Our rating
professional
- Good workmanship
- Easy assembly
- Excellent app
- Expandable to 6,144 Wh storage capacity
- Storage unit is also power station
- German-language user manual
Cons
- Housing not waterproof
- Short cable
Conclusion
The complete system from Alpha ESS impresses in the test with its easy commissioning, innovative app for controlling and managing the VitaPower VT1000 and its extensive application options. The storage block is also a power station with three sockets and four USB ports.
Price upon review
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Best prices today
Price when tested
999 euros
Currently best price: VitaPower VT1000
Design & workmanship
In our test, we focused on the VitaPower VT1000 memory, which, according to manufacturer Alpha ESS, is compatible with 99 percent of all solar panels and is therefore also suitable as a retrofit solution. For our test setup, we also received four 500-watt solar panels including a flat roof mounting system and two VitaMate VM1000 expansion storage units, each with 1,024 Wh. So a total of 3,072 Wh of storage capacity is available.
The individual components arrived well packaged and undamaged, which is not always a given given the weight. The VT1000 weighs 19.1 kilograms, the VM1000 expanded memory weighs just under 13 kilograms. The sturdy boxes have a special insert so that everything is doubly secured. Good: Thanks to the carrying handles, both the VT1000 and the VM1000 can be easily removed from the box.
Christoph Hoffmann
The first impression after unpacking the VitaPower conveys a high-quality design and good workmanship with a stylish aluminum housing. The optional expansion storage has sturdy carrying handles and can be stacked. In contrast to the Hyper 2000 from Zendure, the connections are not seamlessly integrated on the bottom and top. They are located on the back of the VM1000 and are therefore connected via visible cables.
As off-grid equipment – for use as a power station – there are three AC sockets with an on and off switch on the back of the VitaPower and two USB-A (18 watts) and two USB-A sockets on the front behind a flap. C connectors with up to 100 watts.
Christoph Hoffmann
The five-inch display is on the front and provides essential information such as current charge status, input and output.
The integrated fan is extremely quiet and hardly noticeable during operation.
A practical extra is the approx. 30 × 6 centimeter LED lighting on the left side of the housing. With three switchable brightness levels, you can illuminate rooms in the event of a power outage and have a light source for mobile use.
Nothing can go wrong during assembly: the connectors to the solar panels (MPPT on Anderson) are easy to mix up. The Schuko plug is plugged in on the left, the cable for the expansion memory on the right and the locking plate is fixed with screws. The installation is now complete.
Christoph Hoffmann
If you have any questions or are unclear, the German-language user manual will help.
AlphaLite app
The free AlphaLite app for managing the VT1000 can be downloaded from the app stores onto Android smartphones and iPhones.
Registration is required after installation and the first start. Once this is done, the switched on VT1000 can be added as the first device. This is possible via Bluetooth or WLAN (2.4 GHz). We took the WiFi version. By integrating it into the Alpha ESS cloud, the balcony power plant can be monitored and controlled from anywhere with an active internet connection.
The German-language app guides you through the individual steps and provides good tips. Within a few minutes, the VT1000 is set up and saved with a name and location. Based on this, the app determines the sunrise and the expected hours of sunshine.
Christoph Hoffmann
In the app's dashboard you can see some values that may seem a bit overwhelming at first glance, but are overall informative. Overall, the information is more extensive and more precise than that on the housing display.
The settings are also extensive and can be adapted to the user's requirements and local conditions by tapping the gear symbol.
Firmware updates for the individual components can also be installed via the app. This was necessary for us and worked straight away in the “System Status” area. There is also a permanent self-test that checks, for example, temperature, voltage, communication, charging and discharging, as well as providing details on charging cycles and capacity.
Christoph Hoffmann
The integrated inverter of the VT1000 can output up to 2,000 watts into the power grid, but is limited to a maximum of 800 watts by the app. Higher values are possible, but must be confirmed with special activation and installer codes. But this also means that the system is future-proof if the legislature (again) decides on changes to the solar package.
There are three intelligent modes to choose from: “PV load priority” is activated by default. Part of the PV power ends up in storage, while the rest is fed into the power grid up to the self-adjustable maximum value. After tapping the yellow pencil symbol, the values can be adjusted continuously using a slider.
In “fast charging” mode, the storage is simultaneously filled with the maximum available PV power and up to two kilowatts of power via the public power grid.
The “Max. “Output power” is ideal if the storage system is to feed its reserves together with the PV power into the household network – i.e. up to a maximum of 800 watts.
Switching between the different modes takes less than ten seconds after confirming with a tap of the finger. However, in “PV load priority” mode, it may take a few minutes until the feed-in is restarted.
Advanced users can also use “Custom” mode with their own charging and discharging time settings.
Christoph Hoffmann
The “electricity price setting” in the app is helpful for calculating the amortization of the balcony power plant. A fixed or variable price can be entered for certain periods of time – depending on the user's respective electricity supply contract. The savings are then displayed in the app along with the CO2 reduction and PC production.
