A hybrid inverter runs the solar array and the battery from the same unit. Fit one now and you can leave the battery decision until feed-in tariffs, your usage or your budget make it obvious — without paying a second time for a second inverter.
Most of the time a hybrid behaves like any other inverter and you never think about it. The reasons to choose one are the days that are not most of the time, and the day years from now when you decide to add storage.
One unit instead of two
An AC-coupled retrofit bolts a second inverter onto the side of a working solar system. A hybrid does both jobs in one box, which means one commissioning procedure, one firmware version and one warranty to chase.
A backup circuit that stays live
Standard grid-connected solar shuts down in an outage by law. A hybrid with a battery and a dedicated backup circuit keeps that circuit running, and switches across in well under a second. It has to be designed in before installation, not added afterwards.
High-voltage or low-voltage battery
Both stacks work. High voltage means lower current for the same power, so less heat and better round-trip efficiency; low voltage is usually the cheaper entry point. Which one suits you is a question about the size of the system, not about which is better.
Certified for the grid it connects to
Certified to AS/NZS 4777.2 and listed on the Clean Energy Council approved product list, so the installation is eligible for STCs and your distributor will approve the connection.
Which unit suits you follows from your supply, your array and how much of your usage sits after dark. Your installer sizes it; we are happy to explain the reasoning behind whichever one lands in the quote.
ESI 3-6K-S1
The common choice for a standard suburban home on a single-phase supply, sized for a typical rooftop array with a low-voltage battery stack behind it.
ESI-5-12K-T1
For homes on a three-phase connection, or a larger array than a single-phase inverter can carry. Pairs with the high-voltage stack for better round-trip efficiency.
HYD 5-20KTL-3PH
The upper end of the residential range, and the usual answer for a fully electrified household — heat pump, induction, a car, and an array to match.
Backup is not the same as going off-grid.
A backup circuit keeps a chosen set of loads running — the fridge, the lights, the router, a power point or two. It is not the whole house, and it is not indefinite: it runs on whatever is in the battery plus whatever the array can make while the sun is up.
That circuit has to be chosen and wired at installation. Deciding afterwards means bringing an electrician back to the switchboard, so it is worth telling your installer on the first visit which loads you actually care about.
Questions to ask about any hybrid quote
- Which circuits are on backup, and who decides — you or the installer?
- Is the battery high voltage or low voltage, and why that one?
- Is the inverter listed on the CEC approved product list and certified to AS/NZS 4777.2?
- Does the quote include the switchboard work the backup circuit needs?
- Who honours the warranty if the inverter and battery are different brands?
The warranty is written against SOFARSOLAR, a publicly listed manufacturer with 42 GW of inverters shipped, and replacement stock sits in warehouses on the mainland rather than in a factory overseas.