US company Enphase Energy releases their Energy System to SA

Who is Enphase?

Enphase Energy, Inc. is an American energy technology company headquartered in Fremont, California, that designs and manufactures solar micro-inverters, battery energy storage, and EV charging stations.

In South Africa, Enphase distributes their products through authorized distributers, who sell to solar installers and they in turn sell to end customers.  Enphase is a global leader in making quality solar inverters and battery systems for premium residential homes and for commercial use.

• Click here to learn more about Enphase Energy.

What is the Enphase Energy System?

The Enphase Energy System is a smart home energy management system which allows you to make, use, save, and sell your own power. It is based on a few main components: The Enphase IQ8 series microinverters which are mounted behind each solar panel and convert DC to AC energy;  the Enphase IQ10Z AC Battery;  and the IQ System Controller.  

All the components connect using AC cables which are quick and easy to install. The EES allows for self-consumption, grid feed-in  and backup modes.  This allows maximum value for the homeowner allowing them to choose to cycle the battery daily to increase their grid independence, sell back to the grid during high tariff periods or keep the batteries fully charged if they are expecting load shedding periods.  They can also run in off-grid mode and black-start from the sun if the battery is completely drained.  

Once installed the entire EES is software based configurable via the customers Enlighten app. Through the IQ System Controller, you can select or program the home circuits to turn off and on according to the state of charge of the battery.  This is important in South Africa as you may not be able to feed back in the grid depending on your municipality and grid meter. Its also futureproof insofar you can easily also add more solar or more batteries later to scale up your savings or even an Enphase Electric Vehicle charger when it comes to SA.

What is unique about the Enphase battery?

At the heart of the Enphase energy system is the 5P battery which is a revolutionary product. It is made up of Lithium-ion-phosphate cells integrated with six Enphase microinverters which allow for an entirely AC input and output. It therefore combines the job of a traditional battery and inverter, and could be described as an “AC battery”.  This has a number of safety advantages over a more traditional DC battery setup. 

The first is safety. With no battery DC cables and no high voltage DC solar runs, the Enphase system is standardized on safer AC low voltage, which negates the risk of high voltage DC arcing, which is the most regular cause of solar fires.  It is quick and easy to install using only AC wiring components to the IQ gateway and home DB.  It comes with generous 15 year warranty of 6000 full cycles, backed by a listed US company. If there is a fault of some kind during this long life, the battery has a high degree of redundancy, and most likely only a portion of capacity will be unavailable.  It can be scaled up to the following configurations.

What other products is Enphase bringing to South Africa in 2025?

• The Flex Phase 5P / 3Phase Battery / See here: https://enphase.com/de-de/installers/storage/gen3
• The IQ Balcony Solar System / Introduction to IQ Balcony Solar System
• The Enphase IQEV Charger / EV chargers for home | Enphase
• The Enphase Portable Energy System  / IQ PowerPack 1500 portable energy system | Enphase

As a homeowner with a limited budget – how can I get started with Enphase?

You can start small with Enphase and then grow with your needs and requirements. 

Enphase solar microinverters can be installed as a full system including solar panels and installation costs and a CoC for under R50K, and this will save you money from day one.  Then if you decide to invest in a battery or EV charger you can do this later. Start your solar journey with the best technology available at an affordable price, and build from there.

How to buy Enphase in South Africa

If you are a registered solar installer you may purchase Enphase products from Krannich South Africa. Visit krannichsolaronlineshop.co.za or drop an email to [email protected].

If you are an end customer who is interested to install Enphase please submit your details here, Lead Generation Form | Enphase,  and we will connect you with a registered installer.

More information about Enphase

Visit www.enphase.com/en-za or write an email to Ralph Berold at [email protected]