Enphase Microinverters - Inverters for Grid-Tie Solar Systems
Latest Enphase Microinverters
Enphase Microinverter Review
Why did Enphase Energy get started?
Enphase Energy was started to address the challenges associated with the traditional solar energy model:
• Maximizing the energy harvest of an array of modules.
• Having a single inverter for an entire array creates a single point of failure.
• Complex design decisions must be made in sizing DC series and parallel strings.
• Limited monitoring and analysis and no per-panel visibility.
General Features FAQ
What is a Microinverter?
An inverter is a power converter that converts direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). Traditionally, this has meant one, centrally-located inverter converting all of the DC current from the entire PV array. A micro-inverter is a much smaller version of the central inverter where there is one per PV module. The DC gets converted to AC at the point of the PV module. AC power then travels upstream through an ordinary branch circuit, and to the service panel.
What is a Microinverter system?
A Microinverter system is a federation of multiple micro-inverters all along a branch circuit, and/or within multiple branch circuits, which are all converting DC to AC, all injecting their current upstream, and reporting back to Enphase regarding their individual power-production statistics.
What is an EMU?
The Energy Management Unit is the communications gateway device which relays power-production statistics to the Enlighten™ website.
How do Enphase Microinverters differ from PVAC units?
With PVAC, the inverter and module are a single unit and are sold and installed as such. In contrast, the Enphase Microinverter is architected as a standalone inverter. This modular design means they can offer the flexibility to work with most off-the-shelf solar modules.
Can Microinverters work in off-grid environments?
They have only been tested to work in grid-tied installations.
Can Enphase be used in both Residential and Commercial solar deployments?
Yes. they are designed for 240VAC residential, as well as 208VAC three-phase service.
What solar modules are they compatible with?
They are compatible with most major brands of solar panels. Contact us for professional reviews or choose the one from our Enphase Microinverter Comparison Page.
• Every module gets the benefit of individual Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT),
thereby maximizing energy harvest.
• No single point of failure.
• Quick and simple installation.
How an Enphase Energy Microinverter System differs from a standard String Inverter System
Traditional solar energy installations deploy a single centralized inverter to convert the DC output from multiple solar modules into AC power. The Enphase Energy Micro-inverter system is a fully integrated device that converts the DC output of a single solar module into grid-compliant AC power. This provides significant benefits over traditional solar energy systems:
|Traditional System||Enphase System||Benefits|
|Single centralized inverter||One Microinverter per module||• Eliminates concern about where to place a large inverter.
• Reduced wiring time.
• Eliminates need for DC switching points.
|Single MPPT for array||Individual MPPT per module||• Maximizes harvest per module.
• Increased resilience to obstruction, shading, inter-row shading,
and obstacles such as dust or debris.
|Uniform, co-planar module installation||Mis-matched, non-coplanar orientation possible||• Roof area can be maximized.
• Configuration flexibility for varying module brands and ratings.
• Modules need not be collocated.
|String design||Branch circuit design||• No string design required.
• No single point of failure.
• Degradation of one module does not affect other modules.
|Third party per-inverter monitoring||Integrated Enlighten™ per-module monitoring||• Continuous per-module performance monitoring for optimized harvest.
• Performance variance detection, analysis, and diagnostics.
Envoy allows you to monitor each module through the Enlighten website.
The Enphase Microinverter System includes the following two additional components:
The module performance information generated by each inverter is collected by the Enphase communications gateway called the Energy Management Unit (EMU). This is also known as the Envoy. The EMU then transmits this data over a broadband internet connection to the Enphase Enlighten™ website.
The Enphase Enlighten website analyzes the per-module data collected by each Micro-inverter. Enlighten automatically detects any shortfall in energy production, identifies possible causes, and suggests solutions to correct the problem. The Enphase Enlighten website is constantly monitoring and managing every module on every installation.