Smart Inverters & Solar Panels

Discover the Best Solar Panels & Inverters for Your Smart Home.

Smart inverters and solar panels bring many benefits to a smart home. Solar panels generate clean, renewable energy, while smart inverters optimize usage. Together, they lower electricity bills, reduce grid dependence, and ensure your home’s energy efficiency.

This Best Buy Guide explores the best smart inverters and solar panel systems compatible with Homey. This list focuses on the ecosystem and its utility, ensuring you get the most out of your PV setup.

Choosing the Right PV System

It’s a common misconception that brands manufacturing solar inverters also produce solar panels. While this is true for some, most inverter brands are designed to work with various solar panel models. Leading solar panel manufacturers include JA Solar, Canadian Solar, Trina Solar, Longi Solar, and First Solar.

That said, several important factors should be considered when choosing a solar inverter and panel system. These factors will help you select a setup that meets your energy needs, integrates with your smart home, and maximizes efficiency and reliability.

Efficiency and Output

Check the energy efficiency ratings and power output of the system. High-efficiency panels and inverters generate more energy and reduce waste, ensuring optimal performance.

Scalability and Future-Proofing

Choose a system that supports future expansion, such as adding more panels or integrating with energy storage systems (ESS). This ensures flexibility as your energy needs grow.

Warranty and Durability

Look for systems with robust warranties and durable components. Panels and inverters should withstand harsh weather conditions and offer reliable performance over time.

Monitoring and Control Features

Opt for systems with advanced monitoring tools and control capabilities. These features allow you to track energy production and consumption in real time through a smart home system like Homey.

Installation and Maintenance

Consider ease of installation and long-term maintenance requirements. A system with simple setup and low maintenance costs can save you time and money over its lifespan.

Brand	Model	Protocol	Capacity1	Efficiency	ESS Support2	Price3
Fronius	GEN24 Plus	Wi-Fi	Up to 10 kW	Up to 97.6%		€1,500
GoodWe	DNS Series	Wi-Fi	Up to 6 kW	Up to 97.8%		€1,000
Growatt	MIN Series	Wi-Fi	Up to 6 kW	Up to 98.4%		€750
Huawei	SUN2000	Wi-Fi	Up to 12 kW	Up to 98.6%		€1,200
SMA Energy	Sunny Boy	Wi-Fi	Up to 6 kW	Up to 98.5%		€1,500
SolarEdge	Home Hub	Wi-Fi	Up to 10 kW	Up to 99.0%		€1,500
Solax	X1 Series	Wi-Fi	Up to 10 kW	Up to 97.8%		€800
Sungrow	SG Series	Wi-Fi	Up to 10 kW	Up to 98.5%		€1,000

The Fronius GEN24 Plus are a hybrid inverter series for residential applications, offering both single-phase and three-phase models. The Primo GEN24 Plus models are smaller, single-phase models with capacities ranging from 3.0 kW to 6.0 kW, while the Symo GEN24 Plus models provide three-phase power with output from 3.0 kW to 10.0 kW.

Fronius GEN24 Plus inverters are compatible with a wide range of solar panel brands, including JA Solar, Canadian Solar, and Trina Solar. Besides their own Solar Battery, they can also be connected to a range of energy storage systems (ESS), including third-party models like BYD Battery-Box and LG RESU. Using an ESS allows the system to store excess power, making it available during peak demand periods or grid outages.

The inverters connect to your home network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, enabling integration with Homey Pro. The app allows users to monitor detailed inverter performance, including PV power, daily, yearly, and total energy production, as well as AC/DC current and voltage levels.

GEN24 Plus inverters have a maximum efficiency of 97.6%. While this number is slightly lower than some competitors, it remains well-suited for residential applications.

The GoodWe DNS Series inverters are ideal for residential installations due to their compact size and lightweight design. They are 30% lighter than most inverter brands with similar capacities, making them highly attractive for home use.

The series supports single-phase power with outputs from 3.0 kW to 6.0 kW and achieves a maximum efficiency of 97.8%. They are compatible with various solar panel brands, including Trina, LONGi, and JinkoSolar.

Despite their lightweight design, GoodWe DNS inverters are built for durability. They meet modern industrial standards and are IP65 rated, allowing for installation indoors or outdoors. The DNS series of inverters is passively cooled and operates without a fan, making them virtually noiseless.

When integrated with Homey, users can monitor real-time power delivery, battery charge levels, battery power, temperature, current load, and solar power generation. It’s worth noting that GoodWe offers a 5-year warranty on their inverters, which is lower than the industry average of 10 years.

The Growatt MIN Series are single-phase inverters designed for residential use, with capacities ranging from 2.5 kW to 6.0 kW. These inverters achieve a maximum efficiency of 98.4%, ensuring effective solar energy conversion.

With dimensions of 500x300mm, Growatt MIN inverters are compact and lightweight, making them easy for a single person to install. They feature a user-friendly OLED display for controlling inverter operation, changing settings and monitoring performance.

The MIN Series are battery-ready out of the box, allowing seamless integration with energy storage systems. However, compatibility is primarily limited to specific battery models, such as Growatt's ARK series.

The communication module is sold separately and is available in Wi-Fi and LAN versions. Once integrated with Homey, users can monitor real-time power generation and delivery, set export limits, and control battery storage if connected.

