Alpha ESS Battery: An Independent Review by Solar Choice

This Alpha ESS battery review has been written independently by Solar Choice and we have no affiliation with Alpha ESS.

Background on AlphaESS – Company History

AlphaESS (Alpha ESS Co Ltd) was established in 2012 and is a Chinese company that makes energy storage systems for homes and businesses worldwide. They recently moved their headquarters to Suzhou, China, near Shanghai. With over 10 local branches, AlphaESS serves over 90 countries.

In 2015, they opened an office in Australia and quickly joined South Australia’s home battery scheme in 2018. The Australian operations are run under Alpha ESS Australia Pty Ltd which is a subsidiary of Alpha ESS Co Ltd.

In the past decade Alpha ESS have picked up significant market share and have been listed as preferred technology for several Australian virtual power plant networks. In fact in 2022 and 2023, data from Sunwiz suggests that Alpha ESS were the number 1 solar battery installed by volume.

Their product line up includes the SMILE series for home energy storage, the STORION series with medium-sized solutions tailored for businesses, and large-scale batteries that are custom fabricated into a shipping container.

AlphaESS Battery System – How It Works

The AlphaESS battery system, including the SMILE and STORION series, is a versatile energy storage solution. It combines a hybrid inverter, a battery management system, and a modular storage unit. You can add ‘modules’ to increase battery capacity as needed. The hybrid inverter allows for immediate use of solar power in your home, charges the battery, and converts battery power to usable AC electricity. These modules are sold separately but integrate into a single, sleek unit.

You can customize the storage unit with various battery modules, offering flexibility in storage capacity. For instance, the SMILE5 series includes a 5kW hybrid inverter and supports different battery sizes, ranging from 2.9kWh to 13.3kWh, expandable up to 80kWh.

This system can provide green energy during power outages without extra costs or components, unlike some other batteries. If you have existing solar panels and an inverter, the AlphaESS battery can be AC-coupled to work with your current setup.

You can ‘DC Couple’ or ‘AC Couple’ the Alpha ESS.

Choosing AC coupling for the AlphaESS system makes sense if you already have a solar system. This involves plugging the AlphaESS battery system into your switchboard like any appliance. It then converts AC energy to DC to store in the battery and back to AC when you need to use it. However, this process has a small inefficiency (about 3-4%) due to power loss during these conversions.

If you were starting from scratch and installing a new system, a DC coupled AlphaESS battery would make the most sense. This is because there would be no need to purchase an additional grid-connected inverter as the AlphaESS unit can do it all for you. It also only converts DC energy to AC energy once when the house is drawing down power from battery – meaning its a more efficient solution.

To read our full explanation on DC coupling and AC coupling – click here.

How Much do AlphaESS Batteries Cost?

One of AlphaESS’s most popular residential battery systems is the SMILE5 series. See the below table which provide an indicative guide based on data from Solar Choice’s Battery Price Index on the cost of installing a AlphaESS SMILE5 with different battery capacity:

Please note

• Prices are an estimate of a full turnkey price for end-consumers including all products, labour and GST
• Price estimates does not include any state-based incentives

To give this cost context it is important to balance the cost of a battery against the return of a cheaper power bill. Solar Choice’s solar and battery calculator is a comprehensive tool to understand the financial viability – although be warned, the financial return for batteries is still not as attractive as solar panels.

AlphaESS Independently Tested by ITP Renewables

ITP Renewables, an independent organization funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), independently tested AlphaESS. They publish live performance data and biannual reports on the batteries they test. Their accelerated testing method cycles batteries three times daily, simulating nine years of use in just three years.

In 2017, ITP Renewables began testing the AlphaESS M48100 (9.6kWh) battery. After two years, equivalent to six traditional years of use, they noticed abnormal behavior: the battery’s charge/discharge rate was restricted. AlphaESS examined the battery and found over-temperature alarms, leading to the discontinuation of the test.

AlphaESS informed Solar Choice that the tested battery was their first model, manufactured over seven years ago, and they have made significant improvements since.

AlphaESS’s Warranty Terms for Australian Customers

AlphaESS offers a 5-year warranty for the inverter and all non-battery components. For the batteries, they provide a more extensive warranty, guaranteeing at least 80% of original capacity after 10 years, under specific conditions:

1. The system must have an internet connection.
2. The batteries should only be for “self-consumption.”

Without an internet connection, the battery warranty reduces to 3 years. In case of a warranty claim, either you or the installer must arrange and pay for the system’s inspection. However, under Australian Consumer Guarantees, you may claim for reasonably foreseeable damages and losses, including inspection costs for a malfunctioning system.

You can download the warranty details here:
Alpha ESS Australian Warranty Document

Pros and Cons of Alpha ESS Batteries

The Chemistry Behind AlphaESS Batteries

This AlphaESS battery consists of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), as the cathode material and its anodes are carbon. This is different to Lithium Ion batteries such as the Tesla Powerwall 2.

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are considered a safer option to Lithium Ion, due to the lithium phosphate holding a high chemical and thermal stability. They are non-flammable meaning they can handle higher temperatures from a short-circuit or overcharge. This makes them an economically sound battery choice, as the lithium iron phosphate has a longer life cycle compared to lithium ion.

Battery government rebate schemes across Australia

Currently there is no federal rebate for battery storage. Previously Victoria, South Australia and the ACT launched their own schemes but they are now closed.

The main battery scheme currently available is Queensland’s Home Battery Booster rebate.

Read more product reviews from Solar Choice

This Alpha ESS battery review is performed independently by Solar Choice and has no affiliation with Alpha ESS.

• About
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Jeff Sykes

CEO at Solar Choice

Jeff has consulted on over 20MW of commercial solar projects, ranging from SMEs to ASX top 100 companies. Jeff has also provided independent advice to 100s of residential solar, battery and EV charging customers across every state in Australia. He holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is an expert in business strategy and financial analysis.

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