The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has coordinated with Sigenergy to publish a voluntary electrical safety recall of the company’s SigenStor 8 kW, 10 kW, and 12 kW single-phase energy controllers that include quick connect AC plugs requiring ferrules and crimping.
The China-headquartered manufacturer said it has identified an issue associated with the installation of the subset of inverter models used in domestic rooftop solar systems and with batteries that has resulted in a small number of damaged AC plugs.
The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) said there have been about 100 inverters impacted.
In the recall notice, the ACCC says the AC plugs “may overheat and become damaged, posing a risk of fire.”
“If an overheating AC plug should lead to a fire, it could result in property damage, serious injury or death. Incidents have occurred. No property damage, injuries or deaths have been reported,” the notice reads.
Sigenergy said the issue affecting its 8 kW, 10 kW and 12 Kw single-phase inverters stems from incorrect installation practices.
“This has been confirmed by Sigenergy engineers who have attended sites where AC plugs have failed,” the company said. “It was found that these systems were not installed as per Sigenergy installation instructions.”
Sigenergy said it now working with its installation partners and the relevant authorities to address the situation as quickly as possible.
The company has rolled out a firmware update that enables real-time monitoring of systems that are connected to the internet and automatically reduces AC output during sustained full-power operation to prevent overheating of the AC plug.
“If our system detects sustained full power output of the inverter, it will temporarily reduce the AC output to prevent the AC plug from overheating and becoming damaged, in the event that it has not been correctly installed,” Sigenergy said, adding that systems that are not connected to the internet and have not received the firmware update will be replaced as a top priority.
Consumers with the affected inverters will receive a free replacement product that has an updated AC plug that removes the need for ferrules or crimping. Each new inverter comes with an additional two-year warranty extension.
Sigenergy said it is “systematically” working through inverter replacements, and customers will be contacted by their installer or the company directly.
“In the meantime, rest assured that there are protections in place to ensure this issue is not affecting the safety of your system,” it said.
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