Over the past two years, Sunology has established itself in the solar station market thanks to its high-performance and innovative products. The French manufacturer was one of the first to create a solar station equipped with a photovoltaic panel, which plugs into an electrical outlet in just 2 minutes to immediately reduce your home's electricity consumption. A true Plug&Play solution. Since then, many competitors have appeared on the market. However, Sunology always stays ahead thanks to its innovations. And the new Sunology PLAYMax station, equipped with a battery to reduce electricity consumption day and night, immediately puts it at the forefront! Sunology PLAYMax: the same station, with an extra batteryRegarding the solar station itself, Sunology has incorporated everything that made its PLAY Recto Verso model so successful: a 425Wp bifacial photovoltaic panel mounted on a structure that tilts at 3 angles to adapt to the fall, winter, and mid-season seasons. The Sunology PLAYMax station can be simply placed on the ground or mounted on the wall. The principle remains the same: a simple plug connects to a wall outlet, and the solution automatically injects the generated electricity into the home's circuit to reduce consumption from the electricity supplier.
Oh, yes, a little new feature: the delivery of four ballasts that can be filled with water or sand, to ballast the ground-mounted solar station. And at first glance, the Sunology PLAYMax's structure seems more robust, with the technical data sheet indicating a wind resistance of 2400 Pa (245 kg/m²). This is probably due to the few incidents of people having their panels ripped from the structure during violent storms…
But the real novelty of this Sunology PLAYMax is the presence of a battery! The solar panel has a PlayBox enclosure on the back, capable of accommodating a 700Wh Li-Ion battery. “Capable of accommodating” is important, because for those who don't want a battery, the solar station can be purchased without a battery, for €799, a “standard” price for this type of solution. However, they can purchase the battery separately later for €649 if they wish, as the station is designed to accommodate it if necessary. And for those who want the Sunology PLAYMax solar station directly equipped with the battery, they'll be a bit cheaper, since the solution costs €1,379. A very reasonable price, since we generally see a cost of €1 per watt-hour for this type of battery (a 1000Wh Ecoflow battery, for example, exceeds €1,000). “With PLAYMax, we all have the right to5 hours of sunshine
more, every day.”
Vincent Arrouet, founder of Sunology.
A versatile battery
Sunology had already tried storing surplus solar production through its partnership with Lancey, and with a rather unusual product, since the solution relied on a radiator integrating a storage battery. An interesting solution, which I tested here, but which was only aimed at a very small number of users, due to its operating mode and price.
This time, the manufacturer seems to have listened to its users, since it offers “just” a battery. Using lithium-ion technology (2,500 cycles, 10-year warranty), this 3.7 kg battery offers a capacity of 710 Wh (37 V / 19,200 mAh). It plugs into the back of the solar station. During the day, it can be charged using the solar panel (4.7 hours of charging time on a clear day), and in the evening, it can release the stored electricity back into the house, allowing you to enjoy free electricity for even longer. This battery isn't quite so “simple,” however:
It can be charged from the mains (in 5.3 hours). This can be useful, for example, for charging during off-peak hours when there isn't much sun, or for releasing this energy during peak hours, thus saving some money.
It can be easily detached from the solar panel to become a Power Bank, meaning a battery that can be used wherever you want to power various devices. For this purpose, it has a 120W 12V port, a 140W USB-C port, a second 100W USB-C port, and finally an 18W USB-A port. Note that a 210W DC-AC converter will also be available (€129). This battery can then power a laptop, a lamp, and various devices, for example.
This battery, in addition to being able to restore the excess solar production accumulated during the day, can also be used in the event of a power outage, for example. Of course, it is still possible to chain up to four solar stations on the same power line. In other words, it is also possible to chain four batteries, for a storage capacity of up to 2800Wh!An interesting detail: this new Sunology PLAYMax will be compatible with all their previous stations, meaning that a PLAY station can be connected to a PLAYMax to chain them together.
For those wondering, however: no, it won't be possible to upgrade an old PLAY by purchasing just the battery, since the PLAY Box is also required. The Play Box is the rear part of the station, which houses the battery, but also contains all the energy management electronics as well as the communication component with the mobile app. This entire part, patented by Sunology, is 100% proprietary to Sunology. It also replaces the old Tuya plug that was used to monitor its production.
Be careful, however: while the idea seems excellent, with full integration into the solar station and the use of a single output socket, a few points should be noted:
The battery uses Li-Ion technology, not the new LFP technology used on Ecoflow batteries. This type of battery therefore only has a lifespan of around 2,500 cycles, or about 7 years, compared to around ten years for LFP. Sunology, however, seems to guarantee it for 10 years, which is rather reassuring.
- The question arises regarding battery cooling. Indeed, the back of a solar panel heats up considerably, especially in summer if it faces south. The manufacturer tells us that it has provided a heat shield between the back of the panel and the PLAY Box. Furthermore, electronic mechanisms have been designed to disconnect the battery in case of excessive temperatures, even though the battery's heat tolerance is already high, with an operating temperature range allowing functional charging/discharging year-round anywhere in mainland France (-20°C / +65°C).
- It will be interesting to compare this PLAYMax with solutions like Ecoflow's PowerStream, for example, which is more restrictive in terms of installation but has the advantage of storing the batteries indoors.
A comprehensive management application
The weak point of the Sunology Play solution was undoubtedly its production monitoring application, which relied on a simple Tuya smart plug. This time, the PLAYMax solution offers true integrated connectivity and a dedicated application capable of monitoring solar production, battery charging and discharging, and also tracking the home's electricity consumption, by adding the Linky meter dongle (optional at €89).
A solution available for reservation now.
Wondered by the solution? At least I am! But you'll have to wait, as the Sunology PLAYMax is currently on pre-sale, with delivery within 8 weeks. The Sunology PLAYMax station with its 700Wh battery retails for €1,379. You can take advantage of a discount with our code
SUN_MAISONDOMOTIQUE
- to get it for €1,339.
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