The short answer: you can add a battery to almost any solar system in Australia. What changes is how. If your inverter is a hybrid, a compatible battery plugs straight into it. If it's a regular string inverter or microinverters, you add a battery that brings its own inverter, or you swap the old inverter for a hybrid. Which way is cheapest depends on the brand, model and age of what's already on your wall.
Hybrid already?
Add a battery from its approved list. Usually the cheapest path.
String or micro?
Add an AC-coupled battery next to it. Your solar stays untouched.
Old inverter?
Replacing it with a hybrid or all-in-one can make more sense than working around it.
Hybrid vs string inverters, in plain English
Your solar panels make DC (direct current) power. Your house runs on AC (alternating current). The inverter is the box that converts one to the other, and it's the piece that decides how easily a battery can join the party.
- String inverter. The most common type on Australian roofs. It takes DC from your panels and turns it into AC for the house and the grid. That's all it does. There's no socket for a battery.
- Hybrid inverter. Does the same job, plus it has a dedicated battery input and the smarts to charge and discharge a battery. Model names often give it away: "Plus", "Hybrid", "SH", "EH/ET", "XH" or "H1/H3".
- Microinverters. Brands like Enphase put a small inverter behind each panel, so there's no central box at all. These systems always take an AC-coupled battery.
- All-in-one systems. Products like Tesla Powerwall 3 and Sigenergy SigenStor build a hybrid inverter into the battery unit itself.
DC-coupled vs AC-coupled batteries
This is the bit that trips most people up. It's simply about where the battery connects.
| DC-coupled | AC-coupled | |
|---|---|---|
| Connects to | The battery input of a hybrid inverter | Your home's AC wiring, via its own built-in inverter |
| Works with | Only the batteries on that inverter's approved list | Almost any existing solar system, including microinverters |
| Efficiency | Higher. Solar charges the battery with fewer conversions | A little lower. Power converts DC to AC, back to DC, then AC again |
| Hardware | One inverter does everything | Two inverters: your existing one plus the battery's |
| Typical examples | Fronius GEN24 Plus + BYD, Sungrow SH + SBR, GoodWe ET + Lynx | AlphaESS SMILE-G3-B5, Enphase IQ Battery, FoxESS AC1-G2, Powerwall 3 (AC-coupled) |
Neither is "better" across the board. DC coupling is tidier and a touch more efficient, but only if your inverter is already a hybrid. AC coupling is the easy retrofit that leaves your existing solar alone. There's more on the chemistry side in our battery types guide.
What "battery-ready" actually means
Installers and brochures use "battery-ready" loosely, so it pays to know which version you've been told:
- A true hybrid. It has a battery port and an approved battery list. You only buy the battery. This is the real meaning.
- "Can have a battery added." Sometimes said about a plain string inverter. It's technically true of every inverter, because you can always AC-couple a battery next to it. It doesn't mean the inverter itself does anything.
- Hybrid, but brand-locked. Many hybrids only accept their own brand's battery (Sungrow, Huawei and SolarEdge are examples). Battery-ready, yes, but your choice of battery is made for you.
New hybrid inverter or AC-coupled battery?
If your inverter isn't a hybrid, you've got two ways forward. Here's how they compare on cost and hassle:
- AC-coupled battery. You buy a battery with its inverter built in and leave your solar exactly as it is. No new solar inverter to pay for, and no rewiring of your panels. The trade-off is a little efficiency loss and an ageing solar inverter that's still a future failure point.
- Replace with a hybrid (or all-in-one). You pay for a new inverter as well as the battery, but you end up with one modern, warrantied system and DC-coupled efficiency. This is usually the smarter buy if your current inverter is 8 to 10+ years old, out of warranty, or you're adding panels anyway.
One thing to know about rebates: the federal Cheaper Home Batteries discount is calculated on the battery's usable capacity. It applies either way, but it doesn't cover a new inverter. That's why a battery added to a compatible hybrid is often $4,000 to $9,000 after the rebate depending on size, while a job that also needs a new inverter costs more. Full price ranges are in our solar battery cost guide, and the practical side of retrofitting is in adding a battery to solar panels.
How to check your inverter
Five minutes with a torch and your phone will tell you most of what an installer needs:
- Find the brand and model. It's on the sticker on the side or bottom of the inverter (usually in the garage, on an outside wall or near the switchboard). It's also in the monitoring app, under device or system info. Snap a photo of the label, it saves a lot of back and forth.
