Alpha ESS

Loss of Grid Charging Functionality Following App Update, since 3 days ago. This is regarding a critical loss of functionality in my Alpha ESS (Smile-G3-S%) battery system that has been ongoing since Sunday, following Alpha ESS's recent application update. Since that update, my Alpha ESS battery is no longer able to charge from the grid. It is… Read more

restricted to solar charging and discharge only. This renders the system fundamentally incapable of fulfilling its primary purpose, specifically, the ability to charge during off-peak/cheapest grid tariff periods and discharge during peak periods. This functionality was a core, explicit requirement of my installation and was a key basis upon which I made my purchasing decision.

The updated app is underwhelming. The previous app was reliable and contained good user interface and functionality. The new app is still not recording any information and looking through it some of the functionality has disappeared. Why change i perfectly giid app? How much money was spent on development on something that to date is not working? Show details

I bought an alpha ess 22kw offside system 3 years ago and the hybrid inverter failed still under warranty. I battled to get hold of the responsible people after I called the guys that installed the system. They do not want to deal with Aplpha Ess as they say Alpha does not pay them full cost of replacement when the install the replacement… Read more

inverters. I finally managed to contact Aplpha ESs in Australia where I had to speak to a person who either could not speak English properly or was being dishonest when answering questions. They were vague about who they use for installation. Vague about stock levels and vague about when I would receive a new inverter.. this after me telling them that it was costing me $150 a day to run the generator on the farm. They told me that they are sending the new inverter to me immediately. 5 days later I contacted them again and once again had to speak to someone that couldn't speak or understand English.... I finally dragged it out of them that they sent the inverter to their installer I. CHRISTCHURCH... I STAY IN THE NORTH OF NAW ZEALAND... I then contacted Sunshine solar to find out what was happening. They told me that they didn't know about it and they would check. A couple of days later I received an email that that inverter was on its way as high priority. Cool.... I thought great it would be here in a day or two.... WRONG. They sent the inverter up to Auckland on a normal consignment with a small logistics company that only send items to the far north when they have a full truck. So it's 2 weeks later and I still dint have an inverter. Trying to run a farm that has stock behind electric fences that need to be kept away from the bull.... So FRUSTRATING. Now I know the inverter is in Auckland and they have now suddenly marked it as high priority, GREAT! NAH, then I get an email saying I should let them know when the inverter arrives so they can arrange for installation. THEY CANNOT EVEN TRACE THEIR OWN PRODUCTS AND PLAN INSTALLATION. It is a disastrous company to work with and I will not recommend them to anyone. One would think if you spend 50k on an off grid system they would at least look after you seeing you have no backup should the system fail. Instead you get poor customer service and a bunch of amateurs.

It started with a fault light, and when installers, manufacturers and electricity company had decided who would look at the problem, it fell to Alpha. I have been trying, with daily phone calls (in their 4 hour daily window), to get a time frame on solving the problem. They tell me that a technician needs to do a site visit. I ask when and get… Read more

told on three successive days "We cannot contact him. We will get back to you". But they haven't yet, and there is nowhere else to go. I have been without the battery working for 6 weeks and I am not even able to get the problem diagnosed. Pretty poor for a battery 15 months old.

Had the AlphaESS Smiles 5 Inverter and 13.3kWh battery installed. I am on my third inverter, and counting. The first failed on installation - the installer hearing a loud "pop" and smoke coming from it. A second inverter replaced it a few days later. That inverter failed about 8 weeks later. It took 2 weeks to get a replacement, thus costing… Read more

me electricity/demand tariffs. 8 Weeks later, the THIRD inverter is no longer working - Solar generation stopped one day, and later in the evening, the whole inverter went dead. AlphaESS are still diagnosing, but I know it needs to be replaced. Do not buy these products; their reliability is woeful.

I have just recently purchased 2 AlphaESS solar batteries and a SMILE5 inverter with the intention of basically being almost off grid for electricity and to sell surplus electricity back to the grid during peak demand. The installation by Solar Battery Group was super efficient and fast. In only seven days from the order the batteries were… Read more

installed, commissioned and passed inspection and ready to use - absolutely amazing. I had looked at Globird and Amber, however I am currently with AGL and I discovered that they had an amazing offer with their virtual power plant (VPP) $1/kWh up to maximum of 250kWh and their Solar Rewards plan (26.5 c/kWH FIT) between 5pm and 9pm, with some fantastic sign on bonuses, so I signed up to these two plans. I then discovered that the Alpha inverter would only export to the grid when the battery was full. So now my battery is basically full by 11am and starts exporting to the grid, when the grid does not need exports. At 5pm I start to get the 26.5c FIT, but only what the solar panels are producing less my usage and once solar production reduces below my usage nothing goes to the grid. By about 7.30pm the solar produced is less than my usage so I start drawing from the battery. Using the AplhaESS app, I have no control over the exports to the grid and basically does the exact opposite of what I want the system to do and what the grid needs, which is to export the maximum amount of kWh to the grid between 5pm and 9pm. I had watched YouTube videos that showed that it was possible, however later discovered that they were UK videos and that AlphaESS altered their software in Australia around September 2024 to prevent users having control over exports to the grid.

