Sigenergy off grid: the neat one, with a Gateway that decides where the batteries go.
SigenStor is the stack installers like: inverter, battery modules, energy management and an optional DC EV charger in one column, IP66, added a module at a time. What makes it interesting for off-grid and backup design is the Sigen Gateway — the piece that lets the batteries and solar live in the shed while the backup starts at the house, with one set of cables in the trench. Here's how we use it, what it asks of a property, and our honest read on the bi-directional EV charger everybody phones about.
Designed in Lismore · installed by accredited localsWhat SigenStor is
Inverter, batteries, EMS, EV charger
Sigenergy calls it 5-in-1: a hybrid solar inverter, battery power conversion, stackable battery modules, the energy management system and, if you want it, a DC EV charger, all in one column. Single-phase units run from 5 to 12 kW; three-phase from 5 to 30 kW. One cabinet on the wall, no separate boxes to wire between.
5 or 8 kWh modules, stacked
Battery modules come in 5 kWh and 8 kWh sizes (lithium iron phosphate), and a single controller carries up to six of them — so one stack scales from a single 5 kWh module to about 48 kWh with six 8 kWh modules, and more stacks parallel for bigger sites. Adding capacity later means adding a module, not redesigning the system.
IP66, app-driven, no screen
The stack is IP66 rated, so it lives outdoors or in a shed without a cabinet around it. There's no display on the unit — everything happens in the mySigen app. Peak output on the single-phase units is 150% of rated power for ten seconds (three-phase models vary: 150% up to 20 kW, 120% on the 25 and 30 kW units, with Sigenergy quoting 200% for ten seconds while off grid on three phase) — a real consideration for big motors (more on that below).
The part that makes it flexible
The Sigen Gateway sits at the point where grid — or nothing — meets the property. It handles the backup switch (Sigenergy rates the load-side disruption at 0 ms with a Gateway, tested with the grid open-circuit and the controller's rating above the home load), starts a generator on a two-wire signal, and it's what lets a SigenStor run a property off grid at all. Home SP at 12 kW, HomePro SP at 22 kW, Home TP at 30 kW three-phase.
Why installers like it, and why we use it
“What I love about the Sigenergy product: it's nice, neat. Installers like it because it's simple. And off grid, the Gateway makes life really flexible.”
— Mike Haydon, The Off Grid Shop
Batteries in the shed, backup at the house, one trench
Older rural properties nearly always look the same: the mains come into the house, and a single set of cables runs from the house out to the shed. Then the owner wants the batteries and the solar over at the shed — there's roof, there's room, it's away from the bedrooms — while the backup is for the house. Sixty metres away. Sometimes a hundred.
With an inverter that carries its own transfer switch, that layout wants two sets of cables: the grid runs out to the inverter, and the backed-up circuit runs back to the house. Two runs in the trench, or a second trench. With Sigenergy the split is built in. The SigenStor — batteries, inverter, solar — goes at the shed. The Sigen Gateway goes at the house, at the switchboard, and that's where the backup starts. The existing cable between house and shed does the power. What's left is data: the Gateway talks to the stack over Ethernet, so a data cable goes in the trench with the power, and where there's no trench to open we bridge it with a Ubiquiti point-to-point wireless link. Sungrow's arrangement is similar; Victron can be designed to do the same with its own gateway approach. Sigenergy does it straight out of the box.
Sigenergy, Deye and Victron on the shed-and-house problem
| What matters | Sigenergy | Deye | Victron |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the backup switch lives | In the Gateway, at the switchboard — separate from the stack | Inside the inverter, so the backed-up circuit starts at the inverter | Inside the inverter (transfer switch), or via a gateway-style design |
| Batteries in the shed, backup at the house | One power run plus a data link | Two power runs — grid out, backup back | Achievable, designed case by case |
| Data link between the two | Ethernet in the trench, or point-to-point wireless | Not required for the power path | Ethernet or wireless for monitoring |
| Screen on the unit | None — app only | Colour touch LCD | GX Touch screen, extendable over HDMI |
| Motor-start surge | 150% for 10 s on single phase; three-phase varies by model — soft starters on big motors | Up to twice rated power for 10 s on the low-voltage units | Strong — see our three-phase page |
| Wants to be online | Yes — the app is the interface | Optional; runs happily offline | Optional; VRM when connected |
None of these is the wrong answer. The property picks. A property with the shed a long way from the house and one set of cables between them is the case where the Gateway earns its place.
The bi-directional EV charger, honestly
A lot of calls start with the Sigenergy DC EV charger — 12.5 or 25 kW, vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capable. The pitch is obvious: pull energy out of the car fast, push energy into the car fast. Our read, for an off-grid property, is that the second half is the useful one.
Off grid you want a lot of solar. With a properly sized array the house batteries are full by mid-morning, and from then until early afternoon there's nowhere for the sun to go. That's when the car gets charged — fast, from panels that would otherwise be curtailed — and it drives for nothing. Pulling energy back out of the car fast is the part we'd use sparingly: the research we've read points to fast discharge, more than fast charging, as the thing that ages a battery. The car's battery is the most expensive one on the property. Treat it kindly.
