Best solar batteries for Melbourne homes in 2026: how they compare

Home batteries compared

Each row links the documents its figures come from. Power is what the maker states: for batteries that plug into a hybrid inverter, your home gets at most that inverter’s rating. For what each backup set-up keeps running, see home battery backup.

All nine use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. Every one is listed for outdoor use on the Clean Energy Council list; the rating above is the maker’s own. Will it fit in your garage? Add the clearances in where a battery can be installed to the size above. Specifications change: your quote names the exact model and its datasheet.

Some documents are the maker’s own file, hosted by a distributor (named in brackets): the Alpha ESS SMILE-G3-S5/B5 datasheet (Plico Energy), the Alpha ESS SMILE-G3-T5/T10 datasheet (AU, 21 April 2026) (SolarProof), the Alpha ESS SMILE-G3-T15/T20 datasheet (AU, 21 April 2026) (SolarProof), the Sigen Battery 6.0 / 10.0 datasheet (SolarProof), the SigenStor brochure for Australia (Superior Solar), the GoodWe warranty (SolarProof), the Sigenergy warranty (Zelora) and the Sungrow warranty (SolarQuotes).

How we compared them

We started from the battery brands Australians search for most by name (our keyword research, August 2026) and kept models whose makers’ own documents give the figures and which are on the approved list. Where a maker doesn’t state a figure, the table says so. Growatt and SolaX aren’t in yet, and no maker paid to be included. The Fronius Reserva row is from Fronius Australia’s pages; with no Australian warranty terms to read, it stays out of the warranty comparison. Rows are alphabetical by brand. What each column means is under what to look for.

Sungrow vs Sigenergy

Both use LFP cells, carry a 10-year warranty that promises 70% of capacity at 10 years and work on single or three phase power. The main difference is the inverter. The Sungrow SBR is a battery only and connects to a Sungrow hybrid inverter. The Sigenergy SigenStor comes with its own inverter: battery modules sit on a Sigen Energy Controller, a hybrid inverter that also runs the panels.

The SBR suits a home that wants to grow in 3.2 kWh steps on a Sungrow hybrid inverter. SigenStor suits one that wants more than 25.6 kWh in one stack. Both can back up the whole home in a blackout: SigenStor through its gateway, the SBR only on some Sungrow inverters (see the Backup row). The SBR’s approved-list entry (BAT-474) runs to 30 December 2026, so check it is still listed on your install date.

The Sungrow SBR in detail

Alpha ESS vs Fox ESS

Both use LFP cells, carry a 10-year warranty that promises 70% of capacity at 10 years and work on single or three phase power. The Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 comes with its own inverter: SMILE-G3-S5 is a hybrid that runs new panels; SMILE-G3-B5 is AC coupled for existing solar; SMILE-G3-T5 to T20 are three phase hybrids. The Fox ESS EQ5500 is a battery only and connects to a Fox ESS hybrid inverter. Alpha ESS’s Australian warranty document is older than its 9.3 kWh module and doesn’t name it, so ask for the current terms with your quote.

The SMILE-G3 suits a home adding a battery beside the solar it already has (the B5), or one that wants battery and inverter sold as one system, on single or three phase. The EQ5500 suits one that wants a Fox ESS hybrid inverter on single or three phase. The Alpha ESS page covers each SMILE-G3 model.

The Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 in detail

Sungrow or Alpha ESS vs Tesla Powerwall 3

All three use LFP cells and carry a 10-year warranty that promises 70% of capacity at 10 years. Powerwall 3 is a 13.5 kWh unit with its own solar inverter, and Tesla’s Backup Gateway 2 gives whole or partial home backup. The SBR connects to a Sungrow hybrid inverter; the SMILE-G3 includes its own inverter. For a battery under 13.5 kWh, the SBR starts at 6.4 kWh and the SMILE-G3 starts at 9.3 kWh.

Powerwall 3 suits a home that wants one large battery with whole-home backup through Tesla’s gateway. The SBR or SMILE-G3 suits a smaller first battery, or capacity added in smaller steps (3.2 kWh or 9.3 kWh, against 13.5 kWh). Their backup set-ups differ most (the SBR backs up the whole home only on some Sungrow inverters), so decide first what has to keep running in a blackout.