AlphaESS - give back control to Australian users as the current setup does not support the grid and myself and please do not say it is illegal for a user to control the time of export to the grid. Suppliers obviously need to have the mechanisms in place to stop exports to the grid at times of blackouts and when the grid is at maximum capacity and can't absorb any more exports from solar. Update Jan 26. I have now installed Axel Koegler's projecthillviewlodge with home Assistant and Axel sent me the Yaml scripts to automate the exports between 5 to 9. Now does what the grid needs and I get the maximum FIT. I have a 5kWh Goodwe inverter for the PV panels and a 5kWh inverter for the batteries. This has given me an added benefit of exporting up to 10kWh to the grid. 5kWh from the battery plus the solar generation less the house consumption. Now transferred Home Assistant to Home Assistant Green and the programme runs without my computer. Axel's programme will not be for everyone as you need some good computer skills and a LAN cable connected to your router from the inverter. Very happy with my purchase now. 5 stars for Axel.

Had my solar battery installed around 3 months ago through Climasolar, who also did my solar panels. The whole process was smooth and professional from start to finish. The battery has performed exactly as expected—reliable, efficient, and a great addition to my solar setup. The monitoring app is excellent and makes it easy to track power usage in… Read more

real-time. Overall, I'm very happy with the system and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Climasolar and Alpha to anyone considering solar and battery installation.

Im a owner that purchased a house where the previous owner installed one back in 2019. Im assuming their original inverter broke so they took the plunge and was an early adopter into a battery. I've had 3 full years with my SMILE 5 and an happy with it. My SMILE5 from 2019 only has ethernet support which isn't a problem for me. There has been 2 or… Read more

3 instances of random black outs of 30 seconds. I havent been able to determine if it was a grid problem, software update or something else. I have contacted support and they havent been able to see anything in the logs... Which is surprising as this should be logged. The battery does regular self checks/health checks and during that time my ceiling LED lights flicker very briefly.

As mentioned originally the owner did have 5kw panels connected to the battery. In 2023 we removed the panels and did an upgrade to 8.3kw. So now its hybrid coupled with a separate Goodwe inverter with 6.6kw connected to it and 1.7kw connected to the AlphaESS battery.

The app does the basics. Such as scheduling to charge manually from the grid or scheduling to not discharge. However there are no smarts to it to predict or ask it to charge up. Improvements I can see is it should add some smarts to it and allow more info such as seeing voltages, temperatures and software/firmware updates.

In concussion I would definitely buy another AlphaESS battery considering heaps of changes are being made and now the battery and inverter can be covered by 10year warranties. (the older ones have 5 years on inverters and 10 years on battery)

i have 2 battery systems from Alpha installed.. one is perfect.. but the other has had problems from day on.. Alpha have tried to blame everything else and avoid warranty.. having 2 systems i have been able to isolate the fault to the equipment despite Alpha insisting on many varied reasons for the problems.. they will do everything to avoid… Read more

warranty and lie to you... my issues have been ongoing for 3 years now... the only way to deal with this company is thru legal means.. if you want a hassle free solar/battery installation avoid Alhpa ESS at all costs

I have a AlphaESS SMILE5-INV inverter, SMILE-BAT-10.3P battery and 6.66kW solar panels installed in Australia though SolarQuotes in July 2021. This system ran well until January 2025 when it stopped charging the battery or feeding into the grid due to an inverter ‘Relay Fault’. AlphaESS replaced the faulty inverter with another inverter which… Read more

also failed when installed and was replaced by another inverter which is running well.

However, AlphaESS took 33 days to replace the faulty inverters during which: • the AlphaESS hotline did not answer on weekends and, during working hours, twice told me I was next customer for 30 and 40 minutes without ever connecting, • the AlphaESS App initially said it was sending my complaint to Europe, did not respond usefully for several days, then closed my complaint. • I contacted the installer who arranged the first inverter replacement with AlphaESS and kept me informed by passing on their correspondence from AlphaESS until 31 January, • AlphaESS then contacted me through ServiceM8 which required me to follow links which could have been a scammer, • The AlphaESS App, when matched with their ServiceM8 job, reopened my complaint but sent me four notifications for each response posted, • AlphaESS refused compensation for my lost solar generation for the 33 days despite Australian Consumer Law (see note below) requiring compensation for losses.

