Fronius announced it is releasing an upgraded version of its new GEN24 residential hybrid inverter at RE+ 2024. The GEN24 Plus has all the features of its predecessor, but adds the ability to connect to a battery system. This hybrid inverter allows users to store excess solar energy and use it when needed, significantly increasing the overall efficiency of the PV system.
The Fronius GEN24 Plus also offers two backup power options, ensuring that critical appliances remain operational even during power outages. The Fronius GEN24 Plus allows users to choose between a basic backup power supply with the PV Point, which can supply energy to select household items such as phone chargers or routers via a protected GFCI outlet. The essential backup option, enabled by the switching device Fronius Essential Load Backup Unit – available in early 2025, ensures that homes or businesses will continue to be powered at full inverter output in the event of a grid failure, provided there is sufficient solar production or battery supply power. This feature is perfect for those looking to increase their energy resilience and reduce reliance on the grid.
Partnership with BYD Battery Box Premium HVM US
To fully utilize the hybrid capabilities of the Fronius GEN24 Plus, Fronius has partnered with BYD to ensure seamless compatibility with the BYD Battery Box Premium HVM US. This collaboration provides users with high charge and discharge performance, allowing them to make the most of their solar energy production. Available in capacities from 11.0 to 19.3 kW, the BYD HVM US is designed for easy installation and robust performance. The battery’s Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cell chemistry ensures long-term reliability and safety, making it an ideal match for the Fronius GEN24 Plus.
Shade management and active cooling
The Fronius GEN24 Plus is also equipped with the Dynamic Peak Manager, an innovative shading management algorithm that ensures the highest possible energy yield even when some of the solar panels are shaded. This feature optimizes performance at the string level, eliminating the need for additional module-level optimizers. In addition, the GEN24 Plus features Active Cooling Technology, an advanced system that increases performance and durability by efficiently cooling the power electronics. This technology is critical in hot climates as it helps prevent power derating, ensuring consistent energy production and extending the life of your solar system.
With these advanced features, customers can enjoy a more reliable, hassle-free solar experience, knowing that their PV system will consistently perform at peak levels, even in challenging conditions.
Software update
Finally, Fronius is announcing its Fronius UP.storage software update, available on November 18, 2024. With this update, existing Fronius GEN24 inverters can be easily upgraded to the Fronius GEN24 Plus, transforming them into hybrid inverters that can be connected to a battery system. This upgrade process is straightforward and allows customers to expand their PV systems without having to replace existing hardware. Fronius UP.storage is available through the Fronius Solar.web application.
Fronius will be showcasing the GEN24 Plus at RE+ at the Austrian Trade Commission, Booth #N94049.
News item from Fronius
Fronius used to be a good brand now its just all about oh we are Europeon buy us.
Fronius does not support multiple mppts for multi oriented PV.
Fronius does not support high current modules.
Fronius software support is just horrible.
Fronius cybersecurity is so outdated that all famous CVE vulnerbilites exist in them while the company markets cybersecurity as political point rather than actually implementing technical security measures.
Fronius installers use common passwords in the field. Everyone in the world knows Fronius default passwords. I can go on but yeah. I would not recommend Fronius.
Incredibly old news. Had a system with the 3 phase version of , the 10kW Symo Gen 24 Plus installed last year, along with a HVM battery stack.
If getting the 3 phase version check the power per phase in battery back up mode is suitable for you if you want to use high power single phase appliances from the battery in back up mode. The single phase will supply more per phase.
So far the information at the website has the GEN 24 at from 3kW to 6kW per unit, it is not clear to me if one can actually series/parallel several 6kW units for whole home backup and one’s own resilient micro-grid during particularly long PSPS periods. For that consideration one might end up choosing something like Sol-Arc 15K-2P hybrid inverter(s) for a robust home system, paired to something like a Simpliphi B6.6 battery module stack(s) and from 19.95kWh to 119.7kWh of energy storage. After the one stack of 19.95kWh it is unclear what local AHJs would require for module spacing to meet or exceed NFPA 855 (standard). One might end up with an enclosure, partitions and a NOVEC 1230 fire system in cabinet, or an enclosure ‘vented’ to the outside so volatile compounds do not pool in the cabinet creating an explosion hazard and relying on the cabinet and partitions to allow one module to “burn out” without propagating a thermal run away event. After the McMicken fire in Surprise Arizona in 2019, the fire safety issues brought to light in this BESS failure has pushed changes to how larger BESS units are designed and implemented.