PVTIME – December 27, Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, announced that it has started production shipments of IQ8 Microinverters for customers in North America. IQ8 is Enphase’s smartest microinverter yet and fundamentally changes the paradigm for solar technology, which otherwise requires a grid connection to operate. With IQ8, homeowners can now form a microgrid during a power outage using sunlight, providing backup power even without a battery.
“We are pleased to deliver our customers the all-in-one Enphase Energy System powered by the software-defined IQ8 solar microinverters,” said Badri Kothandaraman, president and CEO of Enphase Energy. “We began piloting the product in the third quarter of 2021 with select installers and the feedback has been great. Homeowners not only get backup power with sunlight, but also have the flexibility to add more solar or batteries in the future as their needs change.”
The Enphase Energy System with IQ8 comes in four different configurations: the first is “Solar Only™”; the second is “Sunlight Backup™” with no battery and the addition of IQ Load Controller to only support essential loads during an outage; the third is “Home Essentials Backup™” with a small battery; and the fourth is “Full Energy Independence™” with a large battery. While the first configuration is a standard grid-tied system, the remaining configurations are grid-agnostic systems which need the Enphase IQ™ System Controller 2 (formerly called Enpower® smart switch) to island the home during an outage. For homeowners who want a battery, there are no sizing restrictions on pairing an Enphase battery with the solar system. And all configurations can be customized for homeowners with the help of Enphase installer partners.
“The IQ8 Microinverter has changed the way we think about installing home solar energy systems,” said William May, owner and operator of May Electric Solar, an Enphase Energy installer partner based in Florida. “The technology gives us the ability to build a solution that fits our customer needs, with or without a battery, and provides them with reliable, affordable, and safer power.”
“After installing IQ8 it’s clear that this technology could be a breakthrough moment for reliable home solar power,” said Mike Teresso, president of Baker Electric Home Energy, an Enphase Energy installer partner based in California. “Enphase is pairing its best-in-class customer service with new and improved technology, offering customers a solution that caters exactly to their energy needs. We’re excited to grow our partnership together going forward.”
“The new Enphase Energy System powered by the IQ8 Microinverter and IQ Battery is one of the best solutions on the market today,” said José C. Albiñana, president of Solar Technology LLC, an Enphase Energy installer partner based in Puerto Rico. “We were incredibly pleased with the pilot phase and look forward to partnering with Enphase to bring the most innovative technology available to as many customers as possible in the coming years.”
The IQ8 family includes five types of software-defined microinverters, IQ8, IQ8+, IQ8M, IQ8A, and IQ8H, with peak output AC power of 245VA, 300VA, 330VA, 366VA, and 384VA, respectively. The IQ8H microinverter is Enphase’s most powerful microinverter to date and has a California Energy Commission (CEC) efficiency of 97 percent. The multiple types of IQ8 enable seamless pairing with a full range of solar modules, up to 540W DC.
While IQ8 pilot installations began in the third quarter of 2021 with select installer partners, production shipments for Enphase’s broader network of distributor and installer partners in North America started last week.
