Solar & Battery F.A.Q

At Greener Race, we almost always recommend going as large as your connection allows—typically 10kW for single-phase and 15kW for three-phase homes.

While 5kW used to be the "standard" in Perth, the way we use energy has shifted. To achieve true energy independence and run a high-demand home, you need more "headroom" than a small 5kW unit can provide.

Why isn't a 5kW inverter enough anymore?

A 5kW inverter can only output 5,000 watts of power at any given time. Consider a typical Western Australian home in summer:
  • Ducted Air Conditioning: Often draws 5kW to 7kW alone.
  • EV Charging: A standard smart charger (like the Wallbox) can draw 7kW.
  • Household Appliances: Your oven, pool pump, and kettle can easily add another 3kW–5kW.
If you have a 5kW inverter and your AC is running, your solar is already maxed out. Any other appliance you turn on—or your EV—will be pulling power from the grid at full price. By installing a 10kW or 15kW inverter, you ensure that your solar can cover your AC, your car, and your home all at once.
That is an outdated rule.

Western Power has modernized its connection standards. Most residential homes can now install up to 30kVA of aggregate inverter capacity under a standard connection.

This policy change was made specifically to allow for the "Home Ecosystem" we specialize in that requires large amounts of power and with the introduction of cheaper batteries reduce the demand on the grid especially during peak demand times like late in the afternoon on a hot summers day.

Large capacity ducted & multiheaded  air conditioning.
High-speed EV chargers.
Induction Cookers.
Multiply TV's computers and servers.
Pool & Spa Pumps.
Bores Pumps.

Will a larger inverter mean I can’t get the feed-in tariff (DEBS)?
In WA, systems over 5kW of inverter capacity generally forfeit the DEBS feed-in tariff.

 However, at Greener Race, we believe the "buyback" is no longer the goal.
  • The grid pays you peanuts (approx. 2–10 cents) to take your power.
  • The grid charges you a premium (approx. 33-53 cents) to buy it back.
Our Strategy: We use a larger inverter and a battery to help you consume 100% of what you produce. Using your solar to save 33 cents per unit is far more profitable than selling it for 3 cents.
Not necessarily, but that’s a good thing. 

To protect the grid, Western Power often applies a 1.5kW export limit on larger systems. 

When ever you install an inverter larger than 5kw you are not eligible for feed in tariffs 

The Greener Race Strategy: We don't want you exporting power for 3  cents; we want you consuming it or storing it instead of buying it ​back for 10x or 15x your selling price.




Yes. At Greener Race, we specialize in "Retrofitting." Depending on your current setup, we can find a help find a solution:

AC-Couple: Add a standalone battery system with inverter, harder to setup backup supply but becoming possible with the newest generation of inverters and batteries.

Our preferred option

DC-Couple Hybrid - Replace your old 5kW unit with a modern 10kW Hybrid Inverter, this allows for backup power when the grid goes down with minimised efficiency losses

Partial upgrade: Often your existing panel are still in perfect condition. The new range of inverter have extra MPPT trackers that allow for both new panels and often the existing panels to work together. 
The "5kW era" is over because our energy needs—and Western Power policies—have changed.
  • The Power Gap: A modern ducted air conditioner alone can draw 5kW to 7kW. On an old 5kW system, if your AC is on, your solar is already "maxed out," meaning you’re forced to buy expensive power from the grid for your fridge, lights, and EV.
  • New Western Power Limits: In the past, 5kW was the easy approval limit. Today, Western Power allows up to 10kW on single-phase and 15kW on three-phase standard connections.
  • Future-Proofing: Larger inverters allow us to install more panels and bigger batteries (like the GoodWe ESA), ensuring you have enough "headroom" to run your home, cool your rooms, and charge your car simultaneously without ever touching the grid.
"Peak Shaving" is the smartest way to use a battery. Even on cloudy days, we program your system to:

Soak up cheap off-peak power from the grid at ~8.5c/kWh 

Store it in your battery.

Discharge it during the evening peak when rates jump to ~53c/kWh.

By "shaving" off those expensive peaks, your battery pays for itself much faster.

We can even commission the system to give your solar time to charge and then and then automatically top up using the super cheap power  before the price jumps
It's always an advantage have more panels.
When adding a battery we can desgin the system up to the inverters maximum rating often 200% of the inverter capacity

Compared to the 133% rules  that applies to non battery systems 
(This is where we get really common 5Kw inverter - 6.6Kw of panel system from).


