Solar MD

What Solar MD does

Solar MD is a vertically integrated manufacturer of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery energy storage systems, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. The company designs and assembles its products in-house, sourcing cells from CATL (used in SS216, SS6160, SS6143) and CALB (used in SS4083), and layers on proprietary hardware — Battery Management System (BMS), Battery Management Unit (BMU), and Logger V2 communication gateway — plus the mypower24 Energy Management System software platform available as a mobile app and web portal. It sells exclusively through approved channel partners (distributors, installers, EPCs) rather than direct-to-consumer, with wholly-owned regional entities operating in South Africa (Cape Town HQ), China (Nanjing, APAC), the UAE (Dubai, via Solar MDX L.L.C-FZ), and Bulgaria (Ruse, via Solar MD Giga 2 JSC), serving customers across 50+ countries. Customer logos span automotive, food and beverage, retail, banking, manufacturing, hospitality, and public infrastructure, while named case studies include Jaeggi Industries, Therme Bucharest, and the Lebalelo Water User Association.

The product portfolio spans three voltage tiers. Low-voltage residential units include the SS4083 (8.3 kWh), SS4160 (16 kWh), and SS216 (16 kWh, scalable to 512 kWh). High-voltage commercial and industrial solutions include the SS6143 (14.3 kWh), SS6160 (16 kWh), and the SS70xx modular rack system (80-272 kWh) plus outdoor battery cabinets. Utility-scale containerised BESS offers 500 kWh to 6.5 MWh per container in 20ft or 40ft form factors with integrated cooling and fire suppression. All products carry IEC 62619, UN38.3, UN3480, UL 1642, UL 1973, and CE certifications, with claimed technical performance of 99% charging efficiency, >7000 cycle life on flagship models, and >93% round-trip efficiency for battery-only BESS configurations. The products are designed for inverter-agnostic interoperability, integrating with 25+ inverter brands including SMA, Victron, Sungrow, Deye, GoodWe, Solis, ABB, Studer, and Sofar, with SunSpec Alliance compliance.

The business model is hardware-driven, with revenue generated through one-time sales of batteries, BESS containers, and monitoring hardware via channel partners; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The mypower24 platform is offered free of charge, with no recurring software fees. The company has raised approximately $20 million cumulatively across 10 disclosed rounds since 2016, with the most recent and largest — an $11.3 million round in November 2024 — funding geographic expansion and a 2025 product refresh that included the SS216, SS4160, and SS6160 launches.

Name

Solar MD

Legal name

Solar MD

Website

https://solarmd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Solar MD designs and manufactures lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery energy storage systems and the mypower24 energy management platform, serving residential, commercial, industrial, and utility customers across 50+ countries via approved channel partners and regional offices in South Africa, China, the UAE, and Bulgaria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Battery and BESS Hardware Sales: Solar MD designs, manufactures, and sells lithium iron phosphate battery systems and containerised BESS solutions. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales via its channel partner network across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility segments.
2. Monitoring & Control Hardware: Sale of proprietary monitoring hardware including Logger V2, BMS, and BMU units as add-on or standalone products for system integration and remote management.
3. EMS Platform (mypower24): The mypower24 energy management platform is provided free of charge with no monthly fees, as stated on the product page.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Solar MD designs and manufactures lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery energy storage systems spanning low voltage, high voltage, and containerised configurations, alongside proprietary monitoring and control hardware (BMS, BMU, Logger V2) and the mypower24 energy management software platform. Its products serve residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale customers and are sold exclusively through approved channel partners across Africa, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East.

Product overview

Solar MD is a lithium iron phosphate battery manufacturer offering integrated energy storage solutions across three voltage tiers. The Low Voltage product line includes the SS4083 (8.3kWh), SS4160 (16kWh), and SS216 (16-512kWh) for residential and commercial use. High Voltage solutions comprise the SS6143 (14.3kWh), SS6160 (16kWh), SS70xx rack systems (80-272kWh), and Outdoor Battery Storage. Utility-scale Containerised BESS provides 0.5-6.5MWh storage in 20ft/40ft containers. The product ecosystem is unified through the mypower24 Energy Management System platform with Logger V2 hardware, enabling real-time monitoring and control across all battery systems, supporting applications from residential backup to industrial peak shaving and grid balancing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mypower24: Advanced energy management platform providing real-time monitoring, analytics, and control of solar storage systems with mobile app and web portal interfaces.

