--- title: "SMA Solar Sunny Highpower PEAK3 SHP 150-21 Grid-tie Inverter: Specs & Datasheet | ComparePV" description: "SMA Solar Sunny Highpower PEAK3 SHP 150-21 150 kW grid-tie inverter. Specs: 98.8% European efficiency, 1 MPPT, 1500 V max DC input, 99.0 kg." source: "https://comparepv.com/inverter/sma-solar-sunny-highpower-peak3-shp-150-21" updated: 2026-01-16 --- # SMA Solar Sunny Highpower PEAK3 SHP 150-21 ## Identity - **Manufacturer:** SMA Solar - **Model:** Sunny Highpower PEAK3 SHP 150-21 - **Series:** Sunny Highpower PEAK3 - **Rated AC power:** 150 kW - **Type:** Grid-tie - **Phases:** Three-phase ## How it compares Compared against 95 inverters from 100 to 500 kW. Ranks are within that class. | Measure | This inverter | Class median | Standing | Rank in class | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | European efficiency | 98.8% | 98.6% | Strong - top 21% | 5 | | MPPT trackers | 1 | 10 | Weak - bottom 3% | 67 | | Max DC input voltage | 1500 V | 1100 V | Strong - top 24% | 1 | | Weight per kW | 0.7 | 0.6 | Typical | 57 | | Warranty | 5 yrs | 5 yrs | Typical | 2 | ## Specification ### AC output - **Rated AC power:** 150 kW - **Max apparent power:** 150.00 kVA - **Phases:** Three-phase - **Max AC current:** 151.0 A - **Grid frequency:** 50 Hz - **Power factor:** At rated power: 1; displacement PF adjustable: 0 overexcited to 0 underexcited - **Harmonic distortion (THD):** 0.5 % ### PV input - **Max DC input power:** 300.00 kW - **Max DC voltage:** 1500 V - **MPPT voltage range:** up to 1450 V - **MPPT trackers:** 1 - **Max input current per MPPT:** 180.0 A - **Max short-circuit current per MPPT:** 325.0 A ### Efficiency - **European efficiency:** 98.8 % - **Max efficiency:** 99.1 % ### Physical - **Dimensions:** 830 × 770 × 462 mm - **Weight:** 99.0 kg - **Enclosure:** IP65 - **Cooling:** forced-air - **Noise:** 69 dB - **Operating temperature:** -25 to 60 °C - **Max humidity:** 100 % ### Connectivity and protection - **Interfaces:** Ethernet - **Protocols:** SMA Modbus, SunSpec Modbus, Speedwire - **Protection:** Surge protection ### Warranty and certificates - **Warranty:** 5 years - **Certifications:** IEC/EN 62109-1, IEC/EN 62109-2, VDE-AR-N 4110, VDE-AR-N 4120, IEC 62116, IEC 61727, EN 50549, C10/11, CEI 0-16, G99/1 (>16A), PO 12.3, ABNT NBR 16149 ### Pros - **Top-tier efficiency of 98.8-99.2%** - The official datasheet (SHP-21-DS) specifies a peak efficiency of 98.8-99.2% depending on the variant, placing the series among the leading commercial inverters in the 100-180 kW class. For reference, the Sungrow SG250HX is rated at up to 98.9% and the Huawei SUN2000-215KTL-H3 at 99.0%; the PEAK3 thus matches that performance level while leveraging a proven European architecture. - **1500 V DC system voltage** - 1500 V DC support enables the design of longer PV strings (fewer strings, less DC cabling), directly reducing BoS costs and installation time on utility-scale sites - the industry standard for projects above 1 MWp since 2019, which the PEAK3 meets in full. - **25-year design life with warranty extension up to 25 years** - The manufacturer confirms a 25-year design life and offers warranty extensions up to 25 years - unique in the >100 kW inverter class. Most Chinese competitors provide a standard 5- or 10-year factory warranty, with paid extensions available up to 20 years. - **OptiCool - proven active thermal management** - SMA's proprietary OptiCool technology dynamically regulates airflow based on load and ambient temperature, reducing thermal derating on hot days and extending capacitor service life. The solution has been field-deployed since 2018 and is documented in installations across Mediterranean and subtropical climates. - **ennexOS monitoring ecosystem with Modbus/TCP** - Native