New Enphase IQ8 MicroInverters

Introducing the new Enphase IQ8 Grid forming inverters. Add Sunlight Backup to your home - run your kitchen when there is no power using your solar panels. No need to buy a battery.
If you want a quote for solar - please email me at [e-mail]
Enphase IQ8 MicroInverters are a revolutionary new inverter that gives you more power from your panels and also much better integration with batteries if you decide to get one. And with the Sunlight Backup mode, you don't even require batteries.

[@solarsolicitor9618]

Great video. Thanks

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@TurreTuntematon]

Enphase rules! 😊

[@62Sketch]

This sucks. Been looking to install solar and battery backup cost are outrageous. Was very excited to hear about this sunlight backup. Now bummed again to find out it's limited to 25%.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

David - Yest just panels and no batteries gives you v limited options. A 10kwh battery all installed would add about 15k in costs. A 3kwh about 8k. If you are interested - send me recent electric bill to [e-mail] and I could work some numbers for you. Best of Luck and thanks for your comment.

[@joeljimenez5780]

@@MySolarHomeUSA how about adding back-up battery designed to cover at least 25% of load? I believed this set up would help to minimize battery cost and then you have 50% back up (25% Sunlight + 25% Battery).

[@ismaelmateo7054]

metoo

[@bawbq5305]

I’m a door to door salesman for solar and these are the inverters we use. What I think of it as is kind of like a supplement to getting batteries because of how overpriced they are right now and the fact that they did just not worth it for what I’m doing. I do explain that it doesn’t work at night if the grid goes down however

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Where are you located? Since you are already doing door-to-door sales, I might have a better way of doing solar you might like. Please email me your contact details, perhaps we could chat. Thanks for watching. Jon

[@Onefishtwofish27]

You also need a rapid shutdown switch. And a load controller isn’t necessary, it’s based on the PV output. Great video though, Jon!

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Hi Kathryn, Thanks for watching and commenting. Much appreciated. You are right - a rapid shutdown switch or an AC disconnect is mandatory with every solar install. In terms of rapid shutdown, all the microinverters come equipped with rapid shutdowns and automatically shutoff when the grid fails. The Enphase IQ8's have the additional capability of working in an isolated mode after grid failure. Re the Load controller, I was told by Enphase that it was necessary if you are using the Sunshine backup mode - it would be good to know if that is incorrect - it will reduce costs. Do you have or have you seen an install without the Load Controllers. Thanks again.

[@walwala78]

Hi - Thanks for all of your informative videos. Can you please explain the difference between the various iQ8 types? +, A, M, H….Also - why would I want the + with a 400 watt panel that has a max of 295 to invert when I could get the A that is 349? Thanks again

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Sorry for the late reply. The A has the maximum output and is great in the lower latitudes which get a lot more sunlight compared to the US. In most of the continental US, the other Enphase models perform very well because there is very little clipping happening. We just dont get that much sunlight here. Getting the A is nice, but you wont see too much of a difference in output in the US. Thanks for watching

[@walwala78]

@@MySolarHomeUSA Hi. Thanks for your reply. Would the M be better than the + given 400 watt panels and in the North East? Thanks again

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

@@walwala78 Hi Caren, The A will not give you any advantage in the North East because we don't get that much sunlight - but if you are getting it without paying a premium, go for it. Where are you located? Perhaps I can quote for your system too. Please email me a recent electric bill if you are interested, I operate in a few markets in the NE. [e-mail]

[@claytonlaramie7859]

I'm looking into solar with a span smart panel and eventually a battery. I'm wondering about going the direct sunlight backup option for a few years and waiting to add the battery later. You mention the 3 extra boxes and ~$7000 cost. Would this be wasted if I'm going to eventually end up with a battery or are those boxes also necessary for a battery? Also, I've heard span replaces the essentials sub panel and can dynamically shed loads and/or change what circuits are powered. Do you happen to know about this?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Hey Clayton - Span does not work well with Enphase - I have just had a customer who tried doing that and it led to major problems. Sunlight backup is not a good idea on its own - it might be better to buy a 3kwh battery from Enphase rather than Sunlight only. That way you can upgrade later easily. Let me know if you need a quote - I will get you one if I have a partner in your area. My email is [e-mail] Thanks for watching and commenting