- Look for hybrid clues in the model name. "GEN24 Plus", "SH...RS/RT", "ET" or "EH", "KTL-L1" or "KTL-M1", "XH", "H1" or "H3" all point to a battery-capable model. Plain "Primo", "Symo", "Sunny Boy", "SG" or "MIN...TL-X" do not.
- Single or three phase? Most homes are single phase. Three-phase homes have a three-pole main switch at the switchboard (three switches joined together) or three sets of fuses at the meter. It matters because batteries and inverters come in single- and three-phase versions, and they have to match your setup.
- How old is it? The install date is often on the label, your paperwork or the app. Inverters typically last around 10 to 15 years. If yours is getting close, putting money into it rarely makes sense.
- Check your feed-in tariff. If you're on an old premium feed-in tariff, changing your system can affect it. Ask your retailer before you commit. Here's more on feed-in tariffs.
Battery compatibility by inverter brand
Here's the quick version for the inverters most common on Australian roofs. The brand-by-brand detail follows below.
| Inverter brand | Battery-ready models | DC-coupled batteries | If yours is a string model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fronius | Primo / Symo GEN24 Plus | BYD HVS/HVM (and HVS+/HVM+), Fronius Reserva, LG RESU FLEX | AC-coupled battery |
| SMA | Sunny Boy / Sunny Tripower Smart Energy | SMA Home Storage, BYD HVS/HVM | AC-coupled battery |
| Sungrow | SH-RS, SH-RT, SH-T | Sungrow SBR and SBH only (AU) | AC-coupled or swap to SH hybrid |
| GoodWe | EH, ET (and ET G2) | Lynx Home F / F G2 / D, BYD HVS/HVM, others on list | AC-coupled (e.g. GoodWe SBP G2) |
| Huawei | SUN2000 KTL-L1, KTL-M1, LB0, MAP0, MB0 | Huawei LUNA2000 only | AC-coupled battery |
| SolarEdge | Home Wave (HD-Wave SetApp), Home Hub | SolarEdge Home Battery only | Upgrade to Home Hub, or AC-coupled |
| Enphase | Microinverters (no central inverter) | Not applicable | Enphase IQ Battery or any AC-coupled battery |
| Growatt | MIN XH, MOD XH (HV), SPH (LV) | Growatt ARK XH / APX (XH models) | AC-coupled battery |
| FoxESS | H1-G2, KH, H3 Smart, H3 Pro | FoxESS EQ/ECS, CQ7 | FoxESS AC1-G2 / AC3 retrofit |
| Solis | RHI, S5/S6-EH1P, S6-EH3P | Third-party list (e.g. BYD HVS/HVM on 3-phase HV models) | AC-coupled battery |
| Delta / ABB | Generally none (older string installs) | Not applicable | AC-coupled, or replace if ageing |
| Tesla Powerwall 3 | Is itself a hybrid | Built-in 13.5kWh + Expansion units | Can AC-couple existing solar |
Important: compatibility lists change, sometimes several times a year, and many pairings depend on a minimum firmware version or the exact model variant. Treat this page as a starting point. Your installer should always confirm the pairing against the manufacturer's current list for your exact inverter model before quoting.
Fronius
Fronius is one of the most common premium inverters in Australia, and most of them are the Primo (single phase) or Symo (three phase) string inverters. Those are not hybrids. The battery-capable models are the Primo GEN24 Plus and Symo GEN24 Plus, and the "Plus" matters.
- GEN24 Plus, DC-coupled: Fronius lists the BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS and HVM (plus the newer HVS+ and HVM+), its own Fronius Reserva range, and LG RESU FLEX. Check local availability of the Fronius-branded battery with your installer.
- GEN24 without "Plus": not set up for a battery as installed. Ask your installer whether an upgrade is possible for your unit, or whether AC coupling is simpler.
- Older Symo Hybrid: BYD still lists the HVM range as compatible with it.
- Primo / Symo string: keep it and add an AC-coupled battery, or replace it with a GEN24 Plus if you want a DC-coupled BYD setup. See our BYD battery page.
SMA
Most SMA installs are Sunny Boy (single phase) or Sunny Tripower (three phase) string inverters, which don't take a battery. SMA's hybrids are the Sunny Boy Smart Energy and Sunny Tripower Smart Energy.
