The Goodwe ESA all in one energy system has absolutely hit the ground running at Newy Solar Co Pty Ltd and is one of our best selling battery. We sell about 70% Goodwe ESA and 30% Sigenergy.
Okay, you got a quote for 48kWh el cheapo battery system for peanuts and you are having a hard time looking past it. We get it. The allure of a cheap price, banging capacity, a gleaming 10 year warranty. ‘but it has warranty so I’ll be right’ – yeah okay – you just try that. When your budget battery has issues, you think your budget installer will be around to provide support? It’s likely the answer is no. Oh, you bought off someone that subcontracts the work… okay…. good luck with that.
But let’s not taint this post with feelings. And if we are going to let’s make it about a fair review on a battery we have to keep ordering in bulk lots because we are putting so many in. The Goodwe ESA all in one energy system.
The system itself comprises of modular blocks just like lego, and for arguments sake each battery pack gets you around 8 kWh of storage. We’ve been installing batteries from 16 kWh all the way to the max 48 kWh system stack.
The different inverters have been ‘phased’ (excuse the pun to the smarties here) in here in Australia with the single phase variant kicking off the ESA architecture. As the first months role by with the ESA now being commonly quoted and installed, the announcement of the three phase version is very welcomed and is approved by the CEC.
This is very lucky for us, as we were banking on this three phase version hitting our shores and so yeah, we have sold a-lot of three phase systems. You would be aware that the battery rebate is reducing significantly on the 1ST OF May, and a-lot of people have been choosing this over the Sigenergy as it offers a similar value proposition in terms of quality of product and performance capabilities that to the common user will not make much difference, and so they opt to save some upfront cash.
So what are some off the bat differences we have noticed?
Well, as soon as you take it out of the pack you can feel that it is cheese compared to the chalk of the elcheapo batteries. One of the first things we pick up is the base of the unit. This base has huge, stainless feet, with great adjustment lengths. It is solid, and rightly so for the stacks that you can make. Other batteries in this segment have feet 1/3 the size, and the base is wobbly and hard to adjust. So to us as installers if we were to simply pick up the base of the product, well it is constructed nice, not cheaply, but adequately to support a good product installation.
That’s a good start Goodwe. Let’s tick off some quickies. The packaging, is mostly all cardboard. The unit comes with it’s own changeover switch so if the inverter ever fails in any instance the customer won’t be left without power to their backup loads. There is a good specified pass-through current with the ability of full home backup on the system. Here is the data on both the single and three phase products.
Download data sheet Goodwe ESA Single Phase
Download data sheet Goodwe ESA ThreePhase
Other Goodwe ESA strong points
As installers, we also consider the following information heavily
Company History and Support
Does Goodwe have a strong company history with established presence in Australia? The answer is yes, Goodwe has been established for over 15 years . This means their tech support, logistics, R&D, and after sales support and service is actually working and established. You’ll find with the cheaper batteries and installers the after sales service is so poor and low, you can barely contact the manufacturer.
And why is that important anyway? We’ll, imagine your battery breaks down. I think it’s fair to say in general that the cheaper something is, and if it is cheaper by a longshot then there is a reason it is cheaper. It has to be the product itself and the installation quality is also cheaper. Otherwise, how can it be cheaper? I don’t think the cheaper brands have found a way to beat these other manufacturing companies with the advent of some new technology. No, this is not the case. It is that they are just literally cheaper. And that doesn’t mean you have to pay a huge amount for a product. You are a consumer, do basic research and go with a local reputable company who doesn’t just want to flog products off to you but actually give you something good. Then 90% of the legwork is done for you already.
In order for me – the local solar power company that sold you that battery, to support you with any after sales service and support I need multiple layers of service myself. I need the actual manufacturer to be present, responsive, have the ability to lodge warranty requests and dispatch new equipment in the event of a fault. Oh, and I want to be paid for my work on a faulty product. Goodwe actually will cover my expense to go and fix the product. So you get an installer that actually wants to help because they will not go backwards on a warranty job.
Imagine you bought the el cheapo battery with a subcontractor – who barely made a dime on the install. You think you will be getting help out of them? No way. And the retailer who sold it to you? Maybe… but it will be slow, and painful…
The actual Goodwe ESA is a good unit
Base and feet aside, the unit stacks together nice, although sometimes the casings don’t line up 100% perfectly. It’s barely noticeable, more so of a perfectionist comment by us. The cable management seems adequate, the inputs on the actual inverter are angled to help with cable management and radius bends. It all seems to go pretty well right now on the installation side and the quality side. There is a huge heatsink on the unit to help heat dissipation.
The Goodwe ESA is a good battery for you
Look, we are a local company, interested in doing good things for locals and we are very capable at doing alot in the solar and battery space. We want to achieve great objectives for our customers and to equip them with a system that will actually last and be an asset to them, through the whole operational period of the product.
If you decide to sell your house midway through the battery working life, potential buyers of your house will see our product and say ‘oh, what a relief, it is an actual good quality battery and an ASSET to the property – yes – I’ll pay asking price if not more because we can see the owner actually invests properly into things’
This can’t be said to the el cheapos, people trying to buy your house will look at that and see that it is a DETRIMENT. Well, if the home owner bought an el cheapo here, what else did they do that is el cheapo?
And that doesn’t mean you need to pay for gold plated equipment. Infact, many cheap products are sold at such a high price and we see people paying top dollar and it hurts out souls.
SO DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GO WITH A LOCAL, REPUTABLE COMPANY
Download Goodwe ESA SDS
Download the Goodwe ESA material safety data sheet here
