Currently there is no federal rebate for battery storage. Victoria, South Australia and the ACT have launched their own schemes that are now closed.
The main battery scheme currently available is Queensland’s Home Battery Booster rebate.
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