This has been a good system except for the inverter faults. It is feeding enough electricity into the grid to pay for my daily electricity charge and small amount of grid use.

AlphaESS did eventually replace the faulty inverters so I would recommend them if they had been quick to replace them and compensated me for loss of solar generation as required by Australian Consumer Law.

Note: The first paragraph in my AlphaESS warranty says: "Important Note: Australian Consumer Law If you have purchased your product in Australia, you should be aware that: This warranty is provided in addition to other rights and remedies held by a consumer at law. Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage."

Don't touch AlphaEss at all! My battery broke down mid November 2024 and I am still waiting for it to be fixed now in March 2025! The after sales service is atrocious. They simply don't bother to respond to emails many times, and when they do they blame others for their delays. When I phone AlphaEss I am assured everything is about to be fixed but… Read more

by a week later nothing has happened and I have to remind them all over again about the problem.

They assume I will not talk to people they are blaming (such as the electrician they contract to do the installs or the delivery company they use) and that I won't know they are simply telling the most childish fibs that are easily found out.

Terrible after sale service – Like so many others, I have found the service, when my battery's black out protection unit (EPS) developed a fault, to be close to non existent. Two months after the 5 year warranty expired we started getting regular, random power dips. One month latter I was still trying to get some service. Failure after 5 years is indicative of Chinese made… Read more

components. Alpha now have a 10 year warranty so maybe they have learned their lesson there. Prior to this experience, I was feeling quite smug about my purchase. I finally got an installer to visit, which I had been requesting from the start. It turned out the original installer fitted a 2 position EPS switch, where he should have installed a 3 position one. With the switch in the third position we don't get the power dips anymore, but will now have to switch manually to the battery in the event of a black out. A better outcome than replacing the inverter, which is the alternative. It seems like the modern day business model for many companies is to offer the worst after sales service they can get away with. Hopefully this review will add some pressure to improve.

3 months after I wrote this review the battery stopped charging and went completely flat. (April 2025) My how things have changed. My phone call went straight to a tech who immediately set about solving the problem. New firmware was installed and the battery was brought back up to minimum charge remotely. I later received a phone call to confirm all was good again. Perhaps all the bad reviews have been heard. I have changed my rating from BAD to OK as a result.

Battery shouldn’t be drawing from grid, when at 90% – I’ve had my system since November 2023, first month the App stated it had only generated 20kw per day max, then some miracle over the phone adjust was made and now I’m doing more than double. My big issue is when you have between 80-90% in your battery. Why does the battery draw from the grid. Example today 9am battery 90% drawing from roof and… Read more

grid. So I get charged from the grid & by 10am my battery will be full and everything after that goes to the grid for 4c. I was advised that the battery is seeking from any source possible. I could understand that if my battery was at 40% but come in we are talking 90% and drawing from the grid, sorry now 94% and still drawing from the grid

Power shutdowns – my battery had been working really good since February until Alpha did their massive data download and system upgrade just before Melbourne Cup weekend, now my battery trips the power to my solar system every day & we have no power to the house until someone returns home to switch it back on. their customer service is nonexistent. I was on the… Read more

phone for over 1hr trying to get through, spoke to a rep for 8 minutes and then he hung up on me

it's time to take legal action

Saving on electricity costs – Battery saving us on electricity costs. In credit for the last year.

very disaapointed – installed 5kw inverter and 10kw battery a week ago. had red fault light on for a week now all lights are green BUt the Power is zero so it wont charge the battery. frustrating after spending $$$$$$$$ Show details

Update today – From the update today I'm having app a internet connection problems an can't log in from the abnormal connection problems as well

Spend a bit more and get a better quality system with far better after sales support – I installed a battery system about a year ago and 6 months ago upgraded the battery to 10kw. On the 1st of September 224 the fault light illuminated. I submitted a service ticket through the alphaess app and contacted solar naturally, the original installer. on the 4th of September a technician attended and didn't appear to have any idea what he… Read more

was doing, instead was on the phone the entire time.

the determination was the inverter had failed. Since the (date now 21st September) I am still waiting for anyone to call me, anyone to attend and make the repair. Apparently, parts are not held in country, and I am still waiting for a part to arrive. I have just received notification of the shipment of the inverter however it won't arrive until at least the 17th of September.

Then it has to be installed which i have no date set.

The system will have been dead for over a month by the time a repair is completed which is literally costing me money every day.