- Smart Energy, DC-coupled: SMA Home Storage is the matched battery for both. BYD also lists its Battery-Box Premium HVS and HVM as compatible with both Smart Energy models, with minimum firmware versions.
- Sunny Boy / Sunny Tripower string: AC-coupled battery. SMA has also made a separate AC-coupled battery inverter (Sunny Boy Storage) that BYD lists with its HVS/HVM, so ask your installer if that's still an option locally.
Sungrow
Sungrow is everywhere on Australian roofs, in both string (SG series) and hybrid (SH series) form. The hybrid rule is simple in Australia: Sungrow's current AU approved battery list says the SH5.0 to 10RS, SH5.0 to 10RT and SH15 to 25T hybrids only support Sungrow's own SBR and SBH high-voltage batteries, and other brands are no longer supported.
- SH hybrid, DC-coupled: Sungrow SBR or SBH. You may see BYD's global list still mention some Sungrow hybrids, but for an Australian install, go with Sungrow's local list to keep warranty support clean.
- Older SH5K-20/30 (phased out): these used low-voltage batteries such as LG RESU and some BYD and Pylontech models. Check the exact model with your installer.
- SG string: AC-coupled battery, or swap to an SH hybrid plus SBR/SBH. See our Sungrow battery review and Sungrow brand page.
GoodWe
GoodWe's battery-capable models are the EH (single phase) and ET (three phase) hybrids. They're one of the more open platforms around, with a long approved battery list. GoodWe's plain string models (such as the DNS, XS and SDT ranges) don't take a battery.
- EH / ET, DC-coupled: GoodWe's own Lynx Home F, Lynx Home F G2 and Lynx Home D, the BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS and HVM, and selected Pylontech and Dyness high-voltage models. Nearly every pairing has a minimum firmware requirement, so your installer checks the version first.
- String models, AC-coupled: GoodWe's SBP G2 is an AC-coupled retrofit inverter for existing solar, paired with the low-voltage Lynx Home U. Any other AC-coupled battery also works. More on our GoodWe page.
Huawei
Huawei's residential inverters are battery-capable out of the box, but they're brand-locked. Huawei lists its LUNA2000 battery as compatible with the SUN2000 KTL-L1 (single phase) and KTL-M1 (three phase) models, plus newer LB0, LC0, MAP0 and MB0 models.
- Compatible SUN2000, DC-coupled: Huawei LUNA2000 only.
- Older Huawei models not on that list: treat them like a string inverter and AC-couple, or replace. Check your exact model code.
SolarEdge
SolarEdge systems use power optimisers on each panel plus a central inverter, and the battery story depends on which inverter you have.
- Single phase: the SolarEdge Home Battery works with current SetApp-configured HD-Wave (Home Wave) inverters for self-consumption. For backup you need the Home Hub (formerly Energy Hub) inverter plus a Backup Interface. Older SolarEdge inverters with an LCD screen generally aren't compatible.
- Three phase: the Home Hub Universal three-phase inverter and Home Modular Battery were approved for Australia in late 2025. That's a new-inverter job rather than a bolt-on to an older three-phase SolarEdge unit.
- Alternatives: AC-coupled batteries work fine alongside a SolarEdge system. See our SolarEdge page.
Enphase (microinverters)
With Enphase there's no central inverter to plug a battery into, so every battery is AC-coupled. That actually makes it one of the easiest systems to add storage to.
- Enphase IQ Battery: Enphase lists its IQ Batteries as compatible with IQ6, IQ7 and IQ8 microinverters, with older M-series needing a specific gateway. Everything talks through the Enphase gateway and app. See our Enphase page.
- Other AC-coupled batteries: AlphaESS, Sigenergy, FoxESS AC1-G2 and Powerwall 3 (AC-coupled) can all sit alongside micros too.
Growatt
Growatt's standard MIN TL-X string inverters aren't battery-ready. The giveaway is "XH" in the model name: the MIN XH (single phase) and MOD XH (three phase) are the high-voltage hybrids.
- MIN XH, DC-coupled: Growatt's Australian support team lists the ARK XH and APX batteries as compatible, but not the ALP. The MOD XH pairs with Growatt's high-voltage ranges too, check the exact model.
- SPH hybrids: these are low-voltage (48V) models with their own approved list. Check your exact model.
- String models: AC-coupled battery. More on our Growatt page.
FoxESS
FoxESS publishes an Australian compatibility statement, and it's a tidy, in-house ecosystem.
