Speaking during Smart Energy Conference & Exhibition Australia 2026 in Sydney, Smart Energy Council Director Steve Blume noted that localisation, installer support, and practical deployment capabilities are becoming increasingly important as the market continues to mature.
Against this backdrop, SOFAR used this year’s exhibition to launch a series of residential and commercial energy storage solutions aimed at addressing some of the most common installer and customer demands in the Australian market, including compact installation, backup capability, outdoor durability, and flexible ESS deployment.
One of the key launches at the exhibition was SOFAR’s new Residential PV ESS Solution, combining the ESI-8-12K-S1 single-phase inverter with the CBS5000-H4-H10 smart battery.
Designed for residential applications, the system adopts a cable-free “Stack & Go” structure intended to simplify installation and reduce deployment complexity.
The compact system footprint is also aimed at addressing installation constraints in garages and tighter wall spaces commonly found in Australian homes. According to SOFAR, a 20 kWh configuration reaches a height of 87 cm, while a 30 kWh system measures 117 cm.
Backup functionality was another key focus during the exhibition. The residential solution supports 4 ms seamless switchover between on-grid and off-grid operation, allowing households to maintain backup power during outages.
As energy resilience and self-consumption become increasingly important for Australian homeowners, backup capability is continuing to gain attention among installers and customers.
SOFAR also showcased its CBS5000-H4-H12 Smart Solar Battery platform, supporting modular capacities from 20 kWh to 240 kWh across residential and commercial applications.
The platform removes cables between battery modules and integrates active module balancing, built-in optimisation, IP66 outdoor protection, and multi-level battery safety functions. The modular design was presented as a response to growing installer demand for flexible deployment, simplified commissioning, and scalable storage systems.
For commercial and industrial applications, the company introduced its Three-Phase Energy Storage Solution built around the HYD-14.9-30K-T1 hybrid inverter and CBS5000 battery platform.
The system supports larger PV arrays, surge loads, 100% unbalanced loads, and parallel expansion up to 240 kWh. LCD and app-based commissioning functions were also highlighted as ways to improve deployment efficiency for installers and EPCs.
Throughout the exhibition, SOFAR’s booth attracted significant attention from installers, EPCs, distributors, and industry visitors. Freddy Chen, Technical Service Manager for the Australia market, spent much of the event discussing installer concerns such as installation efficiency, compact deployment, backup functionality, and long-term reliability.
According to Chen, products including PowerAll 2 and the newly launched CBS5000 series generated strong interest from installers looking for more practical ESS deployment solutions.
During Smart Energy Week, SOFAR also hosted partners and installers at its “SOFAR Night” networking event in Sydney.
The company was recently recognised by Australian market research firm SunWiz as one of the Top 5 Fastest Growing brands in both the ESS and inverter categories in Australia for 2025, reflecting increasing installer adoption across the local market. SOFAR was also recently listed as a BloombergNEF Tier 1 Energy Storage Manufacturer for Q2 2026 and recognised by Wood Mackenzie as a Grade A Manufacturer.
As Australia’s storage market continues to expand, installer demand is increasingly shifting toward flexible deployment, installation simplicity, and long-term operational reliability.
SOFAR says it will continue refining its product strategy around the practical needs of the Australian market.
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