integration with Sunny Portal powered by ennexOS and built-in Modbus/TCP support enable SCADA deployment without additional communication gateways. The SMA Data Manager M can aggregate up to 150 inverters per node - a significant advantage for utility-scale farms in the 5-50 MWp segment. ### Cons - **Single MPPT in 1500 V models** - Standard variants of the series (SHP 100-180-20/21) feature a single MPPT tracker. For plants with varied array orientations or partial shading, this requires designing uniform DC fields - less flexible than, for example, the Sungrow SG250HX (2 MPPTs) or the Huawei SUN2000-215KTL-H3 (12 MPPTs). The DC Combiner Box architecture partially compensates for this limitation, but at the cost of additional infrastructure. - **Mandatory external DC combiner boxes** - Unlike typical string inverters (e.g., Huawei SUN2000, Fronius Symo GEN24), the PEAK3 does not accept string inputs directly - external DC combiner boxes are required. This increases BoS costs by approximately 2-4% of the total installed value and extends commissioning time during field wiring. - **Premium pricing versus Asian competition** - As a German Tier-1 manufacturer, SMA positions the PEAK3 above the segment's price median set by Sungrow and Huawei, which together account for approximately 55% of the global inverter market (BNEF/Wood Mackenzie 2024). The equipment purchase price differential is estimated at 15-25% in favor of Chinese competitors - a significant factor in EPC projects under CAPEX pressure. ## About this series The SMA Sunny Highpower PEAK3 series are grid-tie inverters specifically designed for large commercial and industrial installations, as well as solar farms. Key features include **high power density in a compact housing**, simplifying logistics and field installation, and **active cooling OptiCool**, ensuring stable operation even in demanding environmental conditions. The PEAK3 operates with an external DC Combiner Box architecture, making it easy to adapt the design to diverse terrain and expand later without reconfiguring the entire infrastructure. Depending on the variant, configurations with one or multiple MPPTs are available - in practice, this means better optimization of yields when chains have different orientations or partial shading occurs. **High European efficiency** translates to lower losses under typical operating conditions in Poland, delivering more energy to the grid annually. Monitoring and communication are handled by **Ethernet and integration with Sunny Portal powered by ennexOS and Data Manager**, enabling remote diagnostics and Modbus/TCP integration. This series is not hybrid - it does not directly work with DC energy storage systems, but it performs excellently in projects focused on stable, grid-connected generation. An additional advantage is **its long design lifespan and the possibility of extending the warranty up to 25 years**. ## Questions ### What is the maximum AC power output offered by the SMA Sunny Highpower PEAK3 series? The Sunny Highpower PEAK3 series covers models with nominal AC output ranging from 100 kW to 180 kW, available in the following variants: 100, 125, 150, 172, and 180 kW. All units operate in a three-phase configuration and support DC voltages up to 1500 V, enabling the design of long PV strings and significantly reducing balance-of-system (BoS) cabling costs on the DC side. ### What is the efficiency of the SMA Sunny Highpower PEAK3 and what does it mean for energy production? The PEAK3 series achieves a maximum efficiency of 98.8% to 99.2%, with the weighted European efficiency (calibrated for climatic conditions comparable to Central Europe) reaching a similarly high level. In practical terms, this translates to minimal conversion losses throughout the