Saving up for a home battery to take advantage of the new federal government rebate? Whether you’re adding a battery to an existing solar panel setup, or getting solar now with plans to add a battery later, you’ll need to consider the inverter, which converts solar output into usable electricity. Here’s the best battery-ready options available.
Solar & Inverter First, Battery Later?
If you want to add a battery to an existing solar system or are getting solar first and a battery later, this is best done with what’s known as a hybrid inverter.
There’s plenty of good reasons to get solar panels and batteries installed at the same time, but there’s a few factors currently pushing some people to start with solar only at first, in which case a hybrid inverter is advisable:
- The fine print of the federal battery rebate is yet to be set in stone, with some key details yet to be locked in, presenting some risk to people rushing to get a battery installed before the official start date of July 1;
- Installers are already getting inundated with battery jobs, with some putting new battery quotes on hold but still open to doing solar jobs;
- Some people have the money for solar now but not a battery, which they plan to get later. Although the federal battery rebate will reduce every year, it does run through to 2030;
- Smaller solar arrays will struggle to fully charge a battery, so people might be upgrading their existing solar array first;
- The rebate can only apply to one battery per property, so some people are wanting to save up for their one shot at this rebate with a larger battery, rather than going for a cheaper small option now that falls short of the capacity needed.
The Best Battery-Ready Hybrid Inverters Available in 2025
Every year, SolarQuotes surveys its installers for their picks for the best solar brands available. Below we’ve included battery-ready hybrid inverter options available from the top brands in the SolarQuotes Installers Choice Best Inverter category. If you prefer to have the winning brands revealed Academy Awards-style by tuxedo-clad SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock, we have a new video out that does just that.
How Australia’s top installers voted for their preferred solar inverter brand.
Fronius’ Gen24 Hybrid Solar Inverter
Austrian company Fronius is our installers’ pick for best inverter brand for its 5th straight year, securing 26% of the vote.
The premium manufacturer’s Gen24 hybrid solar inverter features sustainable measures like recycled aluminium, a field-serviceable design, and no plastic packaging.
In addition to the passive heatsink most rivals rely on, Fronius use a fan for active cooling, improving efficiency and longevity. While old Fronius designs were accused of being noisy, the Gen 24 is whisper-quiet.
You’ll be paying a premium for these perks however, and there’s an additional price to upgrade the software to control batteries.
On the SolarQuotes website, Fronius inverters have a very strong average consumer review score of 4.8/5 based on over 8,800 reviews.
A Fronius Gen24 inverter, installed by MC Electrical.
Sungrow’s SHRS and SHRT Hybrid Inverters
Sungrow secured second place among our installers, with 19% of the vote. If the premium price point of Fronius is not attractive, then Sungrow is significantly more affordable while maintaining a reputation for reliability.
Their SHRS and SHRT hybrid inverters are designed for pairing with Sungrow’s own SBR HV series of batteries.
One disadvantage is that if the inverter fails, you lose power to the backup circuits. The best way to mitigate this is to always install an emergency bypass switch with any Sungrow hybrid inverter.
Sungrow inverters enjoy an average consumer review score of 4.7/5, based on over 4,300 reviews.
A Sungrow SHRT hybrid inverter, installed by DQ Electrical.
GoodWe’s ET G2 And ES G2 Series
In third place with 14% of the vote is budget manufacturer GoodWe.
In addition to being much cheaper than premium options, GoodWe’s hybrid inverters have a reputation for being simple to install.
They also offer the advantage of being compatible with a range of battery brands. The ET G2 for instance is, in addition to GoodWe’s home batteries such as most high-voltage Lynx models, also compatible with selected models from BYD, Pylon and Dyness.
One downside of GoodWe inverters is that they rely on convection cooling, which means (like with any inverter without a fan) that when they’re working hard in summer, the energy yield falls because they go into self-protection mode.
On the SolarQuotes website, Goodwe inverters have an average customer review score of 4.7/5 based on over 2,700 reviews.
GoodWe inverters finished in third place in the Installers’ Choice Awards.
All Three Are Well Supported
Having people and systems in place to answer technical questions & troubleshoot compatibility problems is priceless, and all three brands here are well regarded.
Ecosystem compatibility is also a good reason to maintain some brand loyalty. Once you’re ready for a battery after getting solar, then a hybrid inverter from the same manufacturer can work hand-in-glove on the same monitoring app, and even integrate with an EV charger.
To look at the full specs for each brand’s hybrid inverters, plus the other options out there along with a rough price guide, take a look at our hybrid converter comparison table. Or to consider the best batteries to get under the federal rebate, we have an explainer on that too.