There's a quieter version of the idea we like more. Charge the car at work, bring it home, and let it trickle a couple of kilowatts into the house batteries overnight through the inverter's generator input — the car as a slow, silent generator. That is a design conversation, not a plug-it-in job: it's only done through a compliant changeover arrangement designed and signed off by the electrician, and there are ways of doing it that aren't compliant, which we don't do. Ask us and we'll tell you whether your property and your car make it worth it.
Fast in, slow out
“I'm not a big fan of ripping energy out of the car fast. I'd use the bi-directional charger for charging fast. Off grid, put in a ton of solar — by ten o'clock your house batteries are full, and from ten to two you're charging the car and driving for free.”
— Mike Haydon, The Off Grid Shop
What Sigenergy asks of a property
It wants to be online. The unit has no screen; the mySigen app is the interface, and Sigenergy's design assumes a connection. On a property with poor coverage that means a proper data link to the shed and a reliable internet connection at the house — which we design in, not hope for. If you want a system that runs happily with no internet at all, read our Victron page.
Off grid means a Gateway. The Gateway is what lets a SigenStor stand alone, start a generator and carry the backup switch. It's part of every off-grid Sigenergy design we draw, not an optional extra.
Surge is modest. 150% for ten seconds on the single-phase units (three-phase models vary, and Sigenergy quotes 200% for ten seconds while off grid on three phase) starts most household motors and plenty of workshop ones. Bore pumps, big compressors and welders get soft starters or a different inverter, and we say which before anything is quoted. Our three-phase page covers the trade-off in full.
It's an ecosystem. Sigenergy batteries, Sigenergy inverter, Sigenergy Gateway, Sigenergy app. That's the source of the neatness, and it's also the boundary: you don't mix in another brand's battery later. Go in knowing that.
A recall, handled well. In November 2025 Sigenergy recalled its single-phase 8, 10 and 12 kW Energy Controllers over an AC plug that could overheat, pushed protective firmware, redesigned the plug and replaced every affected unit free with two extra years of warranty. We were part of that program and came out trusting the brand more, not less — the whole story is on our Sigenergy recall page.
Lots of solar. Any off-grid system wants generous panels; a Sigenergy one especially, because its strengths — fast car charging, whole-home backup, modules added over time — all lean on sun in the bank by mid-morning.
Is Sigenergy the right fit for your property?
Tell us about the place — where the mains come in, where you'd like the batteries, how far apart those two spots are, and what runs when the grid drops. If the Gateway layout is the answer, the design shows it with the cable runs and the data link drawn in. If a different platform fits the property better, the design says that instead. We don't hold stock, so nothing on a shelf decides it.
Prefer to talk it through? Call or text 0483 927 257 — Lismore HQ, local voices.
Sigenergy questions, answered
Can a Sigenergy SigenStor run a property off grid?
Yes, with a Sigen Gateway in the design. The Gateway carries the backup switch, starts a generator on a two-wire signal and lets the stack stand alone without a grid connection. Without it, SigenStor is a grid-connected hybrid with backup. Every off-grid Sigenergy system we design includes one.
Can the batteries be in the shed and the backup at the house?
That's the layout Sigenergy is best at. The SigenStor and the solar go at the shed, the Gateway goes at the house switchboard where the backup starts, and the existing power run between the two carries the energy. A data cable in the trench — or a point-to-point wireless link where there's no trench to open — connects the Gateway to the stack.
Does Sigenergy work without internet?
It runs, and it keeps the lights on, and the Gateway still switches to backup. Day-to-day, though, the mySigen app is the only interface — there's no screen on the unit — and Sigenergy's design assumes the system is online. On rural properties we design the connection in rather than hope for it. If a system that never touches the internet matters to you, Victron is the platform to look at.
Is the bi-directional EV charger worth it off grid?
For charging the car fast from surplus solar once the house batteries are full — yes, that's where it shines. For pulling large amounts of energy back out of the car quickly, we're cautious: fast discharge is hard on an expensive battery. A slow overnight trickle from the car through the inverter's generator input, via a compliant changeover arrangement, is the version we prefer to design.
How much storage can a SigenStor hold?
Modules are 5 kWh or 8 kWh, and one controller carries up to six, so a single stack runs from one 5 kWh module to about 48 kWh. Larger properties parallel more than one stack. Capacity is added a module at a time, which suits owners who want to start sensibly and grow.
Will it start my bore pump or compressor?
Sigenergy rates peak output on the single-phase units at 150% of rated power for ten seconds; three-phase models vary by size, and Sigenergy quotes 200% for ten seconds while off grid on three phase. That covers most household motors; big bore pumps, compressors and welders get a soft starter or a different inverter, and the design says which before a quote is written. Our three-phase page explains the surge trade-off across brands.