A customer recently asked why we don't use Growatts like the companies on the TV.
Well, it's a simple answer, we've had far too many problems with them, and cheap inverters in general, in the past. Yes, they have improved hugely in recent times, but we air on the side of caution when it comes to household power stations.
Our people started working together with all the way back in 2009. Back in those days, only two inverters on the market actually worked! SMA and Aurora, with the latter now known as ABB.
Today, with all the solar on the grid, we've really only seen 4 inverters consistently last. It's no surprise that these are the top-selling ones among the industry veterans, as they are able to handle the grid fluctuations associated with high voltage. These brands are Sungrow Fronius, SMA, and ABB.
The cheap inverters, to their credit, have improved greatly over the years, and Growatt's have come a long way. But as we've learned the hard way many a time, it's better to pay a tiny bit more once and not have to go back afterward.
And there is also another issue with cheaper inverters, and that's the issue of the people who sell them don't plan on coming back, and don't seem to worry as much about poor workmanship. On our fix-up jobs at the moment it doesn't seem to be Growatts fault as much as it us the installers who are willing to use them.
No matter what you buy, it's no good if it's not assembled properly. Always triple check if you decide that the cheapest option is the right one for you, and make sure that they dial your inverters ac window all the way up!
