The average Australian home now installs a 10kW solar system. Battery storage is slowly being adopted across the nation, which made the recent visit to a Gisborne home all the more exciting! Episode 5 of the latest season of Renovate or Rebuild transported Roshan and Andy to this exceptional home in style. Aboard the BMW i7 from Melbourne BMW, Rosh and Andy discussed electrification. They then visited the home of Chantel and her whopping 35kW of solar and 44kWh of battery storage. Sprawled across a wall in her garage were three, yes THREE Fronius inverters, including the all-new Gen24 Plus. Powering the home throughout the day and night are BYD batteries and charging the EV is the Fronius Wattpilot. We revisit this epic episode and take a closer look at the Gen24 Plus inverter plus the Fronius Wattpilot EV charger.
What is the Fronius Gen24 Plus inverter?
The Fronius GEN24 Plus is a versatile and advanced hybrid inverter designed to meet the needs of modern residential solar systems. On Chantel’s home, installed by Bluegum Electrical Solutions, the Gen24 Plus works with Fronius Symo inverters to manage the solar generated and the battery storage. It offers homeowners the ability to manage their solar energy efficiently, combining both energy production and storage in one device. This inverter is known for its adaptability, ensuring homes remain powered even during grid failures, while optimising energy use throughout the day.
Gen24 Plus features
- Hybrid design: The GEN24 Plus integrates solar power generation with battery storage, offering flexibility in how energy is used. It can store excess solar energy for later use, helping to lower electricity bills and increase self-consumption, which is crucial for those aiming for energy independence.
- Backup power: One of the standout features of the GEN24 Plus is its flexible backup power options. Homeowners can choose between the basic PV Point (for essential power backup) or the Full Backup system, which can power the entire household during a blackout. This capability ensures peace of mind during unexpected power outages.
- Smart energy management: The inverter is equipped with smart energy management functions that allow users to maximise their solar energy use. By monitoring energy consumption and production, the GEN24 Plus helps optimise when energy is used, stored, or fed back into the grid. This not only increases energy efficiency but also reduces reliance on the grid.
- Applications: The Fronius GEN24 Plus is ideal for residential homes with rooftop solar systems, especially those looking to incorporate battery storage for enhanced energy use and backup protection. It’s also suitable for homes in areas prone to power outages, offering a reliable backup solution.
- Unique features: What sets the GEN24 Plus apart from other inverters is its integrated Multi Flow Technology, allowing it to manage multiple energy flows simultaneously, such as solar power, battery power, and grid power. It also boasts high efficiency, ensuring minimal energy loss during conversion. Additionally, it features an easy-to-use app for monitoring energy production and consumption, providing real-time insights into household energy usage.
The Fronius GEN24 Plus combines innovative technology with practical applications, making it a leading choice for homeowners seeking both solar energy efficiency and reliable backup power.
BYD battery integration
The Fronius GEN24 Plus inverter integrates seamlessly with the BYD Battery-Box Premium HV and HVM, creating a powerful and efficient energy storage solution for residential solar systems. This combination allows for easy integration of solar power generation with high-voltage battery storage, providing homeowners with enhanced energy independence and flexibility. The BYD Battery-Box, known for its modular design, can be expanded to meet growing energy demands, making it a scalable solution. The GEN24 Plus inverter’s Multi Flow Technology enables simultaneous management of solar energy, battery storage, and grid power, ensuring optimal energy flow within the home. Together, these systems provide a reliable solution for maximising self-consumption, reducing energy costs, and ensuring backup power during outages, making it a future-proof choice for solar energy users.
Adding the Fronius Wattpilot for a complete home ecosystem
The Fronius Wattpilot is an intelligent electric vehicle (EV) charger that integrates seamlessly into the Fronius solar energy ecosystem, offering efficient and sustainable charging solutions for EV owners. Designed to work in harmony with Fronius inverters and energy management systems, the Wattpilot enables smart, solar-optimised charging by prioritising the use of excess solar energy to charge EVs. This helps homeowners maximise their solar energy self-consumption and reduce reliance on the grid. The Wattpilot can be easily controlled via the Fronius Solar.web app, allowing users to monitor and manage charging schedules, costs, and energy usage in real time. By being part of the Fronius ecosystem, the Wattpilot offers a comprehensive energy solution that combines solar generation, storage, and EV charging, contributing to greater energy efficiency and sustainability for households with solar systems.
Taking a look under the hood
Let’s look at some of the key features of each of the Fronius products featured:
Fronius GEN24 Plus Inverter
- Power output: Available in 3 kW to 10 kW models
- Efficiency: Up to 98.1%
- Backup power: Flexible backup (PV Point or Full Backup)
- Compatibility: Supports high-voltage battery storage (e.g., BYD Battery-Box)
- Warranty: 5 years standard, extendable to 10 years
BYD Battery-Box Premium HV/HVM
- Capacity:
- HV (High Voltage): 5.1 kWh to 10.2 kWh per module
- HVM (High Voltage Modular): 8.3 kWh to 22.1 kWh
- Scalability: Expandable by adding more modules (up to 3 in parallel)
- Compatibility: Works with Fronius GEN24 Plus inverters
- Depth of Discharge: 95%
- Warranty: 10 years
Fronius Wattpilot EV Charger
- Charging modes: Eco and Next Trip modes (optimised solar charging)
- Power output:
- Wattpilot Home: Up to 11 kW
- Wattpilot Go (portable version): Up to 22 kW
- Control: Managed via Fronius Solar.web app
- Compatibility: Integrates with Fronius solar inverters for solar-based charging
- Warranty: 2 years
Electrify your home with Fronius
Roshan and Andy discussed the shifting way Aussie homeowners are approaching the powering of their homes. Maximising your roof with solar is the very first step to moving away from grid reliance and gas. The reality of solar is that most people are not home to use it during the day. Feed-in tariffs are reducing every year; minimising the ability to offset and save. Complete self-sufficiency simply isn’t possible without battery storage, and this is where examples like Chantel’s home are important.
While most homes likely will not need 35kW of solar or 44kWh of battery storage, Chantel’s home is a great example of what is possible with Fronius solutions. Chantel and her family enjoy being grid-independent. This means that they almost always solely rely on their solar generation to power their home AND their EV. They have no gas connection, which means they don’t pay the pesky daily supply charge. Their investment allows them to be self-sufficient most of the year – eliminating almost all electricity bills.
As Australia steams towards a clean energy future, your home can play a vital role in sustainability. As Chantel and Sebastien, from Fronius Australia, explained in the video, you can start small with Fronius and add to it as your needs and budget allow. The scalability of the Fronius ecosystem means that your investment is protected.
Click the button below to start your electrification journey with Fronius. Get FREE quotes from trusted installers who will walk you through the needs of your home and design a system to take you into the future.
