Alpha ESS Batteries
If you have started your journey looking at storage or a ‘solar battery’ we have no doubt the name Alpha ESS will have started appearing in your research. Well, search no more! We are going to cover everything you need to know about Alpha ESS and their range of batteries.
Table of Contents
The Range
First things first, Alpha has a vast range of batteries to choose from. They do everything from small residential batteries for your home all the way up to large scale, grid connected massive batteries. For this article we are going to focus on their grid connected, residential and small commercial range of batteries.
We will cover the details in a comparison table below for the tech people of the world and cover high level detail about the company and the battery range throughout this article.
General Company Information
Alpha ESS is a Chinese battery manufacturer. They have been around for 10 years, founded in 2012. As per their website, they produce 1000MWh of batteries every year and ship over 75,000 products around the world since theory inception. They do everything from small residential batteries to huge grid scale beasts. They have won quite a few awards over the years and in our opinion, their products have come leaps and bounds in the last few years.
Outside of batteries they are also moving into the production of EV chargers (makes sense) which we will start to see rolled out imminently.
How Do They Work?
Alpha mostly focuses on all in one batteries. What that means is, the battery and battery inverter and one unit. Outside of that, they work much like a solar battery should. They store any excess solar you generate in your battery for use later when you need it. For example, at night when power prices go up and the sun goes down.
They can also do cool things like download power from the grid when it is cheap if your generation of solar isn’t enough to fill the battery. However, we wouldn’t think too much about that element. If your solar isn’t supporting your battery, it is worth considering more solar if you have the space and not get too focused on time of use downloading.
What Are Alpha ESS Batteries Made?
China. They do have an assembly facility in South Australia however everything is actually made in China.
How Long Is The Warranty On Alpha ESS Batteries?
The warranty can vary from product to product. In most cases you will find they come with a 5 year product and 10 year performance warranty. You can upgrade most of their 5 year product warranties up to 10 years for a fee, and it must be done when the battery is initially bought and installed. It is best practice given the warranty can differ to confirm the warranty on the exact battery you are purchasing.
General Specifications
As we mentioned, it is much easier to show the general specs in table form so lo and behold, please find below the general specifications of some of their batteries. We say some because we will do our best to include all of their residential batteries below but sometimes they release a new product or change something and we haven’t had a chance to update this page.
| B3+ | SMILE-G3-S5 (New to market release date TBC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Type | LiFePO4 Cell Chemistry | LiFePO4 Cell Chemistry |
| Nominal Capacity | 5.04 kWh | 10.1 kWh |
| Energy (usable) | 4.79 kWh | 9.6 kWh |
| Extension? | 1 ~ 6 in Parallel | 1 ~ 6 in Parallel |
| Power | 3.00 kW | 5.00 kW |
| All-in-one? | AC Coupled solution | Built in hybrid inverter |
| Depth of Discharge | 95% | Max.100 % DOD (settable) |
| Warranty | 5 Year Product 10 Year Battery (Product can be extend for a fee) | 5 Year Product 10 Year Battery (Product can be extend for a fee) |
| Dimensions (W*H*D) | 720*650*219 | 610*1168*230 |
| Weight | 62 kg | 109.5 kg |
| Installation Location | Indoor / Outdoor | Indoor / Outdoor |
| Mounting method | Wall Mount | Floor Stand or Wall Mount |
| Degree of protection | IP65 | IP65 |
| Operating Temperature Range | -10 °C ~ 50 °C* | -10 °C ~ 50 °C* |
| Cooling method | Natural Convection | TBA |
VPP Participation
When it comes to VPP participation, Alpha is very good. To our knowledge, their batteries are able to participate in many of the current APPs available on the Australian market.
Are Alpha ESS Batteries Any Good?
In our opinion, yes. Like most things though, the installer installing the products can have a massive impact on the outcome more than the product itself. So make sure you get a good installer who has experience with Alpha batteries so you get the best outcome.
FAQ
Most frequently asked questions and answers
China. They do have an assembly facility in South Australia however everything is actually made in China.
The warranty can vary from product to product. In most cases you will find they come with a 5 year product and 10 year performance warranty.
In our opinion, yes. Like most things though, the installer installing the products can have a massive impact on the outcome more than the product itself. So make sure you get a good installer who has experience with Alpha batteries so you get the best outcome.