[@TurreTuntematon]

Why is sunlight backup limited to 25%? Could that be increased to 50% later by Enphase through a software update. I would imagine Enphase start careful as it’s a totally new feature and increase it slowly if possible.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

The limitation is because the production of power by the panels is dependent on the sunlight - if there is full sun - you have a lot of power, but if a cloud comes across, suddenly the power drops. Enphase will give you the maximum sustained power possible after adjusting for the ups and downs. It could go up from 25%, but it is unlikely to hit 50%. Thanks for watching and if you are looking for solar, please email me a recent electric bill at [e-mail].

[@fmsrworkshop1384]

Hi what about Ensmeble? and how would the fulctuations be handled? I guess some amount of battery would be needed for smooth/constant voltage.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

No thats the great part. If you want very limited backup - refrigerator, lights etc - then you just need the IQ8's. And you need the addtional IQ8 controller - no battery needed. The IQ8 Controller will handle all the fluctuations. Of course if you need to run more stuff you would need to buy a battery. Thanks for watching and your comment.

[@fmsrworkshop1384]

@@MySolarHomeUSA good. I beleive IQ7A system is also compatible with this? Is that true and if someone has a 7KW system based on IQ7A how can that be made grid agnostic?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

@@fmsrworkshop1384 Unfortunately the IQ7A does not have that capability. You cant go offgrid with the IQ7A. Ony with the IQ8A. The only way to go offgrid with the 7A is to buy expensive batteries.

[@edwardstanley2195]

I have an iq2 controller and 2 iq10 battery units as well as iq8 inverters. Will I benifit from the sunlight backup power from these inverters? Thanks.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Yes you will. SInce you also have batteries - they solar panels will charge your batteries during the daytime when you have an outage. Or if the batteries are charged, you would be able to use the panel output to power your home. Congratulations on your new solar system and thanks for sharing and watching.

[@rizwanmuhammad6468]

Non of the installers agree to sunlight backup setup. They are installing iq8 plus but they still say no we can’t do sunlight backup without battery. Not sure why they can’t do the controller-2 and other essentials to do sunlight backup.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Hi Riz, The setup for Sunlight Backup is almost the same as the setup for a battery. It is quite expensive. So it usually makes better economic sense to go for a small battery 3kwh instead of just Sunlight Backup. If you would like a quote, please email me at [e-mail] Thanks so much for watching

[@kiranp551]

How much we should be paying for roof replacement along with solar installation?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

If you are looking for solar + roof for a home, I could help. Please email me a recent bill to [e-mail]

[@Eric_Tennant]

Can my solar generator fake the grid for the IQ8 with main breaker off?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Hi Eric, The IQ8 can fake the grid - you dont need the generator. However, you need another component called the IQ controller along with the IQ8's. If you would like a quote - please email me [e-mail] . Thanks for watching

[@jamesnesran2348]

can these be grafted onto my existing system by swapping out the basic solar edge grid tie inverter I currently have?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

No James - you would have to swap out the Solar Edge Optimizers under each panel and replace them with new IQ8's and also throw away the Solar Edge Grid Tie Inverter. So its not a viable project. You are better served going for a battery sometime in the future when prices drop. The Tesla battery is very good - just wait for prices to drop to around 7 or 8 k and then go for it. Thanks for watching.

