Finn's Selectronic Inverters Review & Verdict
Finn Peacock has been a Chartered Electrical Engineer since 1998, and is ex-CSIRO
The Selectronic SP PRO is a great option for grid-connected hybrid solar systems, but its biggest fan base is among off-gridders. And rightly so – I think Selectronic makes the best off-grid inverters in the world. A true Aussie icon.
Selectronic Inverters: Pros & Cons
- Manufactured in Australia
- Built to last
- Expensive
About Selectronic
Founded in 1964 by the Scott family, Australia's Selectronic's core products are battery inverters that are manufactured in Victoria.
Australian Office Contact Details
Address: 80 Lewis Road,Wantirna South, Vic 3152
Phone: 03 9727 6600
Website
Company Info
After establishing itself in the manufacture of custom made inductors and transformers for the Australian local electronics market, in 1981 Selectronic started operating in the emerging niche of renewable energy by producing its first power inverter. In 1994, the company produced one of the world’s first true sine wave inverters.
Nowadays, Selectronic is very much a vertically integrated company, able to manage every stage of the production process from development to commercialisation and after sales assistance. Its manufacturing lines are mainly focused on battery inverters for both grid-connect and off-grid applications, and its SP PRO inverters are assembled using more than 83% of materials from Australian companies.
SP Pro AU Series Battery Inverters
The SP PRO can be used in single, dual or three phase applications and is AC or DC coupling compatible. For managed AC coupling scenarios, to fully utilise an SP PRO, it needs to work with a Selectronic Certified solar inverter. These include selected models from Fimer and Fronius. For generic AC coupling, any grid tie inverter can be used by connecting it to the load side, but it cannot be controlled. Therefore it's not suitable for off-grid systems or grid-connect scenarios where the solar array's capacity is more than the export limit.
In the 24V lineup, the SP Pro AU is available in 3kW and 4kW (continuous output) capacities; 3.5kW, 5 kW and 7.5 kW in the 48V range, and 7.5 kW, 15kW and 20 kW in the 120V series.
The SP PRO's switching time between grid/generator and batteries is less than 0.03 seconds. Generator backup connectivity and control is inbuilt for off-grid, and for the 24V and 48V models, optional for on-grid using Selectronics' Grid Fail Backup module.
SQ's Anthony is a big fan of the company's products. Find out why he likes SP Pro battery inverters here.
Warranty Information
When used in Australia, the SP PRO is accompanied by a 5-year standard warranty. But if you you register your warranty within 180 days of purchase, it's 10 years; plus Power Assist is thrown in for free. Power Assist offers benefits including a free exchange SP PRO being dispatched within three business days if there's a fault covered under the warranty. However, Selectronic will require you to pay a rather significant, but fully refundable security deposit.
Furthermore, if an SP Pro has failed due to a fault covered by the warranty and is within 60 days of purchase, Selectronic will replace it with a brand new unit.
If you're using Selectronic inverter products, please feel free to share your experience with us by leaving a review and/or rating.
Images from customers
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Selectronic Reviews (11)
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- 5 star 9
- 4 star 1
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17 April 2023
Panel Brand
System Cost
More than $20,000
System Size
10kW
Installed By
13 October 2022
System Cost
$15,000 to $20,000
System Size
13kW
Installed By
02 September 2022
Panel Brand
System Cost
$4,000 to $6,000
System Size
10kW
Installed By
07 December 2016
Panel Brand
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
4kW
Installed By
24 May 2023
Panel Brand
Panels already installed. (Other)
System Cost
More than $20,000
System Size
more than 30kW
Installed By
08 June 2021
Panel Brand
System Cost
More than $20,000
System Size
15kW
Installed By
08 September 2020
Panel Brand
System Cost
More than $20,000
System Size
6.6kW
Installed By
22 May 2020
System Cost
More than $20,000
System Size
10kW
Installed By
19 May 2020
System Cost
more than $20000
System Size
more than 30kW
Installed By
31 August 2018
System initially worked poorly (minimal export and often going offline) and Spark Electrical / Selectronic diagnosed that the input grid voltage was too high - Essential Energy visited and adjusted down the grid voltage to correct spec and since then the system has worked perfectly.
Diagnostic logs on the Selectronic system are very comprehensive and give a great picture of what's happening - so troubleshooting is relatively ea
The additional Selectronic optional "select.live" component is well worth it as it gives Internet connected real time monitoring of the system.
System exports up to a peak 5.500 kWh in the middle of winter - so this also tells me that the system is working optimally - it will be interesting to see how it goes in summer when the sun is higher (6.4kW is the theoretical maximum).
We have had several grid outages recently and you don't even notice - the battery and solar combination during the day covers all power demands - we only use grid power for off peak HWS heating.
We previously had an SMA PV inverter system and we were going to go with a new SMA based system, but I'm now very happy we went with an Aussie based system (Selectronic) - it works very well and their after sales support is first rate, especially with all the questions I asked as I learnt about hybrid systems.
System Cost
more than $20,000
System Size
More than 6kW
Installed By
08 July 2016
Panel Brand
Tier 1 250W Poly Silver Module (Other)
System Cost
$6,000 to $10,000
System Size
5kW
Installed By
Fronius Primo 5kW x 2