With IQ8, homeowners can make and use their own power. IQ8 solar microinverters can provide Sunlight Backup during an outage.

Enphase Energy, Inc. has announced the all-new, all-in-one Enphase Energy System with IQ8™️ solar microinverters for customers in North America. IQ8 is Enphase’s smartest microinverter yet. Unlike competing devices, IQ8 is capable of forming a microgrid during a power outage using only sunlight, providing backup power even without a battery.

“Since the company’s inception, we invested in custom application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips for our microinverters, and today we see the payoff with a software-defined microinverter smart enough to form a microgrid, unlocking value for homeowners,” said Badri Kothandaraman, president and CEO of Enphase. “Many homeowners often assume their solar systems will function if the sun is shining, even during a power outage. This has unfortunately not been true until today. Now, with IQ8, homeowners can realize the true promise of solar — to make and use their own power. IQ8 solar microinverters can provide Sunlight Backup during an outage, even without a battery.”

The Enphase Energy System with IQ8 comes in four different configurations: the first is “Solar Only”; the second is “Sunlight Backup” with no battery; 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 an Enphase System Controller (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, being a true microgrid microinverter, is going to be a gamechanger for this industry,” said Aimee Carpenter, CEO of Washington-based Solterra Solar and Texas-based Good Energy Solar.

source:power electronics