Inverter brand
SMA performance guide
SMA is one of the oldest and most respected inverter manufacturers. Their Sunny Boy series is widely used in residential systems. Known for reliability and excellent monitoring software.
Expected lifespan
15 years
Warranty
10 years
Market share
moderate
Type
inverter
Known for
German engineering, Sunny Portal monitoring, long track record
Common issues with SMA
Inverter efficiency loss
Degradation or malfunction in the inverter reducing DC-to-AC conversion efficiency. Often indicated by error codes or unexpected shutdowns.
Typical loss: 5–25%
Natural panel degradation
All solar panels lose efficiency over time at roughly 0.5–0.8% per year. Accelerated in extreme heat or poorly manufactured panels.
Typical loss: 3–15%
Check your SMA system
Use our free Solar Loss Checker to estimate how much energy your SMA system may be losing.
Check my systemBased on conservative solar performance modelling and published degradation data
Updated April 2026 · Structured performance modelling
How we calculate →