There is a lot more data in the lower area of the app: the values for “PV system”, “battery” and “household” can be called up for “day”, “week”, “month” and “year”. This allows the yield values to be presented in detail.
Use the diagram symbol at the bottom of the screen to go to “Performance Analysis” and, after swiping to the left, to the “Saving” and “Impact” areas.
Overall, the app makes an extremely good impression and brings all the essential details of the balcony power plant with memory onto the smartphone display.
The usable capacity of the VitaPower can be defined in the app settings using the “Battery Discharge Cut-off SOC” option with a slider to values between 9 and 100 percent. As with LiFePO4 batteries, the rule of thumb applies: the less the battery cell is discharged, the longer the service life.
However, there is no maximum value, such as that offered by smartphones. At a value of ten percent, the VitaPower delivers a usable capacity of around 922 Wh without additional storage – i.e. 90 percent of 1,024 Wh. In the expansion level with 2,048 or 3,072 Wh, the usable capacity is 1,843 and 2,765 Wh. In the standard settings there is The manufacturer estimates the power consumption of the VitaPower to be around 15 watts.
Ideally, the storage device is charged via the solar module. However, if the Vitapower needs to be fully (and quickly) charged for use as a power station (see below), this can also be done via the power connection. Normal alternating current with an output of up to 2,000 watts then flows into the memory.
Like Zendure and other providers, Alpha ESS will also support the Shelly Pro 3EM smart meter in the future, which is installed directly in the control cabinet. Then it is possible to feed in electricity as needed.
Use of VitaPower as a power station
The VT1000 from Alpha ESS is more than just a storage device and an intermediary between solar panels and the home network. If you disconnect the Schuko plug, the Anderson cable (and the optional expansion memory), the device can be used as a portable power station and emergency power source – as long as the weight of just under 19 kilograms doesn't bother you.
As an independent power storage device, the VT1000 supplies unlimited devices with its three AC sockets (maximum 1,000 watts and with expanded memory a maximum of 2,000 watts) and a total of four USB ports. Alpha ESS gives the following loading examples:
Christoph Hoffmann
- Smartphone (12 Wh battery): 60 to 80 charges
- Laptop (50 Wh battery): 15 to 20 charges
- Camera (5Wh battery): 150 to 200 charges
- Drone (90Wh battery): 9 to 12 charges
- Rice cooker (600 watts): 1.5 hours operating time
- Kettle (800 watts): 1 hour operating time
- Fan (50 watts): 20 hours operating time
- Cool box (60 watts): 17 to 50 hours of operating time
Conclusion
Our test installation with four 500-watt solar panels and VitaPower VT1000 with two VitaMate VM1000 expansion storage units worked without any problems. Installation is incredibly easy and the all-in-one system is ready for operation in less than 20 minutes – provided the solar panels are already present and installed.
The Alpha ESS system competes with Anker's Solix storage systems, which are offered as an (optional) extension by many balcony power plant providers.
The VitaPower VT1000's advantages include its comprehensive features, the outstanding app and the company's know-how. Alpha ESS is a provider of professional PV solutions that is now also involved in the balcony power plant market.
And last but not least, the low price is also convincing. The following applies here: the more additional storage you buy, the cheaper the price per kilowatt hour becomes.
Reading tip: Balcony power plant calculator from HTW Berlin
Technical data
- Product Name: VitaPower VT1000
- Capacity: 1,024 Wh
- Weight: 19.1kg
- Dimensions: 430 × 210 × 323mm
- Battery cell: LFP(LiFePO4)
- Battery capacity: 1,024 Wh
- Depth of discharge: 95 percent
- Lifespan: 6,000 charging cycles
- Charging temperature: -0 to 45 degrees Celsius
- Discharge temperature: 10 to 45 degrees Celsius
- PV panel input: 1,200 watts maximum (2 × 600W) 10-60V⎓32A Max (2 × 16A)
- Number of MPPTs: 2
- Outputs: 3 × AC (maximum 1,000 watts), 2 × USB-C (maximum 100 watts), 2 × USB-A (maximum 18 watts)
- Rated AC input: 1,000 watts 220-240V~50Hz
- Rated power off-grid: 1,000 watts 220-240V~50Hz
- Power when fed into the mains: 800 watts maximum
- Peak power: 2,000 watts
- Additional battery expansion: Up to five (maximum 6,144 Wh)
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth
- Display: color, 5 inches
- Guarantee: 10 years
Expansion memory
- Product Name: VitaMate VM1000
- Weight: 13kg
- Dimensions: 371 × 221 × 224mm
- Battery capacity: 1,024 Wh
- Battery cell: LFP (LiFePO4）
- Battery voltage range: 48~57.6V
- Lifespan: 6,000 cycles
- Maximum charge/discharge current: 20A
- Waterproof class: IP 65
- Charging temperature: 0 to 45 degrees Celsius
- Discharge temperature: -10 to 45 degrees Celsius
- Guarantee: 10 years
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