However panels be come secondary.

With the Greener Race Energy Management approach, we use Peak Shaving to fix the "small roof" problem.
  • Even if you don't have enough panels to fully charge a battery on a cloudy day, we program your GoodWe system to "top up" from the grid during ultra-cheap off-peak windows (around 8.5 cents).
  • Your 10kW/15kW inverter then "shaves the peak" by using  that cheap stored energy to power your home to avoid paying for power during peak periods when prices spike to 33-53 cents per Kwh
  • The Result: You still get the massive savings of a large system, even with a smaller panel array.
Only if the system is designed for it. Many standard solar systems shut down during a blackout for safety. 

However, Greener Race makes use of multi mode hybrid inverters that can be configured to provide Full Home Backup.

This means when the street goes dark, your Greener Race system "islands" your home, keeping your essential appliances and lights running or with a larger capacity inverter potentially the entire house including the Air con
The honest answer is: It depends on your "load" (what you have turned on).

 Think of your battery like a fuel tank in a car—if you drive fast (heavy loads), you’ll empty the tank much quicker.

At Greener Race, we use high-capacity.

Currently the rebate are focused on these so why not take advantage?

 Here is a breakdown of how they perform in different real-world scenarios:

Scenario A: The "Conservative" Essentials (1kW load)

If you are only running essentials—your fridge, WiFi, some LED lights, and charging a phone—you are drawing roughly 1kW of power per hour.
  • With a 10kWh Battery: You’ll get approximately 9–10 hours of power.
  • With a 40kWh Battery: You could run your home for 40 hours (nearly two full days) without any solar input at all.
Scenario B: The "High-Comfort" Load (7kW load)
This is where people get caught out. If you decide to run a ducted air conditioning unit that draws around 7kw of power 

Think of a 14kw cooling capacity ducted unit during a 38 degree day when you first turn it on. 

At full blast while the grid is down for just the aircon load.
  • With a 10kWh Battery: Your battery will be stone-cold empty in about 1.2 hours.
  • With a 50kWh Battery: You can run that heavy AC for 7 hours straight—enough to get you through a sweltering afternoon or a humid night comfortably.

The Bottom Line:
If you want to run heavy loads like Air Conditioning and EV chargers during a blackout, you need capacity.


Yes, absolutely. At Greener Race, we believe you can’t manage what you can’t measure.

You will need a good Wifi Connection though and a little time to setup the app on your phone or tablet. 
The magic happens through the GoodWe SEMS+ App. 

Because both the ESA system (inverter/battery) and the HCA charger are built by GoodWe, they speak the same language. 

This allows for a "Sun-to-Car" priority system that a mismatched setup can’t achieve.

When we install your system, we configure it with three specific smart modes:

1. PV Priority Mode (The "100% Free" Mode)
In this mode, the system follows a strict hierarchy:
  • First: Power goes to your home appliances (Fridge, Lights, AC).
  • Second: Any excess solar goes directly into your EV via the HCA charger.
  • The Result: The battery is bypassed, and the grid is untouched. You are driving on 100% immediate sunshine.
2. PV + Battery Mode (The "Evening Green" Mode)
If you get home after the sun has set, or if it’s a cloudy day, this mode kicks in. The HCA charger draws from any excess solar first, then pulls from your ESA or Lynx battery to make up the difference.
  • We can set a "Battery Floor" (e.g., 20%) so the car never drains the battery so much that your lights go out at night. It ensures you use every drop of your own stored energy before buying a single watt from the grid.
3. Smart Phase Switching (G2 Models)
This is a game-changer for 3-phase homes. If your solar production is low (e.g., 2kW), a standard 3-phase charger might stop working because it doesn't have enough power to run all three phases.
  • The HCA G2 can automatically switch to single-phase charging. This allows it to keep "trickle-charging" your car using that small amount of solar, rather than shutting down or switching to expensive grid power.
The "Commissioning" Difference

At Greener Race, we don't just mount these on the wall. We sit down with you and the app to program these modes based on your commute. Whether you want to prioritize a full battery for a blackout or a full car for a road trip, we make sure the system does the thinking so you don't have to.