Sofar VS Huawei - review and price
Customers very often ask us which inverter is better SofarSolar or Huawei? The choice is not unambiguous - both of these inverters have their advantages and disadvantages. In the following article, we will try to bring you closer to the most important of them.
Both inverters are the result of really good work of engineers from the Far East. They are trouble-free and affordable. For example, a medium-sized SofarSolar with a power of 5 kW costs about PLN 5,500, while Huawei PLN 7,100. Below is the price table from the Soltec warehouse website.
| Size/ Inverter | KTL-X sofa | Huawei KTL |
| 3 kW | 5110 | 6440 |
| 4 kW | 5220 | 6730 |
| 5 kW | 5510 | 7120 |
| 6 kW | 5700 | 7960 |
| 8 kW | 6070 | 9480 |
solar sofar inverter price huawei 3kw inverter
Mark
Huawei is definitely a more recognizable brand on the market. This company has been producing various electronics for years - smartphones, watches, laptops, headphones and even routers. It can be said that it is a technology company and is quite successful in this area. Huawei itself boasts a 30-year history of operation in power electronics. In the PV industry, Huawei produces inverters, power optimizers and energy storage. More information about the brand can be found at their side.
SofarSolar is a company that deals exclusively with the production of inverters, energy storage and chargers for electric cars. Established in 2012, it is one of the largest inverter companies in China. It is less known on our market, but for several years it has been successfully building trust among wholesalers and installers. We have been installing their inverters for two years and we are really satisfied with the quality and stability of work. More information can be found at manufacturer's website.
display
Huawei inverters do not have a display, while SofarSolar does. This has both advantages and disadvantages for the potential user. The main advantage of the display is the ability to observe live energy production, but also other installation parameters - such as voltage, current or network parameters. The downside of the inverter with a display - according to popular opinions - is the fact that the display is the most frequently damaged part of the inverter. It should be emphasized, however, that SofarSolar inverters are really trouble-free and break down very rarely, but if something in them does not work, it is the display.
Wifi and connection to the manufacturer's servers
Both inverters have a set of wifi modules (of course there is an option to use a LAN socket or a GPRS module). The main difference between them is that the Huawei inverter automatically completes historical data in the event of a loss of Internet connection. Unfortunately, SofaSolar cannot do that. When the network disappears for the whole day, we will see the total production value in the application, but we will not see the graph even when the Internet is back.
Optimizers
Huawei has specially designed power optimizers Huawei SUN2000 450 WP. 600W optimisers supporting larger photovoltaic modules with higher operating currents are to be launched soon. Huawei optimizers are numbered and will be visible later in the FusionSolar app. As part of our services, we always model the physical layout of the panels after assembly in the application, so that the investor knows which panel is where. It also makes it easier to identify the module in the event of a service event.
The SolarSolar inverter does not have its own optimizers. However, you can connect to it, for example, Tigo or other brand optimizers. Unfortunately, they will not be visible in the SolarMAN application.
Both inverters have the following options: arc arc detection.
Guarantee
SofarSolar has a 12-year product warranty and a service center in Poland. For an additional fee, it is possible to extend the warranty to 15 or 20 years. When contacting the service, specialists help to solve all problems, if necessary, providing sofar solar with the service password. Source: https://sofarsolarpoland.pl/gwarancja-serwis/
Huawei has a 10-year warranty by default, which can be extended to 15 or 20 years. It does not have a service center in Poland. Serviced inverters will be sent for repair in accordance with the map below:
Source: https://solar.huawei.com/pl/Services
App
SofarSolar's "SolarMAN" inverter app is as good as Huawei's "FusionSolar" app. Both applications have the ability to view historical energy production data. You can also observe other parameters of the installation, such as energy storage parameters, amount of CO2 saved, alarms and notifications about abnormal operation, etc.
Development
The Huawei inverter can be treated as a hybrid inverter and is able to handle the Luna 2000 energy storage specially designed for it. Together with the Luna2000 storage and the additional BackupBox switchgear, the inverter will operate in on-grid and off-grid island mode. More about the Luna2000 magazine soon in a separate post.
SofarSolar is a grid inverter, there is no island operation or battery connection. To work out such a solution, you should invest in the SofarSolar HYD device available here: Hybrid inverters
When planning expansion, it should be remembered that additional surge arresters on the ac side or a dc switch may be necessary.
Summary
Taking into account the above-mentioned aspects, the SofarSolar inverter is a very good, trouble-free, budget solution, while the Huawei inverter is a solution worth paying extra in the case of a planned expansion of the installation (possibility of connecting an energy storage). Both inverters have the function of preventing the formation of an electric arc.
Both inverters have their supporters, both among investors and installers. However, the most important thing when choosing an inverter is not to choose the "best on the market" but to choose the best one for THIS installation.
How to increase the power of sofar inverter?
Find out how to calculate the thermomodernization relief: https://enerp.pl/jak-rozliczyc-ulge-termo/
Are you ready to check how much your installation costs?
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