Solis Inverters in Ireland: What Is Actually on the Quote

Solis is the inverter brand of Ginlong Technologies, and a name you may well see on an Irish solar quote. It doesn't sell to homeowners. Solis runs a full Irish site, with an Irish phone number and the whole product range on it, and there's no shop and no price anywhere on it. Every product page ends in an "Inquiry now" link and a sales address for distributors. So the only Solis price in Ireland is the one your installer writes, and the only thing that makes two Solis quotes comparable is the model number.

That model number matters more here than it does in most countries, because one size in the Solis hybrid range, the 6K, sits on the wrong side of an ESB Networks limit.

The Solis Range as the Irish Site Lists It

Solis publishes a separate Irish site, which is useful, because the range differs by region and a UK or Australian spec sheet will not always match what your installer can order. These are the residential products listed for Ireland.

Alongside those, three accessories show up on quotes and are worth recognising. The SMG666 is a wireless meter that Solis says is compatible with all its S6 residential hybrid inverters. The S2-WL-ST is the WiFi and LAN data logger that puts the system into SolisCloud. The Solis-EPM-5G is an Export Power Manager, which Solis says can control up to 20 Solis inverters at once, and that one is relevant to the grid limit further down this page.

The 25 A Line, and Why the 6K Trips Over It

ESB Networks defines a micro-generator by current, not by kilowatts. Its micro-generation page puts the ceiling at 25 amperes, roughly 6 kVA, at low voltage on a single-phase connection. Stay inside that and the connection is free: your installer files the NC6 notification form with a type test certificate and no grid charges arise.

The wording of the limit is the part people miss. ESB Networks states that from 31 May 2023, any unit with a Rated Current as per Type Test over 25 A is not eligible for connection under the NC6 micro-generation route. The test is the current on the unit's type test certificate, not the kilowatt figure in the product name.

Now put the Solis hybrid range beside it, using the figures from Solis's own EU manual rather than a retailer listing.

The 3K and 3.6K sit lower than the 4.6K and are nowhere near the limit. The interesting one is the 6K. "6 kW" sounds like it matches a 6 kVA allowance, and it doesn't. At 230 V its own rated output current is 26.1 A, and at 220 V it is 27.3 A. Both are over the line ESB Networks drew.

One more compliance point, and it is the reason the Irish site is the one to read. ESB Networks requires that the inverter complies with IS EN 50549-1 with current Irish settings. The Solis Irish product page carries a downloadable EN 50549-1 and EN 50549-10 certificate for the single-phase hybrid family, so the paperwork exists. Ask which country profile the unit ships with and who sets the Irish one on commissioning. Our guide to solar inverters in Ireland explains why the inverter, rather than the panel, is the component Irish grid rules attach to.

The Array Can Be Bigger Than the Inverter

This is where the 25 A limit stops being a problem. Solis states that the hybrid range supports PV input up to 160% of the inverter's rated DC power, and the manual puts hard numbers on it: 8,000 W of usable PV input on the 5K, 9,600 W on the 6K, 7,360 W on the 4.6K. The series has two MPPTs, each taking up to 21 A, so two roof faces can run independently.

In practice that means a 5K hybrid, which is comfortably inside the micro-generation limit, will happily sit behind something close to 8 kWp of panels. In Irish light that is the right way round. The array fills in on dull mornings and the inverter only ever sees its rated output on the handful of bright days when everything is working at once.

Which Batteries Pair With a Solis Hybrid

The single-phase hybrid is a low-voltage machine: 40 to 60 V, which in practice means a nominal 48 V battery. Solis describes the range as compatible with a wide range of lithium and lead-acid battery brands, and says the inverters have been tested for compatibility with a wide range of lithium batteries.

Then it adds the sentence that matters: when designing an installation, check the compatibility list, because using an incompatible battery may void your warranty. So the open battery choice is a genuine advantage of the brand, and it comes with a condition. Get the battery make and model written on the quote, and ask the installer to confirm it is on the Solis compatibility list for that exact inverter.

Capacity is not what the grid limits, so the battery size is a money question rather than a permission question. SEAI's separate €600 battery grant needs 5 kWh or more, which any sensible pairing clears. Our battery storage guide covers Irish pricing, and the solar battery grant page covers that grant on its own.

Backup Power, and Two Different Switching Figures

A Solis hybrid can carry part of the house when the grid fails, and the feature set around that is better than the price point suggests. The product page lists a customisable battery backup level, so you can reserve a floor of charge purely for outages, and Smart Load management, which extends backup time by shedding non-critical circuits. In off-grid mode it allows 200% overload for 10 seconds, which is what gets a well pump or a fridge compressor started. Generator connection with automatic control is supported, and up to six units can run in parallel.

On changeover speed, Solis publishes two numbers and they are not the same. The Irish product page says on and off-grid switching takes under 10 ms. The EU manual's back-up specification table gives a back-up switch time of under 4 ms. Both are Solis figures and both are fast enough that lighting will not flicker; neither is worth paying a premium over.

What does need checking is the Irish wiring side. Protection behaves differently when a house is running islanded off its battery, which is why every circuit supplied in island mode has to be RCD protected and verified in both modes. Our page on solar inverter and RCD tripping goes through what that means in a real house.

Five Years, Extendable to Twenty

Solis's EU manual for the single-phase hybrid family states the warranty plainly: 5 years standard, extendable to 20 years. That is the single most useful line to carry into a quote comparison, because it is shorter than some of what Solis competes against, and the extension is a priced option rather than something you get by asking.

So when a Solis quote undercuts a rival by a few hundred euro, check what each one includes. An extension bought at installation is cheap compared with buying one later, and an inverter is the component most likely to need replacing inside the life of the panels. The hardware itself is built for outdoors: IP66, an operating range of -40°C to +60°C, natural convection cooling with no fan, and a 7-inch LCD screen on the front for local operation.