Service tickets I raise with alphaess get closed without the repair being completed. They don't respond directly addressing my messages. Solar naturally don't provide updates and have never called me despite stating the will.

overall, I would say pay a bit more and get a better-quality system with far better after sales support.

Disappointed – My battery was installed about 1 months but too many problems happened, like internet not working, not charging, and faulty. So I cannot follow up every single hour and day.

My Alpha ESS Battery Experience – We’ve had our 13.3 KWh home battery for approximately 18 months and are very happy with its functionality. I find the app very useful, allowing me to log in and check the status / recharge from the grid if it’s not getting enough from our solar panels, set maximum and minimum SOC levels etc. We recently had an issue where the inverter was not… Read more

working properly which meant I had to turn off both the battery and the panels. This was reported using the tech support function on the app. Three days later I heard from Alpha who organised a new inverter to be delivered. I heard nothing for 2 weeks but received an SMS after approximately 2 weeks from an Alpha technician who organised to come and replace the inverter. This was done in a professional manner and our system is back up and running. I have read some very scathing reviews about Alpha and respect other peoples experiences, but in my case, I really can’t fault their product or backup service. At this stage (18 months of use) I have to recommend the AlphaESS battery system as a good alternative to other more expensive alternatives.

Alpha ESS don't do it – My AlphaESS inverter developed a relay fault. It took a month for the company tech support to tell me that it was not repairable and had to be replaced. They then told me the five year warranty that came with the purchase of the unit was now a three year warranty and I would have to replace it at my expense. Do not, I repeat,do not deal with this… Read more

company they are dishonest and have a very poor after sales service policy. If you have had a bad experience with this company please write a review to warn potential customers of the poor quality and service you experienced

bad support – My alpha ess got fault over month ago they sent out new inverter 4 week waiting there installer ring me stay away for the alpha group if then to fix thing fast and it cost me 250 get light stay one all the time Show details

Don’t do it. They are dirt cheap for a reason – 14 months owner. I have two batteries which constantly unsync and fail to work. It kicks itself off the network so the app fails to show anything, customer support is slow and painful and now I’ve wasted $20,000 on something I can’t get a refund for. I’m getting an Australian made system next which I should have done from day 1! Even at half the price, don’t do it. Show details

Customer Service is non-existent – 10/03/2023 Solar installation completed by Solar Link Australia - total cost AUD$13,440. 6Kw system with 5Kw inverter and 10Kw battery 16/07/2023 PV1 string (about 57% of capacity) stopped working leaving us at about 43% of capacity. After dozens of emails through our installer, loads of inaction, finger pointing between the installer and Alpha… Read more

ESS and attempted blame shifting, it was determined that the installation was done correctly and our inverter was faulty. There were three separate site visits (2 x installer and 1 x Alpha ESS technician), although none of these site visits were pre-arranged, nor did they announce their presence. They just came onto our property unannounced, did whatever it was they needed to do and left. 05/09/2023 we received a text out of the blue from Alpha ESS advising that a replacement inverter was being sent. 15/09/2023 a replacement inverter was delivered (not installed) and is sitting in the garage awaiting an Alpha ESS technician to swap it over.

Our inverter serial number is AL2002221110075 All of this has been logged through Alpha ESS service ticket system (Ticket number 202326)

All the above is factual and I can provide email evidence of everything stated. In the interest of being fair, I will update this review as and when Alpha ESS address our problem.

It is now 30/09/2023 and we have had no contact from Alpha ESS. The service ticket that was raised has not been updated or advanced. If you like to be ignored as a customer go ahead and buy an Alpha ESS solar system.

10/10/2023 update.

02/10/2023 I emailed Alpha ESS direct (instead of via the installer) to re-state that the replacement inverter was in hand but not installed asking for a date for installation. 04/10/2023 Alpha responded to thank me for my patience and advised that they were trying to allocate the job to an installer. 04/10/2023 I replied to Alpha that my inverter problem dated back to July 16th and asked how much more patience I am expected to excercise. 05/10/2023 Alpha texts me to advise the job has been allocated and an installer will make contact to arrange a suitable time. 09/10/2023 another text from Alpha advising installation will be 11/10 or 12/10 but the installer will make contact to confirm the time. 10/10/2023 the installer (same one as with the original installation) rocked up unannounced at 9am and swapped over the inverter. New inverter No AL7011023030162. Appears solar generation is now working but the data in the app is disrupted and requires some work by Alpha to bed this change down properly. The changeover was not just a case of unplug the old and plug in the new though. It has meant a heap of new holes needed to be drilled in our garage brickwork as there are differences between the two inverter models. Not ideal but at least it is currently achieving it's full PV generation capacity,