Should you add SolarEdge products to your solar system?

If you’re thinking about getting solar panels for your home, you’ll almost certainly come across SolarEdge. Along with Enphase, SolarEdge dominates the U.S. market for solar inverters. In fact, SolarEdge took up a 30% share of the residential solar inverter market in Q3 of 2022.

Most installers are likely to offer products from one of these two companies in the quotes they offer you. But how good is SolarEdge? Are their products as good as their market share would suggest?

SolarEdge company profile

SolarEdge was formed in 2006 in Herzliya, Israel, which is where their headquarters are based. They branched out from Israel in 2009, opening up their first international office in Germany. 

SolarEdge reached $100 million dollars of annual sales, by 2013, just seven years after their formation. With the company growing rapidly, SolarEdge listed on the NASDAQ in 2015. 

SolarEdge is a world-renowned solar company producing high-quality products, such as solar inverters, power optimizers, and more recently, home energy storage solutions containing batteries. 

They are best known for revolutionizing the solar industry by creating power optimizers, which serve as an alternative to traditional string inverters or microinverters.

SolarEdge products

SolarEdge makes a variety of products for the solar industry. We’ve picked three of their flagship items: 

• Solar inverters

• Power optimizers

• Inverter-integrated EV charger

Solar inverters

Solar inverters are used to convert the DC electricity flowing from your solar panels into usable AC power that your home appliances use.

The SolarEdge DC inverters are easily installed, quite good looking (for an inverter), and don’t take up too much room. They also have many additional features that you may not find on your typical inverter. 

Depending on the size of the inverter, it will cost between $1,650 and $2,110, but it’s built into the cost of your solar panel system.

They have the ability to hook up to the SolarEdge EV charger, giving you the ability to charge your electric vehicle using only the energy generated from your solar array. Even in the event that the grid goes down, you'd still be able to use this feature. 

These inverters also have 100% overload capacity, meaning you can overload your supply. For example, if you had a 7.6 kW unit and had the capability to have a solar array producing 15 kW, the inverter would be able to support it. 

The SolarEdge inverters also work with the SolarEdge power optimizers.

Power optimizers

SolarEdge’s power optimizers are a massive game changer when it comes to installing solar; they give you the ability to track how each individual panel is producing and also allow individual panels to be shaded without affecting the whole array.

In traditional solar installations (sans optimizers), the panels would all be linked in series or what is commonly referred to as a “string”. If one panel on the string becomes shaded, it would affect the energy production of the entire string, which isn't great.

Some installers have found them to be a bit of a pain to install. But after the installation is finished, they work brilliantly with the entire array. A big factor when going for these optimizers is the cost; having to attach one to each panel does bump up the cost of the entire array. The cost of the SolarEdge optimizers is between $80 and $110, depending on which retailer you decide to purchase them from.

EV chargers

SolarEdge recently branched out and created an EV charger that is capable of linking up with their branded solar inverter. This is pretty revolutionary, as now you can charge your EV without having to purchase power from the grid. 

A slight downside to this additional feature is that the solar inverter must be a SolarEdge system in order for it to work. The cost of one of these EV chargers is around the $1,000 dollar mark, and also depends on where you purchase it from. With that said, make sure to shop around before making the purchase.

Some customers find that the charger can be bulky and take up a lot of room if installed alongside vehicles inside your garage. The charger sits up on the mount at about a 40-degree angle, meaning that the charger head sticks out quite a bit, making it a potential hazard if there's not a lot of room alongside it.

On a positive note, the installation and set up is quite easy, especially if your installer is familiar with the SolarEdge monitoring system.  

Pros and cons of SolarEdge products

Pros 

• Reliable: SolarEdge is a worldwide company with offices located all over the world that has been operating for many years

• Great warranty and service: They offer very good warranties on their items and also a very strong and easy-to-reach customer service team

• Strong reputation: SolarEdge is known for being affordable, reliable, and efficient 

Cons 

• Difficult to install: Their optimizers work very well, but the installation can be a bit tricky at times

• Can be expensive: Adding an optimizer to each panel drives up the price of the installation

• Bulky charger design: While EV chargers are very reliable and work well with the SolarEdge inverters, the design is quite bulky and may need some refining

Is SolarEdge worth buying for your solar setup?

SolarEdge is a leading solar company producing good-quality solar systems. They've revolutionized the solar industry with their optimizers and continue to make efficient and durable products for homeowners around the globe. 

If SolarEdge becomes your system choice, you'd be looking at spending around $14,000 for an 8 kW system (before incentives and rebates), which is the average system size for American homes. 

If you were to ever consider joining the solar community, SolarEdge would definitely be a company worth your consideration. If you were wondering how much it would cost to get solar on your home, try using our solar calculator below.