SMA Inverter Extended Warranty - SMA Future

[Kuma]

Seriously considering purchasing SMA 10 year extended warranty for $530 - 30% tax credit making for a 20 year warranty. Warranty is currently 10 years. I rarely buy extended warranties but given replacement costs of inverters this seems worth it "to me". However, my concerns are SMA long term US presence and replacement support in the future. Currently their replacement is quick with 48 hours or less shipping times. I am old enough to have watched, and worked for, very large hitech companies vanish in short order and given the Chinese inverter market share, and lower costs compared to SMA, this makes me reconsider the extended warranty.

Thoughts?

 

[Hedges]

For which SMA product?

I don't think SMA will cease support. But I suppose it is possible they get squeezed out of consumer market by price, only do utility scale.

Consider buying a spare, if something like Sunny Island you can pick up cheap.
For Sunny Boy, I think you'll find used and new old stock available on the market later. Or replace with a Chinese equivalent.
By watching eBay you can pick things up over time.

 

[Kuma]

For which SMA product?

I don't think SMA will cease support. But I suppose it is possible they get squeezed out of consumer market by price, only do utility scale.

Consider buying a spare, if something like Sunny Island you can pick up cheap.
For Sunny Boy, I think you'll find used and new old stock available on the market later. Or replace with a Chinese equivalent.
By watching eBay you can pick things up over time.

5kw grid tie inverter. Having installed SMA RSD's its important that any future inverter also supports the Sunspec protocol. Only the most recent xx-us-41 inverters support SMA RSD JMS-F with Sunspec. I agree, used us-41's could become available in a few years. Growatt claims to also support Sunspec. Others may also.

One SMA financial investor report mentioned SMA doubled production capacity in their plant in Germany and will have a focus in the commercial market. Other reports mentioned all market sectors and the increase production.

 

[BryceFreeman]

Tbh I think a 10-year warranty is quite enough for an inverter. I am not talking about its quality, but the market changes too fast.
For example, maybe 5 years later a stronger one is created or new technology comes out, and you would like to buy a new and upgraded one.
The extended warranty costs much, buying a better one in the future with the same price is also a good option.

 

[toms]

Where i am you can get ten year old SMA grid tie inverters in excellent condition cheaply. My last Sunnyboy 3.0 cost me $150. I wouldn’t spend extra on warranty. I’m hoping now the Sunny Island is approved for grid tie use they will be available used before my existing ones die!

 

[Hedges]

You aren't supposed to replace a UL-1741-xyz compliant inverter with earlier versions not supporting required features, but not a big deal. It just means yours won't do the grid support. But it will be safe.

Need a separate SunSpec transmitter if replacement inverter doesn't support. Are those available? For Tigo I picked that up to use with my earlier SMA inverters. I think Tigo isn't SunSpec (and has some issues working with SMA.) Apparently Tigo and SunSpec had a tiff over patents.

I think if you put in a two inverter system, later replaced one inverter with an early model not supporting SunSpec, you could use magnetic cores to couple PV wires of the arrays together and the keep-alive signal would show up in both.

Do you mean "Sunny Island NOT approved for grid tie use"? They've always been UL-1741 listed, but because not "-SA" they're dropped from CEC list. I figure they're legal to install as UPS, just not for backfeeding from battery.

Perhaps Sunny Islands will appear on the market around $500. I think some people paid that at DC Solar auctions. They were resold from $1200 and up. Most in the $2000 to $3000 range now but used ones today are offered $1200 and up.