CaliSunHarvester
Solar Wizard
I wanted to add storage to a grid-tied Growatt inverter (MIN series), which required a high voltage battery from either Growatt or LG.
The Growatt ARO battery comes in different capacities -- I had decided for the 9.9kWh model.
A quick google search shows that the 9.9kWh model is offered for prices all over the place:
$6k on eBay
$7.7k from RockSolar
$4k from Renvu, but out of stock
$3750 from Self2Solar
$11k (!!) from SolarSuperStore.ca (maybe Canadian Dollars??)
$3000 from Japan Part Sale
Now to be clear, I *thought* all these prices are crazy, as you can buy two 48V rack batteries for $2000 with 10kWh capacity.
So, of course, I tried Japan Part Sale first.. but after adding the battery to the shopping cart, the check out button did not work (I tried phone, Mac, Windows PC).
Next best option: Self2Solar
I placed the order on March 7th (Friday evening) and my credit card was promptly charged.
The listed price is $3750 but they had a discount, so including tax and (free) shipping I paid $3900.
On March 14th, Jess from Self2Solar reached out to me that the truck would pick the item up that day in Los Angeles and it should arrive soon at my place in Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area).
Jess texted me a photo of the bill of lading later the same day.
Saturday the 15th the truck arrived in San Jose.
Tuesday I received a call to schedule a delivery window on Wednesday (12pm to 2pm). This is a big positive, as in many cases, I do not get a call at all, or they give me a full day. A narrow 2h window... great.
Wednesday the battery arrived, delivery guy would get 5 stars.
Thursday I carried the battery it came in 4 separate boxes, one for the cabinet (130lbs) and 3 batteries (90lbs each) up the hill to the installation location.
Put everything together and planned to start it up Friday when the sun was out.
I had some challenges with it, the biggest was that the firmware of my inverter had to be updated in order to recognize the battery.
Jess from Self2Solar was available on the weekend, but ultimately I needed help from Growatt with this, which happened Monday then.
As of Tuesday, March 26th, everything is working well.
One slight negative. The batteries that I purchased show on the box a manufacturing date of October 2021.
I believe that LFP batteries are subject to calendar aging. I was told (on this forum) that Growatt somehow maintains them. They have to, IMO.
If you look at the vast price range shown in the beginning, possibly the age of the stock has something to do with it. I also think that these batteries may outlive me anyway (I'm fairly old), so 4 years may not matter to *me*.
Overall, I can recommend the vendor Self2Solar. If I decide to buy additional Growatt batteries (or other solar products), I will look at their store first.
The Growatt ARO battery comes in different capacities -- I had decided for the 9.9kWh model.
A quick google search shows that the 9.9kWh model is offered for prices all over the place:
$6k on eBay
$7.7k from RockSolar
$4k from Renvu, but out of stock
$3750 from Self2Solar
$11k (!!) from SolarSuperStore.ca (maybe Canadian Dollars??)
$3000 from Japan Part Sale
Now to be clear, I *thought* all these prices are crazy, as you can buy two 48V rack batteries for $2000 with 10kWh capacity.
So, of course, I tried Japan Part Sale first.. but after adding the battery to the shopping cart, the check out button did not work (I tried phone, Mac, Windows PC).
Next best option: Self2Solar
I placed the order on March 7th (Friday evening) and my credit card was promptly charged.
The listed price is $3750 but they had a discount, so including tax and (free) shipping I paid $3900.
On March 14th, Jess from Self2Solar reached out to me that the truck would pick the item up that day in Los Angeles and it should arrive soon at my place in Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area).
Jess texted me a photo of the bill of lading later the same day.
Saturday the 15th the truck arrived in San Jose.
Tuesday I received a call to schedule a delivery window on Wednesday (12pm to 2pm). This is a big positive, as in many cases, I do not get a call at all, or they give me a full day. A narrow 2h window... great.
Wednesday the battery arrived, delivery guy would get 5 stars.
Thursday I carried the battery it came in 4 separate boxes, one for the cabinet (130lbs) and 3 batteries (90lbs each) up the hill to the installation location.
Put everything together and planned to start it up Friday when the sun was out.
I had some challenges with it, the biggest was that the firmware of my inverter had to be updated in order to recognize the battery.
Jess from Self2Solar was available on the weekend, but ultimately I needed help from Growatt with this, which happened Monday then.
As of Tuesday, March 26th, everything is working well.
One slight negative. The batteries that I purchased show on the box a manufacturing date of October 2021.
I believe that LFP batteries are subject to calendar aging. I was told (on this forum) that Growatt somehow maintains them. They have to, IMO.
If you look at the vast price range shown in the beginning, possibly the age of the stock has something to do with it. I also think that these batteries may outlive me anyway (I'm fairly old), so 4 years may not matter to *me*.
Overall, I can recommend the vendor Self2Solar. If I decide to buy additional Growatt batteries (or other solar products), I will look at their store first.
