Retrofits, Hybrids, and Winning Brands

Recently we showed product popularity will be affected by the subsidy.

The battery market is booming, but not booming equally for all.

Because product-market fit influences brand success.

The subsidy favours stackable batteries over monolithic units.

Retrofittable brands

Right now the battery boom favours brands that are easily retrofit to existing PV systems.

Retailers will again engage in out-bound sales. Then they’ll be selling PV+ESS systems.

But right now retailers are swamped with calls from existing solar owners.

The easiest response: a battery retrofit to an unchanged PV system.

We’re seeing it in our preliminary data too.

(SunWiz Battery Market Subscribers get to track this key market dynamic as it unfolds).

The chart above shows PV+ESS systems have been steadily growing in popularity.

But ESS-only systems grew the fastest in May.

So retrofit batteries look set become the dominant purchase, should trends continue.

(Data nuances imply that’s already the case).

Which brands are most easily retrofit?

The lens of Hybrid vs Non-Hybrid inverters provides some insight.

Market Share Split by Hybrid vs Non-Hybrid

The chart above shows the ESS brand share of hybrid vs non-hybrid sub-market segment. Each number is that brand’s rank by kWh within the segment. Each colour represents a brand. (Only subscribers get to see the brand’s colour legend.)

Some brands are only present in one segment or the other (e.g. the brown brand ranked 10th in Hybrid inverters, the light brown brand ranked 7th in Non-Hybrid inverters).
Some brands perform well in both hybrid and non-hybrid segments (e.g. Purple, light orange, dark orange).
Those offering both tend to have greater share in one segment or the other (e.g. yellow is third-ranked in Hybrid but 1st in Non-hybrid, whereas the reverse order is true for purple).

The trend towards hybrid inverters

If you’ve only offering non-hybrid inverters, then you might get left behind.

Because of the trend towards hybrid inverters.

Last year hybrid inverters already made up 80% of ESS installations.
18% of PV-only installations used hybrid inverters (offering an ideal great opportunity to retrofit a battery).
Overall Hybrids made up one-third of all combined PV and ESS installations in 2024.

Inverter topology is just another example of the importance of product-market fit .

Because the market is always changing…

…because the solar coaster is rarely coasting…

it’s essential to keep track each month, to keep on track.

SunWiz Battery Market Subscription

Our battery content has expanded dramatically. It helps battery and inverter manufacturers & distributors:

Target key retailers: Large, fast growing, new.
Track competitors, assess them, and learn from their mistakes & wins.
Import products that meet local needs.
Price products for sustainable profits.
Optimally allocate the right amount of stock in the right place.
Obtain near-perfect vision into battery volumes, sizes, and states.
Identify the lever that delivers best growth.

(Much of which we can now do in every key global market)

Interval Meter Data Tool Disclaimer

The Interval Meter Data Tool is designed to convert standard form meter data for the OpenSolar platform.

Users are responsible for meeting the requirements of the data that needs to be uploaded to the tool, which extends to but is not limited to

The completeness and accuracy of the data
Ensuring that there are no missing records
Uploading the data in one of the compatible intervals (15m, 30m or 1h).

Data uploaded to the Interval Meter Data Tool should not contain multiple datasets. In the case an excel file is uploaded, only the first sheet will be considered.

The accuracy of the output is dependent on the user’s dataset, therefore SunWiz does not guarantee the accuracy of the output.

The user must acknowledge that the output of the tool is beyond the control of SunWiz, and they must ensure that the data is accurate on their own behalf.

In the event that the program runs into an issue, the user will be issued with warnings or solutions to address or resolve the issue.

If the user requires additional support, they can avail it as a separate service from SunWiz

Warranties on performance

The Interval Meter Data tool from SunWiz attempts to convert most frequently occurring types of standard meter data file types in specific formats for the purpose of being used on the OpenSolar platform. Unless mentioned otherwise, SunWiz does not extend any guarantee of any kind, either expressed or implied, on the limited success of the Interval Meter Data Tool and the extent of it’s automation. Depending on the user’s upload, the program may require additional inputs, the training for which is not included in the purchase of this service and can be purchased separately.

Input requirements

The Interval Meter Data Tool accepts data in the 15-minute, 30-minute and 60-minute(hourly) intervals. In case the file is uploaded in an excel format (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm), only the first sheet of the file will be considered. Our tool is required to accept raw meter data, usually highlighted as ‘E’ data in its standard format; and therefore SunWiz does not guarantee that all data formats will be accepted.

For complete automation, the file must adhere to an acceptable standard format. In the case of an issue, the user will be provided with instructions by the tool on how it can be resolved. Warnings will be issued if the data is incompatible, incomplete with missing records and if multiple datasets are uploaded at once.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Market Share Split by Hybrid vs Non-Hybrid

Interval Meter Data Tool Disclaimer

Warranties on performance

Quality of inputs

Input requirements

Sign Up

Login