Enphase Energy announced it reached a partnership with installer Semper Solaris in which its IQ microinverters and home batteries will be deployed throughout the state of California.
Enphase started shipping the IQ8 microinverters in December. IQ8 gained attention for their ability to form a microgrid during a power outage. The devices limit energy capture to just what the home is consuming, so if the grid goes out, the IQ8 automatically switches between on or off-grid.
(Read: “Enphase going Einstein with IQ8 solar power inverters”)
The Enphase Energy System with IQ8 comes in four different configurations: “Solar Only”; “Sunlight Backup” with no battery and the addition of IQ Load Controller to only support essential loads during an outage; “Home Essentials Backup” with a small battery; and “Full Energy Independence” with a large battery. While the first configuration is a standard grid-tied system, the remaining configurations are grid-agnostic systems that need the Enphase IQ System Controller 2 (formerly called Enpower smart switch) to island the home during an outage.
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. Enphase reports that the IQ8H microinverter is its most powerful microinverter to date and has a California Energy Commission (CEC) efficiency of 97%. The multiple types of IQ8 enable seamless pairing with a full range of solar modules, up to 540W DC.
“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,” said Badri Kothandaraman, president and CEO of Enphase Energy.
Semper Solaris plans to use Enphase’s proposal and permitting services. Enphase said it plans to build on the partnership and create a fully integrated digital platform, integrating additional services like operation and maintenance.
“We have seen an incredible surge in demand from our customers for backup power and expect this trend to continue to increase as the push for electrification grows,” said John Almond, CEO of Semper Solaris. “There will be significant strain on our aging energy infrastructure, forcing us to rethink the way we generate and deliver energy to California households.”
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