- Hybrids, DC-coupled: the H1-G2 and KH (single phase) and H3 Smart and H3 Pro (three phase) pair with FoxESS's own high-voltage batteries, including the EQ/ECS stacks and the newer CQ7.
- Existing solar, AC-coupled: FoxESS's AC1-G2 (single phase) and AC3 (three phase) retrofit inverters let you add the same FoxESS batteries next to any existing inverter. See our FoxESS review and FoxESS page.
Solis
Solis string inverters are very common on budget-to-mid-range installs and aren't battery-ready. Solis's hybrids (the older RHI range and the newer S5/S6-EH1P single-phase and S6-EH3P three-phase models) don't have an in-house battery, so they use third-party batteries from Solis's approved list.
- Three-phase high-voltage hybrids: Solis and BYD both list BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS and HVM, and Solis also lists Pylontech Force H and Dyness high-voltage models.
- Single-phase hybrids: some are low-voltage (48V) and some high-voltage, so the approved batteries depend on the exact model. Check your model code against Solis's current list, and note Solis says a non-listed battery voids the inverter warranty.
- String models: AC-coupled battery.
Delta, ABB and other older installs
Plenty of 2010s-era systems run Delta or ABB (later FIMER) string inverters. These aren't battery-ready. If the inverter is healthy, an AC-coupled battery works. If it's 10+ years old, out of warranty or already playing up, most installers will suggest replacing it with a hybrid or all-in-one at the same time, rather than spending money around a unit that's near the end.
Tesla Powerwall 3 (a hybrid in its own right)
Powerwall 3 isn't just a battery. The Australian datasheet shows a built-in solar inverter with three solar inputs (up to 20kW of DC solar), 13.5kWh of usable storage, and up to three Expansion units. It's a single-phase unit.
- As a hybrid: your panels can be rewired straight into it, replacing an old string inverter.
- AC-coupled: it can also sit alongside an existing solar inverter. For backup, Tesla's Australian install manual limits AC-coupled solar on the backed-up circuit to 5kW per Powerwall, so bigger systems need some design work.
- Powerwall 2: no longer sold new in Australia. If you already have one, Tesla now supports adding a Powerwall 3 to eligible Powerwall 2 systems.
Prices and specs are in our Tesla Powerwall guide and Powerwall page.
Other AC-coupled and all-in-one options
- AlphaESS SMILE-G3-B5: a single-phase AC-coupled battery with a 5kW inverter built in, designed to sit next to an existing solar inverter of any brand. See our AlphaESS SMILE review and AlphaESS page.
- Sigenergy SigenStor: an all-in-one hybrid (inverter and stackable battery modules in one tower) that can replace your old inverter, or be installed as a retrofit alongside an existing one. See our SigenStor review and Sigenergy page.
- Others: SolaX and sonnen also offer battery systems your installer may suggest depending on your setup.
A note on Chinese string inverters generally
A lot of Australian systems run string inverters from Growatt, Solis, Sungrow, GoodWe, Sofar and similar brands. The rule is the same for all of them: if the model has no battery input, it's either an AC-coupled battery or a new hybrid. The decider is usually the inverter's age and track record. A solid inverter under five years old is worth keeping. A cheap unit from a brand that has left Australia, with no local support, is often worth replacing while the electrician is there anyway.
Which path is cheapest for you?
| Your situation | Usually cheapest path |
|---|---|
| Hybrid inverter, battery on its approved list | Add the battery only. No new inverter, DC-coupled efficiency. |
| Newer string inverter (under ~8 years) in good shape | AC-coupled battery. Keeps working solar, avoids buying a second solar inverter. |
| Microinverters (Enphase) | AC-coupled battery. There's nothing to replace. |
| Old string inverter (8 to 10+ years) or out of warranty | Hybrid or all-in-one replacement. You'd likely be replacing it soon anyway. |
| Adding more panels at the same time | Hybrid or all-in-one. New panels go on the new inverter's inputs. |
| Brand-locked hybrid, but you want a different battery | AC-coupled battery, or accept the matched brand. Swapping a working hybrid rarely pays. |
Two more things shape the final number. First, size: pick capacity from your evening usage, not the biggest box, using what size battery do I need? Second, rebates: the federal discount plus any state incentive apply to the battery either way. For a quick estimate of your savings, try the savings calculator, and for what happens on the day, see what a battery installation involves.