Oct 22, 20194 min read

Growatt Inverters: A Review

Updated: Jul 7, 2020

The makers of Growatt inverters, Growatt New Energy Technology Co. Ltd, is a Chinese solar inverter manufacturing company established in 2010. Growatt has its production plants in China, with offices in Europe, US and Australia. Growatt's products are built to comply with international standards and are ISO and OHSAS.

Growatt inverters products are distributed in Nigeria by BASSCOMM. Basscomm has its office at 6 Otuyelu close, Okupe Estate, Mende, Maryland, Lagos, Nigeria. Solar Force Nigeria also distributes Growatt products in Nigeria. Their office is at #1 Rima Street, Maitama Abuja.

General Description

Growatt inverters are pure sine wave hence they produce a clean electricity for appliances and appliances that use them do not make a continuous humming or buzzing sound.

However, the definitive feature of Growatt inverters is that they are transformerless inverters. And as is the case, they are always identified as so with a TL in their name.

Solar cells and batteries generate direct current from sunlight in the region of 12V, 24V, 48V, 72V or 96V. A transformer placed inside the inverter is used to step up the generated voltage to the 220V required by appliances. A transformer is used to step-up or step-down voltage. A transformerless inverter by definition, is an inverter which does not have a transformer. Since the function of stepping up the voltage is necessary, transformerless inverters do not dispense with it, rather the function is carried out in an entirely different manner.

The major difference between the conventional inverter and the transformerless inverter is that the transformer is replaced with a computerized multi-step process and other electronic components. These components play the role of the transformer, that is, convert the DC generated by the solar panels to AC.

As a TL inverter has no transformer, Growatt inverters are light, compact, and far relatively cheaper than conventional inverters.

Highlights

All Growatt inverters are pure sine wave inverters. Learn about the differences between pure and modified sine wave inverters here.
Like all pure sine wave inverters, appliances do not run with a continuous buzzing or humming sound.
Like most inverters, they have UPS capabilities. Thus they are able to switch without the appliances turning off.
Most Growatt inverters come with MPPT charge controllers. Read about charge controllers here.
They have battery protection features that protect the batteries from over-charge, deep-discharge and short-circuiting when the terminals are not properly placed during installation or during use.
They also have technologies that protect appliances that use them from damage.
They come with cooling fans to ensure that the inverters do not exceed maximum temperature safety limits.
Some Growatt inverters have hybrid capabilities, that is, they can be used either in on-grid or off-grid systems. In other words, they can be charged with solar panels, grid power or standby generators. Read all about hybrid inverters here.
They are compatible with all types of batteries, solar panels and charge controllers.
Growatt inverters have graphical LED and LCD displays for monitoring battery charge, mains status, charging mode, etc.

Home, Factory and Office Integration

Growatt inverters come in white and black colours that are meant to complement both interior home, office and exterior factory designs.
They are noiseless and emit no fumes.
They come in plastic and metal casings.
They are sleek, compact and elegant.
They have wall mount capabilities. They can also be placed on racks, desks or left standing.

Remote Monitoring and Control

Growatt inverters can be monitored remotely using smart apps and plug-and-play remote controls that use Wi-fi, LAN and Bluetooth. They also have computer driver softwares and smartphone apps that can monitor, control and input parameters into their inverters.

Warranty

Growatt offers up to 5 years warranty on their inverters and an extra 5 years extended warranty when users register their inverters on their website. Growatt does not warrant inverters that are installed, “under the direct sun light.”

Product Range, Features and Specifications

Growatt has a wide range of battery-based inverters and solar inverters. According to output capacities and potential places they can be installed, their inverters are ranged into Residential, Commercial Rooftop, Large Commercial and Utility Inverters and Off-Grid Storage Inverters.

Residential Inverters

Growatt's residential inverters all come with at least two installed MPPT charge controllers. They have hybrid capabilities and can be used for on-grid and off-grid installations. Growatt Residential Inverters have capacities ranging from 750VA to 19.5KVA. They can be connected in multiple phases, up to three.

Commercial Rooftop Inverters

Growatt's commercial rooftop inverters have output capacities ranging from 12,000VA to 50,000VA. Inverters in this range come with at least two MPPT charge controllers. They can be connected in multiple phases.

Large Commercial and Utility Inverters

Growatt's commercial rooftop inverters have output capacities ranging from 40,000VA to 70,000VA.

Off-Grid Storage Inverters

At least, two of the six series of Growatt's off-grid inverters come with transformers. The off-grid are built to be used with batteries for off-grid installations.

Growatt inverters are relatively cheaper and can fit a small budget. Also, they have a very wide voltage input range, up to 800V. Based on 192 ratings, they have a review score of 4.2 stars on solarquotes. The few complaints about Growatt is that they are bulky and with tiny display which carries only basic information. [source] There are also a few complaints about confusing warranty conditions. [source]