[@jamesnesran2348]

@@MySolarHomeUSA but then it has the same issue as before: not being able to island. I want my system to be able to produce power during sunlight in case of long term outage. am i right?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

@@jamesnesran2348 James when you buy a battery like Tesla - it automatically islands your home during and outage and you would have power. In fact you would have power at night also provided the battery has enough charge. The Solar panels would work during an outage as well - they would charge the battery. The only negative of getting a battery like is the big cost of atleast 12 to 14k and long installation times. The Sunlight only option from Enphase is a much cheaper option without any batteries - but that only works when you buy solar panels with enphase micro inverters. Since you already have solar panels with solar edge, that option is not available to you. Replacing the solar edge with iq8's would be very expensive. Better to get a new Tesla battery instead. But like I said if you wait you those Tesla battery prices will drop in a couple of years.

[@jamesnesran2348]

@@MySolarHomeUSA Wow, so tesla's battery is also grid agnostic even when tied to the grid under normal circumstances? thats awesome, didnt know that. does it also suffer from this 25% drawback during an outage? only having access to 25% of the solar output seems pretty bad.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

@@jamesnesran2348 No batteries will have access to pretty much all the output the solar panels can produce. So almost all the power produced by the solar panels will go towards charging your Tesla or any other battery you choose. Once the battery is charged it will power your home. At this point, you might not get both the battery and the solar panels to produce power for your home. With the Enphase system, you get both sources of power working together at max output. So full power from battery and panels are available for you. In the case of Tesla and other batteries - only the battery provides power and the solar panels' chip in only when the battery charge goes down below a certain threshold (say 30% ).

[@georgeb1364]

A system I had put in at my previous home had an SMA string inverter that had a one duplex 15A 120Volt outlet for emergency power off the solar panels if the grid went down. I would however have to run an extension cord from the inverter to the refrigerator or whatever to utilize that solar power. As I remember I didn't pay anything extra for that inverter with that capability. Seems like the Emphase options is way overpriced for sunlight power only.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

I agree it is a little pricey. However it gives you much more power than the SMA single 120 volt outlet. The better option is to pair it with a small battery 3kwh or so. Then the extra expense is justified - you get backup day or night. Thanks for watching.

[@laserflexr6321]

Iq8 inverters look fantastic. I am not certain of anything, watching webinars on Enphase's own website you find directly contradictory information published 3 days apart so which one to believe? If you want to use iq8, not dependent on the grid or batteries first you have to use a communication gateway inside of a combiner box, and not the cheaper one, but the one with a modem that sends data over a cell phone network or you will not be able to register and activate the inverters to have access to info about what the inverters are doing, even if you dont care what the inverters are doing you still need to install that box or you cannot register your inverters, that and if you dont keep that cell modem in place for life, you have no warranty on all that expensive stuff. Once you have been forced in to buying that $1100 box then you find out you need to add a smart switch to disconnect from the grid, even though you NEVER INTENDED TO ATTACH IT TO A GRID IN THE FIRST PLACE and a controller box, and a second controller box, apparently the second box is cause you dont intend on purchasing their stupid expensive battery, ok a thou for a box that does nothing then. It is nowhere near as simple as they make it out to be or if it is, they have intentionally made it hella confusing to get you to spend thousands, unnecessarily. If you think you can buy a $150 microinverter, plug it in to a panel and make 240vac, it will take you weeks to come to understand that aint how it works. Looks to me that as of Aug2022 you have to buy $4000. worth of BS boxes to run a single 250 watt microinverter. OFF GRID. Look around, how much string inverter can you get for 4 grand? Great engineering, but their whole system is designed to lie you deeper and deeper to a whole room full of magic boxes that go for a grand each. $17 plastic doo dad just to cover the bare end of a wire. If they would actually do what the headline claims, grid forming microinverter I would buy them in a heartbeat, I just cant figure out how much it costs, Feels like if you just directly asked "how much does it cost?" and got an answer from an honest Enphase representative their response would be, " How much do you got?"

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

If you want an IQ8+ microinverter system that would work during a power outage - an installed price is around 7.5k. The additional components included the IQ controller, a sub-panel, and Load Controllers. DIY from scratch is difficult. Experienced solar installers have trouble installing these - so be careful. Best of Luck.

