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Enphase IQ8 Microinverters Ready for Prime Time

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Not sure if this has already being posted but looks like Enphase has begun rolling out the IQ8 inverters

Enphase Energy Introduces IQ8 Microgrid-Forming Microinverter

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What are these going to do for me that my IQ7’s don’t?

From my limited understanding of it, if you didn't have a battery and it's sunny, you can have power now during a power outage (it'll cut your grid tie and create a micro-grid managing production and usage).

It needs a smart switch though as well. If you already have a battery, it doesn't add much.
 
From my limited understanding of it, if you didn't have a battery and it's sunny, you can have power now during a power outage (it'll cut your grid tie and create a micro-grid managing production and usage).

It needs a smart switch though as well. If you already have a battery, it doesn't add much.
This is correct. Islanding now possible without ESS.
 
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Friend is getting quotes from Tesla solar and from other installers. For the other installers, she's mostly looking for micro-inverters because of potential shading from chimneys to the south of the best roof planes, and trees to the west. IQ8 has been in production since Dec 2021, and is being quoted. She's interested in this additional "islanding" feature, but one installer is very negative about it, another said it flat-out doesn't work.

Anyone hear anything more about this, and why it might or might not be working?

Seems like the feature has to do two things: the Smart Switch (same as needed if using Enphase's energy storage or generator support) needs to isolate from the grid to form a micro-grid, and I think secondly, there needs to be balance between the load demand and the solar production. I presume something in the new IQ8's communicates with another part of the system to progressively turn off micro-inverters until the load is balanced - this seems like the more likely part that isn't working as designed?
 
Friend is getting quotes from Tesla solar and from other installers. For the other installers, she's mostly looking for micro-inverters because of potential shading from chimneys to the south of the best roof planes, and trees to the west. IQ8 has been in production since Dec 2021, and is being quoted. She's interested in this additional "islanding" feature, but one installer is very negative about it, another said it flat-out doesn't work.

Anyone hear anything more about this, and why it might or might not be working?

Seems like the feature has to do two things: the Smart Switch (same as needed if using Enphase's energy storage or generator support) needs to isolate from the grid to form a micro-grid, and I think secondly, there needs to be balance between the load demand and the solar production. I presume something in the new IQ8's communicates with another part of the system to progressively turn off micro-inverters until the load is balanced - this seems like the more likely part that isn't working as designed?

I have a few enphase batteries with IQ8s in them and the smart switch.

I would assume islanding works, even on cloudy days, I can get say, 1.8 generated and use 0.8 so it'll work (don't see why it won't). I assume what will happen is if generation drops to less than usage, you will have a power outage since you don't have any energy storage.

What your friend could do is maybe buy a small battery or something to balance it out a little bit for cloudy days where generation drops to below usage all the time (depends on their location).

Maybe the installer just doesn't want to 'deal' with the smart switch? and islanding since I've noticed battery installs are a LOT more work for very little extra $$ (as told to me by my installer). Especially in her case where she is only adding 1 switch for the installer and like little/no more $$ to them.

Installers are also simply wrong a lot.
 
I have a few enphase batteries with IQ8s in them and the smart switch.

I would assume islanding works, even on cloudy days, I can get say, 1.8 generated and use 0.8 so it'll work (don't see why it won't). I assume what will happen is if generation drops to less than usage, you will have a power outage since you don't have any energy storage.

What your friend could do is maybe buy a small battery or something to balance it out a little bit for cloudy days where generation drops to below usage all the time (depends on their location).

Maybe the installer just doesn't want to 'deal' with the smart switch? and islanding since I've noticed battery installs are a LOT more work for very little extra $$ (as told to me by my installer). Especially in her case where she is only adding 1 switch for the installer and like little/no more $$ to them.

Installers are also simply wrong a lot.
What you say kinda makes sense, but without batteries, and in a grid-down situation generating 1.8 and consuming 0.8 is also bad right? Where would the extra 1.0 kw go? Doesn't the system have to shed production somehow?
 
What you say kinda makes sense, but without batteries, and in a grid-down situation generating 1.8 and consuming 0.8 is also bad right? Where would the extra 1.0 kw go? Doesn't the system have to shed production somehow?
The inverters can adjust to produce less power by not operating at the maximum power point (MPP). See Maximum power point tracking - Wikipedia
 
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Wow, same friend finally got a quote for the SmartSwitch with installation, it's another $13K on top of the solar panels. I realize it's more than just wiring the box, is also basically creating a backup loads panel and moving a bunch of loads over to it. Basically like a Powerwall installation but without the actual battery. Still, Powerwall installation is what $4-5K for the first one, nothing for more, so $13K basically would get you one Powerwall with Tesla, whereas with Enphase you don't even get one battery...
 
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Wow, same friend finally got a quote for the SmartSwitch with installation, it's another $13K on top of the solar panels. I realize it's more than just wiring the box, is also basically creating a backup loads panel and moving a bunch of loads over to it. Basically like a Powerwall installation but without the actual battery. Still, Powerwall installation is what $4-5K for the first one, nothing for more, so $13K basically would get you one Powerwall with Tesla, whereas with Enphase you don't even get one battery...

I'm not sure who your friend talked to or is just making things up, but getting Tesla quotes last year and Enphase as well, I think it's more like $25k-30k for 2x Tesla or 2x Enphase 10 batteries. This is from 3rd party installers and not Tesla direct and things can be more expensive now.
$13k for the smartswitch alone means they don't want her business to do the work and are marking it up so much to not bother. With the tax credit and SGIP if they are lucky, someone can almost get 2x Enphase for $13k or slightly more so yes, they are ripping her off.

Powerwall installations are MUCH MUCH more than $4-$5k for 1 battery so that's way off too. From Tesla direct, it's $11.5k for 1 battery and $18,500 for 2 batteries.
 
Powerwall installations are MUCH MUCH more than $4-$5k for 1 battery so that's way off too. From Tesla direct, it's $11.5k for 1 battery and $18,500 for 2 batteries.

If you parse out what I said, I didn't mean any different, I meant $4-5K for the installation of the Powerwall's associated components, but not including the Powerwall ($7K for one, $14K for two), to be apples to apples with just the installation of the Enphase SmartSwitch, which doesn't include a battery, but does include a gateway and maybe a backup loads panel, and a place to plug in the battery. That why I said $13K (the cost of the SmartSwitch and its installation) will get you one Powerwall, I meant one installed Powerwall on top of all the gateway stuff that the SmartSwitch does (and some change back since it's only $11.5K)

Sorry I didn't word it clearly the first time.

But fair point that third-party installers have about equal prices for Tesla or Enphase ESS, it's really only Tesla directly that's undercutting the competition on ESS.