Products and services

• SS216 Low Voltage Battery 16kWh advanced lithium iron phosphate low voltage battery system with modular rack-mount cabinet design, scalable from 16kWh to 512kWh for residential and commercial applications.
• SS4160 Low Voltage Battery 16kWh low voltage lithium iron phosphate battery for residential home energy storage with scalability for expanding power needs.
• SS4083 Low Voltage Battery 8.3kWh lithium iron phosphate low voltage battery for smaller homes with modular design allowing capacity expansion, supporting grid-tied, hybrid, and off-grid systems.
• SS6160 High Voltage Battery Module 16kWh advanced lithium iron phosphate high voltage battery module designed for commercial and industrial applications with compatibility with SS70xx rack system.
• SS70xx Rack System Modular and scalable high voltage battery rack system utilising SS6160 modules, configurable from 80kWh to 272kWh for commercial and industrial energy storage needs.
• SS6143 High Voltage Battery Module 14.3kWh advanced lithium iron phosphate high voltage battery module for high energy demand applications with 99% efficiency and compatibility with SS70xx rack system.
• Outdoor Battery Storage High voltage outdoor battery cabinet with rugged design for harsh environments, supporting 5 to 17 SS6160 modules (80 to 272 kWh) with optional PCS, MPPT, and STS add-ons.
• Containerised BESS Utility and industrial scale battery energy storage solution in 20ft or 40ft containers, scalable from 500 kWh to 6.5 MWh per container with integrated BMS, cooling, and fire suppression systems.
• Logger V2 Central communication hub device that collects data from inverters, energy meters, and weather stations and transmits to the mypower24 platform for system monitoring and control, supporting CAN Bus, RS232, RS485, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi.
• Battery Management System (BMS) Hardware device within each battery module that manages performance and safety through cell voltage measurement, cell balancing, and temperature monitoring.
• Battery Management Unit (BMU) Hardware device for high voltage systems that collects data from all BMS units, performs state of charge calculations, and communicates with external devices.
• mypower24 Energy Management Platform Advanced energy management platform providing real-time monitoring, analytics, and control of solar storage systems via mobile app (iOS/Android) for end clients and web portal for installers, with features including system visualisation, device management, logic configuration, mini-grid management, energy arbitrage, peak shaving, and zero feed-in.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% charging efficiency reducing energy losses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration24 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StudercoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar MD batteries are compatible with Studer hybrid inverters. Studer is listed among inverter brands supported for integration with Solar MD energy storage systems, enabling customers to build hybrid systems using Studer inverters with Solar MD batteries.
• SMAcoreTechnology or IntegrationSMA is one of the leading inverter brands compatible with Solar MD batteries, enabling integration of Solar MD storage with SMA solar inverter systems for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
• Victron EnergycoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar MD products are compatible with Victron Energy inverters and energy management systems, allowing customers to integrate Solar MD battery storage with Victron's established off-grid and hybrid inverter ecosystem.
• SungrowcoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar MD high-voltage batteries are compatible with Sungrow inverters, enabling large-scale commercial and industrial energy storage solutions using Sungrow's string inverters and Solar MD battery systems.
• DeyecoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar MD products are compatible with Deye inverters, providing an integration option for customers using Deye hybrid inverters in their solar-plus-storage installations.
• GoodWecoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar MD batteries integrate with GoodWe hybrid inverters, allowing customers to combine GoodWe's solar inverter technology with Solar MD battery storage for optimised residential and commercial energy management.
• SoliscoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar MD storage solutions are compatible with Solis (Ginlong) inverters, providing an additional integration pathway for customers with Solis solar inverter installations.
• ABBcoreTechnology or IntegrationSolar MD batteries are compatible with ABB power conversion systems and inverters, enabling integration for industrial and utility-scale energy storage projects.
• CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology)coreTechnology or IntegrationWorld-leading CATL LiFePO4 technology is used in Solar MD's SS216, SS6160, and SS6143 battery modules. CATL cells provide industry-leading performance and safety for Solar MD's battery products.
• CALB (China Aviation Lithium Battery)coreTechnology or IntegrationCALB supplies lithium battery cells for the SS4083 low-voltage battery module. CALB cells are known for reliability and performance in energy storage applications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Huawei Digital Power: Smart PV + ESS provider with FusionSolar platform and LFP-based residential/C&I storage products. Overlaps with Solar MD across product range and software-defined energy management, with vastly larger R&D and channel resources.
• Sungrow: Global leader in solar inverters with growing C&I and utility-scale ESS portfolio. Competes with Solar MD's commercial/industrial offering and is also a Solar MD integration partner, creating both competitive and cooperative dynamics.
• BYD Energy Storage: Vertically integrated Chinese battery and storage giant with residential (Battery-Box) and utility-scale (Cube) offerings. Competes with Solar MD across all tiers with much larger scale and lower cell costs.
• Tesla Energy: Powerwall (residential) and Megapack (utility-scale) battery storage products with integrated software platform. Competes with Solar MD's residential and utility-scale BESS lines, with a much larger balance sheet and brand.
• Enphase Energy: Microinverter and battery storage provider (IQ Battery) targeting residential and small commercial markets. Overlaps with Solar MD's residential segment and increasingly competes on integrated software/EMS.

Direct peers

• AlphaESS: Global LFP battery storage provider offering residential, commercial, and industrial systems with proprietary EMS. Directly comparable to Solar MD across product tiers, multi-region distribution, and channel partner-led GTM.
• Pylontech: Chinese LFP battery module manufacturer specializing in residential and C&I energy storage. Closest direct peer to Solar MD's SS-series modular LiFePO4 systems, with overlapping product range and inverter-agnostic positioning.
• Hithium: Chinese stationary battery storage specialist producing LFP cells, modules, and integrated ESS for utility and C&I. Direct competitor to Solar MD's containerised BESS and high-voltage rack product lines.
• Sonnen (Shell): German residential and small commercial LFP storage specialist, now owned by Shell. Closely comparable to Solar MD on residential/C&I LFP positioning, with deeper EU market presence and utility VPP expertise.

Others

• CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology): World's largest battery cell manufacturer and key supplier to Solar MD. While not a direct competitor at the system level, CATL's own ESS ambitions (TENER stack) and any supply decisions directly affect Solar MD's cost and availability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnWf4ScTnrl6NX7LWrmUuNg
• Facebookfacebook.com/SolarMD.SA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solar-md
• Instagraminstagram.com/solarmd
• Xx.com/solarmdsa

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Solar MD