8.55 kW Jinko Solar and a Sungrow Battery in West Ballina: Case Study

An 8.55 kW Jinko solar system, a Sungrow 8 kW hybrid inverter, a 9.6 kWh Sungrow battery with an emergency backup sub-board, and a relay that heats the hot water from the panels, for a home in West Ballina.

Our own in-house team designed and installed the system in August 2024.

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A canal-side home with three jobs to do

This rendered two-storey home in West Ballina sits among canal-side houses and palms, with a red tile roof facing the sun. The design does three things: more power from the roof, a battery for the evening, and power to chosen circuits when the grid goes down. The electric hot water also went on a solar relay, so it heats from the panels.

How the backup works on this one

Instead of backing up the whole home, this system uses an emergency power sub-board. The switchboard was rearranged so the chosen circuits (the ones the household needs in a blackout) run from that sub-board, with their own disconnection devices. The inverter and battery went onto a formply backing board on the wall.

Parts list

• Solar: 18 Jinko Tiger Neo panels (475 W each), 8.55 kW in total
• Inverter: a Sungrow SH8.0RS 8 kW single-phase hybrid inverter
• Battery: a Sungrow SBR096, 9.6 kWh of storage
• Blackout backup: an emergency power sub-board for the chosen circuits
• Hot water: a Catch Control solar relay
• Consumption and production monitoring

On the day

The panels went on the red tiles in long, straight rows across the main roof face. After the site visit, the install, monitoring set-up and grid connection, a sign-off call wrapped it up.

Solar and batteries in West Ballina

West Ballina runs along the Richmond River and its canals, with plenty of rendered and brick homes with tiled roofs like this one. Big, open roof faces here often fit a good-sized array. See also another Sungrow battery in Ballina and AIKO solar and a Sigenergy battery in East Ballina.

The steps, start to finish

It starts with a free energy assessment from one or two power bills (or a call on 0483 903 020). We design from your real usage and take the federal battery rebate and solar STCs off at point of sale, with the paperwork done for you (your rebates). Before install day we come out for a face-to-face site visit: battery position, switchboard and RCBO check, and what stays on in a blackout. Our own electricians do the install, usually in one day, then the monitoring, grid connection and a sign-off call.

Warranties

Every new install from us now comes with a 10-year battery warranty, 10-year inverter replacement, 25-year panel performance and our 25-year workmanship warranty on our installation work. Equipment is covered by the manufacturer warranties.

The federal battery rebate steps down on 1 January 2027 and again on 1 July 2027, based on install date. If a battery is on your list, it’s worth getting your assessment done early.

Questions we get asked

Does a battery always back up the whole house?

It depends on the system. This 2024 Sungrow job backs up chosen circuits through an emergency power sub-board. Our typical Sigenergy and GoodWe installs today back up the whole home unless you ask us to leave circuits out. See whole-home vs essential-circuit backup.

Can my hot water run off my solar?

Often, yes. Here a Catch Control solar relay sends spare solar to the electric hot water, so it heats from the panels during the day instead of from the grid.

Is Sungrow a good battery?

Sungrow is a large, well-known inverter and battery maker, and we install it. These days we lead with Sigenergy (premium) and GoodWe (mid-tier). See Sungrow batteries and Sungrow vs Sigenergy.

Can more battery be added later?

Sungrow SBR batteries are modular, so more modules can usually be added to the same stack. See the Sungrow SBR owner guide.

Thinking about solar and a battery?

We’re based near Mullumbimby and install across the Northern Rivers. See solar and batteries in Ballina and Lennox Head, or compare Sigenergy, GoodWe and Sungrow, Solax and Tesla.

Get a free energy assessment · or call 0483 903 020

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More from Sun Connect Solar: your rebates; battery rebate calculator; customer reviews; FAQ; recent installs: 6.65 kW solar and 9 kWh Sigenergy battery, Mullumbimby · Solar and a 24 kWh Sigenergy battery, Mullumbimby area · 8.4 kW Jinko solar and 24 kWh Sigenergy battery, Ocean Shores · all recent installs.