What the SEAI Grant Does and Does Not Care About

The SEAI Solar Electricity Grant pays €700 per kWp for the first 2 kWp and €200 for every additional kWp up to 4 kWp, capped at €1,800. Every cent of that is calculated on installed panel capacity in kWp. The inverter brand appears nowhere in the rules, and SEAI's grant page sets no inverter brand requirement at all. What it does require is that you use an SEAI-registered company, and that the house was built and occupied before 2025.

So choosing Solis neither helps nor hurts the grant. A 4 kWp array behind a Solis 5K draws exactly the same €1,800 as the same array behind anything else, and the battery draws the separate €600. Full detail is on the SEAI solar grant page, and the registered installer requirement covers the one part of the rules that can actually disqualify a quote.

Solis Against the Other Names on Irish Quotes

Solis competes in Ireland mostly on price and availability rather than on features, and that is a legitimate basis for choosing it. The useful comparison is what each brand is actually selling you.

If you want the full breakdown of either rival, we have a page on Huawei solar in Ireland and one on Sigenergy in Ireland. For a battery retrofit where the inverter stays put, the Tesla Powerwall 3 page covers AC coupling alongside an existing Solis.

Why There Is No Price on This Page

No Irish distributor or installer publishes a list price for a Solis inverter, and Solis itself publishes none. Quoting a figure from a UK shop or a forum thread would be inventing a market price, so we won't.

What you can do is make the quotes comparable. Ask every installer for the exact Solis model number, the type-tested rated current, the battery make and model and whether it is on the Solis compatibility list, whether a data logger and meter are included, and the warranty term with the cost of extending it. Then the cheapest quote is a fact rather than a guess. Vetting a solar installer is worth reading before any of it.

And remember what happens to the power you do not use. It is exported and paid for by your electricity supplier, and the rate varies. Our Clean Export Guarantee rates page has the current figures, while microgeneration in Ireland explains how the payment reaches your bill.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy a Solis inverter direct in Ireland?

No. Solis runs an Irish site with the full product range and an Irish phone number on it, but there is no shop and no price on any page. Each product page ends in an "Inquiry now" link and a sales email address aimed at distributors, so the route to a Solis inverter is through a distributor or an installer, and the price is the installer's.

Which Solis model fits ESB Networks' micro-generation limit?

The 4.6K and 5K single-phase hybrids do. Solis's EU manual rates the S6-EH1P5K-L-PLUS at 22.8 A / 21.8 A and the 4.6K at 20.9 A / 20.0 A, both inside the 25 A ceiling ESB Networks sets for the free NC6 micro-generation route. The 6K is rated 27.3 A / 26.1 A, above that line, and the 8K and 10K are higher again. If a 6K or larger is on your quote, ask the installer which connection route they are applying under and what the type test certificate says.

What warranty do Solis inverters come with?

Five years as standard, extendable to 20 years, according to Solis's own EU manual for the single-phase hybrid range. The extension is a priced option, so check whether a quote includes one. Buy it at installation rather than later, because an inverter is the part of a solar system most likely to need replacing within the life of the panels.

Which batteries work with a Solis hybrid inverter?

The single-phase hybrid takes a low-voltage battery between 40 and 60 V, which in practice means a nominal 48 V unit, and Solis describes the range as compatible with a wide range of lithium and lead-acid brands. The condition is that the battery must be on the Solis compatibility list for that inverter: Solis states that using an incompatible battery may void your warranty. Get the make and model on the quote and ask the installer to confirm it is listed.

Will a Solis hybrid keep the lights on during a power cut?

A hybrid will carry the circuits it is wired to carry, with a changeover Solis puts at under 10 ms on its product page and under 4 ms in its manual. You can reserve a floor of battery charge purely for outages, and Smart Load management sheds non-critical circuits to stretch the backup. In off-grid mode it allows 200% overload for 10 seconds, enough to start a pump or a fridge. Every circuit supplied while islanded has to be RCD protected and verified in both modes, so this is a design decision at quote stage rather than a setting afterwards.

Does the SEAI grant cover a Solis inverter?

Not specifically, and no grant covers any inverter brand by name. The SEAI Solar Electricity Grant pays €700 per kWp for the first 2 kWp and €200 per additional kWp up to 4 kWp, capped at €1,800, calculated entirely on panel capacity. SEAI's rules set no inverter brand requirement; they require an SEAI-registered company and a house built and occupied before 2025. A battery of 5 kWh or more draws a separate €600.

How big an array can I put behind a Solis 5K?

Around 8 kWp. Solis supports PV input up to 160% of the inverter's rated DC power, and the manual gives 8,000 W of maximum usable PV input for the 5K, 9,600 W for the 6K and 7,360 W for the 4.6K. Two MPPTs, each accepting up to 21 A, let two roof faces run independently. Oversizing the array relative to the inverter is the right call in Irish light.

Can I add a Solis to panels I already have?

Yes, and there is a specific product for it. The S6-EA1P(3.6-6)K-L is an AC-coupled single-phase storage inverter, designed to add a battery to an existing grid-tied array without replacing the inverter that is already on the wall. The alternative, replacing a string inverter with a hybrid, costs more and means re-doing the DC side.

Is Solis a good inverter, or just a cheap one?

It is a mid-market inverter from one of the largest string inverter manufacturers in the world, and Irish installers quote it because it is available and keenly priced. The feature list at that price is strong: two 21 A MPPTs, IP66, fanless cooling, generator support, six-unit parallel operation and open battery choice. The honest caveat is the 5-year standard warranty, which is shorter than some rivals, and a mid-market inverter fitted well will outlast a premium one fitted badly.