We have decided to install a solar panel system on our house and we have narrowed it down to three quotations:
Quotation 1:
Installer A
SolarEdge SE3680H StoreEdge
10x 375W Longi LR4-60HPH375M
25yr warranty on inverter, 25/12 on the panel (performance/product
€4,888
Quotation 2:
Installer B
Huawei SUN2000 3.68
11x QCells Q.PEAK DUO ML-G10+
25 year warranty on everything
€3,990
Quotation 3:
Installer B
Enphase IQ7A
10x QCells Q.PEAK DUO ML-G10+
25 year warranty on everything
€5,470
Some notes on the above:
- Installer A could not fit 11x of the Longi panels well enough to suggest them, which is why he went with 10x panels
- Our country has a 3,680 VA max output restriction for single phase installations, which means that I cannot go with 11x Enphase micro-inverters as that would bump up the peak output over the restriction (366VA per micro-inverter), and thus I am limited to 10x panels with the Enphase system
As you can see, the most cost effective option on paper is the Huawei option. It’s the only option that will allow me to go up to 4.5KW, and it’s by far the cheapest quotation, while still having 25 years warranty on all parts. These inverters have become extremely popular in my country, and pretty much all of the installers seem to stock them and suggest them over any other option. In fact, installer B is suggesting that I go with their Huawei offering rather than their Enphase one (this seemed like a red flag if going with Enphase however they’re the only distributors for Enphase in my country). They also mentioned that they would rather not install optimisers with the Huawei system unless it’s extremely necessary, and since in my case the area does not get a lot of shading their suggestion and quotation is to go without any optimisers. I have received other quotations for the Huawei inverter from other installers that include optimisers on all panels which would end up costing similar to the quotation above, however only a 10 year warranty is then available on both the inverter and optimisers.
While the Huawei seems to be the most cost effective option and the most suggested option by all installers, my gut is still telling me to still go with either the Enphase or Solar Edge options. First of all, I like the fact that I would have panel level monitoring. From my research online, Enphase and Solar Edge are vastly more popular than the Huawei inverters - in fact I could hardly find any information and reviews/opinions on them. I have also tried the apps for all three options, and I definitely prefer the SolarEdge and the Enphase ones over the Huawei one. I’m also planning on adding the system to my Home Assistant installation, and while it’s possible to integrate the Huawei using a custom integration, there are official integrations for the Enphase and SolarEdge systems.
When it comes to Enphase or SolarEdge, I’m not convinced between the two either; I definitely prefer the SolarEdge installer over the Enphase one and it’s a cheaper system. However I’ve heard some horror stories about the Solar Edge inverters. Furthermore, with the Solar Edge option I will be restricted to a 3.75KWP system, as opposed to a 4.1KWP Enphase system. The warranty offered is also better on the QCells panels that come with the Enphase system than the Longi available with the SolarEdge system. The QCell also seems to be a slightly more efficient panel than the Longi one. The biggest downside for the Enphase system apart from the cost is that no installer in my country (I live on a tiny island) imports Enphase batteries, or any AC battery for that matter, while the Huawei batteries are extremely easy to find and I heard that the Solar Edge batteries will be available soon. However, based on my calculations it doesn’t seem like a battery storage system is cost effective for me unless prices drop considerably, so I’m not giving a lot of importance to this point.
As you might be able to tell, I’m leaning towards the Enphase option, however I would appreciate your advice on whether I should even consider the Huawei option, or perhaps something I missed that might make the Solar Edge the best option. Thanks in advance!