Arthur
Honorary Master
After twelve years with a MLT PowerStar II and six months with a Victron Quattro + Pylontechs, I've sold the house and am now researching what's next
I'm looking at dispensing with a large central inverter and using microinverters instead. Each pv panel gets its own microinverter, typically fitted underneath the panel.
The Enphase IQ8s are not cheap. But the whole concept is intriguing and makes sense for several reasons:
* No single point of failure, as when relying on one inverter for everything.
* Enphase offer a 25 year warranty, which is waay better than anything offered for large central inverters. All reviews say they're very reliable indeed.
* An inverter failure is catastrophically expensive with one large central inverter. Replacing a microinverter is relatively cheap and easy.
* Since each panel+microinverter operates on its own (with comms to others), the output from each panel is unaffected by panels in the string. In conventional installations in SA, the output from the whole string is limited to the worst panel in that string - shading or fault on one panel drops the energy output on the entire string (unless you use something like SolarEdge Optimizers).
* Granular per-panel monitoring and management. You can see exactly how each panel performs and quickly identify a faulty or problematic panel, which is otherwise a major ball-ache.
With the IQ8 and their new smart controller box, the Enphase microinverters can be used in several configurations, including grid-tied (no grid, no solar power), solar backup mode (solar power when grid is down), or full-house hybrid with batteries and smart source management.
Anyone here looked at or know of a local Enphase microinverter installation?
I'm looking at dispensing with a large central inverter and using microinverters instead. Each pv panel gets its own microinverter, typically fitted underneath the panel.
The Enphase IQ8s are not cheap. But the whole concept is intriguing and makes sense for several reasons:
* No single point of failure, as when relying on one inverter for everything.
* Enphase offer a 25 year warranty, which is waay better than anything offered for large central inverters. All reviews say they're very reliable indeed.
* An inverter failure is catastrophically expensive with one large central inverter. Replacing a microinverter is relatively cheap and easy.
* Since each panel+microinverter operates on its own (with comms to others), the output from each panel is unaffected by panels in the string. In conventional installations in SA, the output from the whole string is limited to the worst panel in that string - shading or fault on one panel drops the energy output on the entire string (unless you use something like SolarEdge Optimizers).
* Granular per-panel monitoring and management. You can see exactly how each panel performs and quickly identify a faulty or problematic panel, which is otherwise a major ball-ache.
With the IQ8 and their new smart controller box, the Enphase microinverters can be used in several configurations, including grid-tied (no grid, no solar power), solar backup mode (solar power when grid is down), or full-house hybrid with batteries and smart source management.
Anyone here looked at or know of a local Enphase microinverter installation?