year. For utility-scale plants in the multi-megawatt range, these marginal efficiency gains result in a measurable increase in annual energy delivered to the grid. ### Can the SMA Sunny Highpower PEAK3 be used in an installation with energy storage? No, the PEAK3 series is a grid-tie-only inverter without hybrid functionality. It does not support battery storage on the DC side. If the project requires energy storage, a separate hybrid inverter or a dedicated battery system with its own inverter must be used - for example, from a different SMA product line designed for that purpose. ### What is the OptiCool technology in the PEAK3 series and why does it matter in the Polish climate? OptiCool is an active forced-air cooling system that circulates air through the inverter enclosure. It maintains a stable operating temperature even during peak summer irradiance and high ambient temperatures, thereby preventing thermal throttling and power derating. In Poland, where summer heat waves increasingly exceed 35 °C, OptiCool ensures that the installation maintains full output capacity during peak generation hours. ### What does the DC architecture of a PEAK3-based plant look like, and can the plant be expanded without replacing the inverters? The PEAK3 series is designed to work with external DC Combiner Boxes, which aggregate PV string currents before feeding them into the inverter. This decentralized architecture allows new plant sections to be connected via additional combiner boxes without any modification to the already-installed inverters. Furthermore, the specification permits a DC overload ratio of up to 200% of the rated AC power, enabling an increase in the PV array area without replacing existing inverter units. ### What warranty does the SMA Sunny Highpower PEAK3 carry, and can it be extended? The standard manufacturer's warranty is 5 years; however, SMA offers warranty extensions of up to 25 years through its service and maintenance packages. This is particularly relevant for project-financed installations, where lenders and financial institutions typically require warranty coverage spanning the full planned operational lifetime of the photovoltaic plant. ## Datasheet [Manufacturer datasheet (PDF)](https://comparepv.com/datasheets/inverters/SHP-21-DS-en-20-8984df4755e3.pdf) ## Alternatives | Inverter | Rated AC | Euro efficiency | MPPT | Weight | Difference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [SMA Solar Sunny Highpower Storage SHPS 150-21](https://comparepv.com/inverter/sma-solar-sunny-highpower-storage-shps-150-21) | 150 kW | 98.8% | | 99.0 kg | Similar on paper | | [Growatt MAX 150KTL3-X LV](https://comparepv.com/inverter/growatt-max-150ktl3-x-lv) | 150 kW | 98.4% | 10 | 93.0 kg | -0.4 pp efficiency, +9 MPPT, 6.0 kg lighter | | [Ginlong Solis S6-GC3P150K07-NV-ND](https://comparepv.com/inverter/ginlong-solis-s6-gc3p150k07-nv-nd) | 150 kW | 98.3% | 7 | 105.0 kg | -0.5 pp efficiency, +6 MPPT, 6.0 kg heavier | | [Sungrow SG150CX](https://comparepv.com/inverter/sungrow-sg150cx) | 150 kW | 98.2% | 7 | 100.0 kg | -0.6 pp efficiency, +6 MPPT, 1.0 kg heavier | | [Growatt MAX 150KTL3-X2 MV](https://comparepv.com/inverter/growatt-max-150ktl3-x2-mv) | 150 kW | | 8 | 84.0 kg | +7 MPPT, 15.0 kg lighter | | [Growatt MAX 150KTL3-X MV](https://comparepv.com/inverter/growatt-max-150ktl3-x-mv) | 150 kW | | 10 | 84.0 kg | +9 MPPT, 15.0 kg lighter | | [Huawei SUN2000-150KTL-MG0-ZH](https://comparepv.com/inverter/huawei-sun2000-150ktl-mg0-zh) | 150 kW | | 7 | 102.0 kg | +6 MPPT, 3.0 kg heavier | | [Huawei SUN2000-150K-MG0-ZH](https://comparepv.com/inverter/huawei-sun2000-150k-mg0-zh) | 150 kW | | 7 | 102.0 kg | +6 MPPT, 3.0 kg heavier | --- Source: https://comparepv.com/inverter/sma-solar-sunny-highpower-peak3-shp-150-21