Renowned innovative company Tesla are getting ready to release their new solar inverter. We always sit up and take notice when Tesla releases a new product, and this is no exception. Although the company doesn’t directly sell solar systems in Australia yet, making it a little hard for Aussie customers to find information, we have been able to gather some details about this new product. Let’s take a look!
Tesla’s newest solar inverter
The new inverter from Tesla will be available in two different capacities – 3.8kW and 7.8kW. While the 97.5% efficiency claimed by Tesla sounds great, it’s not necessarily anything new. Even some of the budget inverters have the same level of efficiency or better, so it’s a little odd to not see any major advancements in this area.
One area of interest though, is the number of maximum power point trackers (MPPT). The 7.8kW version of the Tesla inverter is set to come with 4 MPPT, whereas the common standard is 2.
What is an MPPT?
Solar systems with solar panels on multiple roof locations (for example facing different directions), require an inverter with MPPT. Most have 2 MPPT, but the Tesla model will be arriving with 4. Whether this is overkill remains to be seen, but we do know there are other brands releasing inverters with 4 MPPT in 2021.
Other features
There’s nothing too new or outstanding among the specifications for the new Tesla inverter. As expected, intit integrates with Tesla Powerwall and the Tesla App, and it offers the standard WiFi, ethernet and cellular connectivity. Safety features include ground protection, arc fault protection and rapid shutdown, so there’s not a lot new to report here.
Tesla’s price and warranty
Firstly, the warranty is a little odd on the new Tesla inverter. It’s a great warranty, coming in at 12.5 years, however we’re a little in the dark about why it isn’t 12, or even 13. Still, 12.5 years warranty for an inverter is still a good deal.
As for pricing, that part is a bit unclear at the moment. We’re not even certain it will be coming to Australia as a single item, as it may only form part of a full solar install in the US. What we do know is that Tesla has unfortunately been increasing their prices across the US recently. In fact, since October 2020, the Powerwall battery system has gone up by US $1,000. Aussie Powerwall customers saw the price increase by $800 in October last year, so we’re yet to hear whether further increases will be coming.