The Huawei SUN2000 series includes single-phase and three-phase inverters for residential and commercial use. The residential range offers capacities from 2 kW to 12 kW, while commercial models in the SUN2000 lineup reach up to 25 kW. These inverters achieve a maximum efficiency of 98.65%.

Engineered for a 25-year lifespan, they provide stable power for appliances without relying on the grid. The SUN2000 series supports ESS integration, although compatibility is limited to Huawei’s own LUNA2000 battery range.

Huawei SUN2000 inverters feature an IP66 rating, making them suitable for harsh environments. They can withstand dust, high-speed water jets, sand, corrosion, salt spray and even extreme temperatures from –25 °C to 60 °C. The built-in surge protection device (SPD) offers DC and AC lightning protection, eliminating the need of adding external safety devices.

When integrated with Homey, users can monitor power status and delivery, battery levels, and charging status. They also receive alerts for battery events like empty or full status and notifications if the sun is still shining.

The SMA Sunny Boy Smart Energy is a German-made single-phase hybrid inverter. It combines photovoltaic (PV) and battery functionalities into a single unit, making it perfect for generating and managing solar power at home. It supports capacities of 3.6 kW, 4.0 kW, 5.0 kW, and 6.0 kW.

The inverter has built-in battery backup for selected loads and supports optional full-home storage for single-phase and three-phase setups. It works with most high-voltage batteries from leading brands, including SMA’s own Home Storage battery.

One standout feature of Sunny Boy inverters labelled as SMA ShadeFix, optimizes energy production by reducing the impact of shading. Using advanced algorithms, ShadeFix dynamically adjusts the performance of individual strings in the solar array. This prevents shading on one section from significantly reducing the overall energy yield, maximizing efficiency.

When integrated with Homey, users can monitor power output, inverter status, voltage, and battery levels in real-time. They can also adjust export limits and control battery storage remotely, providing full management of their solar energy system.

It's worth noting that the fan cooling system in the Sunny Boy inverters is rather noisy when operating under load, especially when compared to other inverters with passive cooling.

The SolarEdge Home Hub Series includes single-phase and three-phase inverters specifically designed for residential use. Home Hub models are available in capacities from 2.5 kW to 10 kW and deliver a record-breaking weighted efficiency of up to 99%, higher than any other brand on our list.

SolarEdge Home Hub inverters come with several advanced safety features. They offer module-level monitoring for precise fault detection. The SafeDC feature automatically reduces DC voltage to safe levels, while Sense Connect prevents electric arcs by monitoring string connectors. The Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) detects Ground Fault problems and identifies string isolation issues.

The Home Hub inverter series are compatible with the SolarEdge Home Battery 400V for single-phase systems and the SolarEdge Home Battery 48V for three-phase systems. They also support high-voltage batteries from leading manufacturers, including LG Chem's RESU Prime series.

SolarEdge inverters integrate seamlessly with Homey Pro. Users can monitor power, voltage, current, daily and total yield, inverter status, and temperature. They can also check battery levels, manage operation modes, and adjust power export and import settings. Additionally, users can set power limits, control storage modes, and manage charge and discharge power remotely.

The SolaX X1 Series includes single-phase inverters designed for residential solar systems. They are available in capacities ranging from 2.5 kW to 10 kW, with a maximum conversion efficiency of 97.8%.

The X1 Series is compatible with high-power solar panels from manufacturers like Canadian Solar, JA Solar, and LONGi. Although X1 inverters are compatible with various Lithium-ion batteries, they perform best with SolaX’s Triple Power series. Third-party energy storage systems can possibly cause faults when used with Solax X1 inverters.

These inverters feature over-temperature protection and Type II SPDs (Surge Protection Devices) on both AC and DC sides to safeguard the system from voltage surges caused by lightning or grid disturbances. Another notable feature is the dual Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPT), which optimize energy production even with multiple roof orientations.

SolaX X1 inverters connect to your home network via Wi-Fi or LAN. Once integrated with Homey Pro, users can monitor power delivery, battery power, temperature, feed-in power, load power, battery level, and operation mode. They can also set export limits, adjust charge modes, and manage manual inverter operations, giving users complete control over their energy system.

The Sungrow SG Series offers string inverters for both residential and commercial use. The SG-RS Series features single-phase inverters with capacities from 2.0 kW to 10.0 kW, ideal for standard residential rooftop installations. The SG-RT Series provides three-phase inverters with capacities from 5.0 kW to 20.0 kW, making them suitable for larger homes or small businesses requiring three-phase power.

Sungrow inverters are compatible with high-power PV modules, including bifacial panels. They perform particularly well with panels from manufacturers such as Canadian Solar, JA Solar, and LONGi, achieving an impressive efficiency of up to 98.5%.

The SG Series inverters integrate seamlessly with Sungrow's own battery solutions, such as the SBR and SBH series. Compatibility with third-party energy storage systems (ESS) is limited, and Sungrow recommends using their proprietary batteries to ensure optimal performance and support.

To connect to your home network and integrate with Homey Pro, Sungrow inverters require an external communication dongle, available in Wi-Fi or Ethernet versions. Once connected, users can monitor power output, battery levels, solar generation, inverter temperature, total and daily energy yield, and grid import/export data. They can also remotely configure operation modes, set export limits and adjust charge and discharge parameters.