Whole-home vs partial backup

Sungrow SBR and Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 in detail

Each has its own page: the sizes, the inverter it needs, its approved-list listing, the rebate by size, backup, warranty and monitoring, from the maker’s documents.

Sungrow SBR high-voltage battery

Stackable 3.2 kWh modules, so the battery is sized in small steps and can be extended later. It stands on the floor, so there is no heavy wall mounting.

6.4 to 25.6 kWh per stack; 10 years; 70% at 10 years.

Sungrow battery in detail

Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 home battery system

Battery and inverter designed as one system, with larger 9.3 kWh modules for homes that want more storage from fewer units.

9.3 kWh per module (100% depth of discharge), up to 37.2 kWh on single phase, 55.8 kWh on three phase; 10 years; 70% at 10 years.

Alpha ESS battery in detail

Solar batteries in Melbourne

Which battery suits which home

These groups come straight from the table; a battery can be in several.

Choose the size before the brand

Size the battery to your evening use and the spare solar that charges it, not to the biggest that fits (our battery guide explains what size battery you need). Then compare brands that reach that size in sensible steps: from 2.56 or 2.76 kWh modules (BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS / HVM) to 13.5 kWh units (Tesla Powerwall 3) in this table.

Compare inverter brands

A small evening load

If you use under about 10 kWh after dark, these start at 10 kWh or less in one system: Enphase IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase (from 5 kWh), BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS / HVM (from 5.12 kWh), Sigenergy SigenStor (from 5.84 kWh), Fronius Reserva (from 6.31 kWh), GoodWe Lynx Home F G2 (from 6.4 kWh), Sungrow SBR (from 6.4 kWh) and Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 (from 9.3 kWh).

A big evening load or an EV

In one stack (the modules one battery controller or inverter runs), these reach 20 kWh or more: Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 (55.8 kWh: six modules on a three phase SMILE-G3-T5 to T20; at most 37.2 kWh (four) on the single phase S5 or B5), Tesla Powerwall 3 (54 kWh: one unit with three Expansions), Sigenergy SigenStor (52.56 kWh: six 10.0 modules on one Energy Controller), Fox ESS EQ5500 (49.14 kWh: nine modules in one stack), GoodWe Lynx Home F G2 (28.8 kWh: nine modules; at most 22.4 kWh on GoodWe’s single phase EHB inverter and 19.2 kWh on its EH), Sungrow SBR (25.6 kWh: eight modules in one stack) and BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS / HVM (22.08 kWh: one HVM 22.1 tower). Some makers also allow more than one stack or unit in a system:

• BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS / HVM: up to three towers in parallel (38.4 kWh with HVS, 66.24 kWh with HVM).
• Enphase IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase: add more 5 kWh units (the Enphase Australian pages we read state no maximum).
• Fronius Reserva: up to four batteries in parallel, says Fronius Australia.
• GoodWe Lynx Home F G2: up to 8 stacks in parallel (230 kWh).
• Sigenergy SigenStor: several systems can run in parallel, with no figure given.
• Tesla Powerwall 3: up to four Powerwall 3 units and three Expansions, seven units and 94.5 kWh in all.

The rebate counts only the first 50 kWh of usable capacity, and the battery must be 5 to 100 kWh nominal in one job. Above 14 kWh it also pays less per kWh, so a bigger battery only pays if you use it.

Adding capacity later

Smaller modules let you grow in smaller steps. From the smallest step to the largest: BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS / HVM (2.56 or 2.76 kWh), GoodWe Lynx Home F G2 (3.2 kWh), Sungrow SBR (3.2 kWh), Enphase IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase (5 kWh), Fox ESS EQ5500 (5.46 kWh), Sigenergy SigenStor (5.84 or 8.76 kWh), Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 (9.3 kWh) and Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh). GoodWe’s warranty allows no added capacity after the first year. Capacity added later gets no rebate if the first battery claimed it.

