SolaX is a very reputable solar PV inverter manufacturer which also produces high quality hybrid PV inverters/battery chargers and lithium-ion batteries, both for domestic and commercial applications.
The hybrid inverter technology is one of our recommended battery storage options for new PV systems or where the existing inverter needs replacing. The main reason for this is that these systems involve fewer components, which reduces the installation cost and the number of points of failure. Additionally, as the system is DC-coupled, there are fewer conversions and associated losses along the system, leading to a higher yield.
The SolaX X-Hybrid units perform the role of both a solar inverter (converting high voltage solar DC to 230V AC) and a battery inverter/charger (stepping both ways from high voltage battery DC to 230V AC). They are available as both single- and three-phase units, and so are suitable for residential systems of all sizes.
The single-phase versions range in size from 3 kW to 5 kW solar inverter rating, and the three phase versions range from 5kW to 10 kW. These ratings apply to both AC output (from solar or battery) and AC input (charging battery from grid). So with the 5kW unit, the majority of standard household electric loads can be covered.
The SolaX online monitoring platform allows users to see solar generation, battery charge/discharge and grid import/export, all together.
The X-Hybrid units come with a 10 year standard warranty.
Despite being DC-coupled (battery connected on the PV side of the inverter), the hybrid units are capable of charging from the grid, under 'Force Time Use' mode. The user is able to programme two charging periods over a 24 hour period, to coincide with the low rate tariff periods on a time-of-use tariff. Since the battery is on the DC side of the inverter, it is necessary to install a two-way generation meter, so that the solar system generation readings are not affected by the battery charge/discharge derived from the grid.
SolaX X-Hybrid units also have optional EPS (Emergency Power Supply) functionality, allowing users to make use of their stored energy when grid power is lost. This requires the installation of an external changeover switch. When grid power is lost, the inverter detects loss of mains and goes into EPS mode ready for the customer to switch over once they have prioritised which essential devices and appliances they wish to power. This manual control is useful as it ensures that non-essential heavy load devices can be switched off so that these don't drain the batteries unnecessarily.
The X-Hybrid units can be paired with SolaX's High Voltage Triple Power Li-ion batteries.
These come as nominal 4.5 kWh (4 kWh usable) and 6.3 kWh (5.7 kWh usable) modules, with up to 4 modules able to be combined in one system to give up to 22.68 kWh usable storage capacity.
The batteries have an expected cycle life of >6000 cycles (~15 years assuming 400 cycles per year), however the warranty period only covers 10 years.
