RCT Power Battery 11.5 vs SMA Home Storage 16.4
Technical comparison · High voltage
The RCT Power Battery 11.5 pairs with the RCT Power Storage DC inverter and the SMA Home Storage 16.4 with the three-phase Sunny Tripower Smart Energy, so choosing the battery means choosing the inverter. What remains is capacity and where it can live: the RCT is declared for operation only between 5 and 40 °C (manufacturer-declared values).
| Parameter | ||
|---|---|---|
| In brief | ||
| Usable capacity | 10.37 kWh | 16.4 kWh |
| Cell chemistry | LFP (lithium iron phosphate) | LFP (lithium iron phosphate) |
| Weight | 150 kg | 190 kg |
| Dimensions (W×D×H) | 34 × 34 × 152 cm | — |
| How long it lasts | ||
| Battery life cycles | 3650 cicli | 730 cicli |
| The limit that runs out first | anni di garanzia | anni di garanzia |
| Rated cycles | — | 8000 cicli |
| Capacity at end of cycle life | — | 60 % |
| Warranty | 10 anni | 2 anni |
| Guaranteed throughput | — | 118.08 MWh |
| Guaranteed remaining capacity | 80 % | 60 % |
| The numbers | ||
| Energy density | 69.1 Wh/kg | 86.3 Wh/kg |
| Identity | ||
| Use tier | F4 — House-sized (8–20 kWh) | F4 — House-sized (8–20 kWh) |
| Category specs | ||
| Depth of discharge | 90 % | 100 % |
| Expandable | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum expanded capacity | 23 kWh | 16.4 kWh |
| Battery voltage | 461 V | 480 V |
| Declared compatible inverters | RCT Power Storage DC (6.0/8.0/10.0 LAN, 12.0): intervallo di tensione lato batteria 120-600 V dichiarato dall'inverter, entro cui rientra questa taglia (461 V nominali, 360-520 V di range). Questa è la taglia abbinata alla Storage DC 10.0 LAN nel sistema misurato dalla HTW. | Compatibile solo con l'inverter trifase SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy, che supporta da 2 a 5 moduli SMA Home Storage: il monofase Sunny Boy Smart Energy arriva al massimo a 4 moduli e non copre questa taglia. Non retrofittabile sui vecchi Sunny Boy Storage (SBS2.5-1VL-10, SBS3.7-10-SBS6.0-10) né con inverter di altri marchi. |
| Round-trip efficiency | — | 94.5 % |
| Standby consumption | 5 W | 10 W |
| SPI index (HTW Berlin) | 96.4 % | — |
| HTW test power class | 10 kW class | — |
| HTW test edition | Stromspeicher-Inspektion 2026 | — |
| Ingress protection | ip42 | IP65 |
| Mounting | Floor standing | Wall mounted |
| Minimum temperature | 5 °C | -10 °C |
| Maximum temperature | 40 °C | 50 °C |
| Local control | None | — |
| Remote updates | — | Can be disabled |
| Declared standards | CE, UN 38.3, IEC 62619 | CE, UN 38.3, IEC 62619, IEC 62477, VDE 2510-50 |
The differences that matter
- Paired inverter: RCT Power Storage DC versus Sunny Tripower Smart Energy → either way the battery ties you to its inverter; brands don't mix.
- Operating temperature: 5 to 40 °C versus -10 to 50 °C → the RCT doesn't belong in a space that drops below 5 °C in winter; the SMA tolerates more within its limits.
- Warranty: 10 years versus 2 → with the SMA the manufacturer's cover ends after the second year.
- Standby draw: 5 W versus 10 W → in theory about 44 versus 88 kWh a year if the battery sits idle all the time.
Which one to choose
Choose RCT Power Battery 11.5 if…
the system is built around the RCT Power Storage DC inverter and the battery sits in a room that stays between 5 and 40 °C (IP42). You accept 10.37 kWh usable instead of 16.4; in return the declared warranty is 10 years against 2 and standby draw is 5 W against 10 W.
Choose SMA Home Storage 16.4 if…
you have the three-phase Sunny Tripower Smart Energy, want 16.4 kWh usable on a wall, and the battery may sit somewhere cold, down to -10 °C, rated IP65. You accept a declared warranty of 2 years against 10, double the standby draw, and no pairing with other brands' inverters.
Where to buy
The purchase links are the same as on the two product pages and don't influence the verdict. The product pages have the complete data.