Adding a battery to solar you already have

Alpha ESS SMILE-G3 (as the SMILE-G3-B5), Enphase IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase, GoodWe Lynx Home F G2 (with a retrofit inverter) and Tesla Powerwall 3 (itself, or as the battery-only Powerwall 3AC) can sit beside your existing solar inverter (AC coupling). The others connect through a hybrid inverter: Sigenergy SigenStor includes one, and BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS / HVM, Fox ESS EQ5500, Fronius Reserva and Sungrow SBR need a compatible one from the maker’s range or list, which can replace your old inverter. We check which suits your system at the inspection.

AC vs DC coupled batteries

Three phase homes

Alpha ESS SMILE-G3, BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS / HVM, Enphase IQ Battery 5P with FlexPhase, Fox ESS EQ5500, Fronius Reserva, GoodWe Lynx Home F G2, Sigenergy SigenStor and Sungrow SBR work on three phase through a three phase inverter or model. Tesla Powerwall 3: single phase unit; Backup Gateway 2 connects to single or three phase supply. Single or three phase? Here’s how to tell.

Solar battery reviews: what to look for

Most solar battery reviews mix the battery, the installer and the owner’s experience, which a star rating can’t tell apart, and makers sell different versions in different countries. This comparison covers the battery only, from documents you can check, with no star ratings. Check any review against the points below, and ask who wrote it: installers sell particular brands. Which brands we install is being confirmed, so the table marks none of them as ours. Backup and phase are under which battery suits which home.

Usable vs total capacity

Compare usable capacity, not total: some energy is held back to protect the cells. A Sigenergy 10.0 battery module holds 9.04 kWh in total and 8.76 kWh usable by its datasheet, while the approved list records 9 kWh. The federal rebate is paid on the listed figure, so that is the number to check.

Continuous vs peak power

Continuous power (kW) is what the battery system can supply for hours: add up the appliances you want running at the same time. Peak power is a short burst for starting motors such as an air conditioner or a pump. Sigenergy SigenStor modules can each supply 4.5 kW (6.0) or 6.9 kW (10.0) for 10 seconds. Tesla Powerwall 3 can start heavy loads rated up to 185 A locked rotor amps (LRA). A modular battery on a hybrid inverter can deliver no more than that inverter’s rating, so check both on your quote.

Warranty years, throughput and retained capacity

A battery warranty usually covers two things: defects, and how much capacity the battery keeps (the performance or capacity guarantee). Compare three numbers: the years, the capacity promised at the end, and any throughput limit (the total energy delivered) or cycle limit. For most makers that limit ends only the capacity guarantee; for some it ends the whole warranty. To compare limits, we divide each one by the battery’s usable capacity to get full charge and discharge cycles.

Most of these warranties need the battery online, so the maker can update it and see its data. Ask your installer to register it with the maker. A manufacturer warranty is separate from the installer’s workmanship warranty, which your quote should state.

All use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, so the warranty terms are the clearest guide to how each maker expects its cells to age.

LFP, NMC and sodium-ion compared

Where a battery can go

The rating in the table is the maker’s; AS/NZS 5139:2019, the Australian installation standard, also says never inside a habitable room or in a ceiling space or wall cavity. A garage, carport or outside wall is usual.

The federal rebate on these batteries

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program pays the same whatever the brand: the rebate depends only on the battery’s usable capacity and the date it is installed. It pays the full rate on the first 14 kWh, 60% from 14 to 28 kWh and 15% from 28 to 50 kWh. Installs in May–December 2026 use a factor of 6.8; from 1 January 2027 it falls to 5.7. The table shows each battery’s smallest system and a large one, and all four Fronius Reserva sizes.

Dollar figures use $38 per STC, the top of the range the CER says agents usually pay, for every period. The number of STCs is set by the program; their dollar value in later years depends on the STC price then.

To get the rebate, the battery must be:

• installed by a Solar Accreditation Australia (SAA) accredited installer with battery endorsement
• a new battery on the Clean Energy Council approved battery list
• able to join a virtual power plant (VPP) if it is connected to the grid

Joining a virtual power plant is optional. The Clean Energy Regulator’s battery rules have the current version.

The battery rebate in detail

What a battery costs

Comparing batteries: your questions