[@laserflexr6321]

@@MySolarHomeUSA Ok so if I wanted a single 370 watt panel, with a single iq8 out in the middle of a cow pasture it would cost $7500 to get 370 watts out of it? Or would that not even work cause there was not enough cows with cell phones to justify coverage there? Has everyone lost their minds and completely forgotten the best use case for solar?

[@notbatman1001]

Adding the Sunlight Backup option to our solar install has been quoted to us on November 11, 2022 as ~$9,000, and this is with the most competitive bidder in our search for solar installers. Panels & inverters installed cost ~$3.61/W. It would be wise to add the cost of battery (~$19k) or sunlight option into your per-watt calculations when comparing bids. This is not normally done for you. Buyer beware.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Hi Bruce, where are you located? It seems like you have a high price per watt quote - I might be able to help if it is one of my markets. I normally advise against sunlight backup only - its much better value to get a small 3kwh Enphase battery instead. Thanks for watching.

[@notbatman1001]

@@MySolarHomeUSA We're in Massachusetts. Just panels and inverters would be $3.61/W for a 10.8kW, (27) 400W panels and IQ8+ inverters to max out our roof space. Sunlight backup would add ~$9,000. The Enphase T10 (3.84kW) (10kWh) battery would add $19,936. Of course we would rather have a battery but the cost is prohibitive, and Sunlight backup at the quoted price sounds silly. We still need to replace our propane HW/radiant heater with a heat pump, so budget is important. We may just do things incrementally and hope for better technology to reduce the cost.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

@@notbatman1001 I may be able to help. Please email your address to me at [e-mail] - and I will see if I can get you something better. Is that price cash or financed. Thanks.

[@kurtallmen1029]

Thank you John for your video. If I may ask here, is the Enphase Sunlight Backup system limited to only 30% of solar production? Indeed, Enphase Sunlight BackupTech Brief mentions: "peak load power consumption during backup does not exceed 30% of solar power capacity. For instance, a system with 24 IQ8 Microinverters has a rated power output of 5.7 kW AC. Peak load power consumption should not exceed 1.7 kW during backup." Does this mean that when in Sunlight Backup mode (without batteries), one can only use 30% of his solar production?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Yes Kurt, with sunlight backup you are limited to 30% or below of your solar panels production. I advise going for a small 3kwh battery instead of the sunlight backup. The price differential is a couple of thousand dollars and worth it. Do write to me at [e-mail] if you are looking for a quote. Thanks for watching.

[@kiranp551]

Good commercial solar installers in the market?

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Where are you located?

[@bhaskarsurisetti5521]

Really this feels Revolutionary..? ... take a look into bloom energy Micro grids.:) just inverters will operate in Standalone mode rather grid dependent.. this inverters in field from long time Operating in KW to MW scale..

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Bhaskar, thanks for watching. I am no "expert" just a practitioner. I have been doing solar in the US for 15 years and in residential we have had nothing like this. That was my 2 cent "revolutionary". There is a lot of stuff I don't know - apologies.

[@bhaskarsurisetti5521]

@@MySolarHomeUSA Much Appreciated the way you sharing your experience/Expertise to the Society. Keep Rocking Sir..

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

@@bhaskarsurisetti5521 You are very kind sir. 🙏🙏🙏

[@ChungXlan]

What you smoking bro comparing a hydrogen fuel cell company to enphase?

[@bhaskarsurisetti5521]

@@ChungXlan Discussion About SA mode in inverters not with Companies or Domains..

[@Motorrad41]

I contacted enphase for a quote to install solar on my roof. Just wasted my time. They requested pictures of my electric system, wich I send back same day. A week late I got a general email asking, if Iam still be interested? I ask about the status, and same person did. Not even know that he send me 2 email. End of story, don’t wast your time with a enphase rep. !!!

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Ralph - sorry about that. Manufacturers are not good at working with retail customers. I may be able to help you with a quote. My email is [e-mail]. Please email me a recent electric bill and maybe those pictures you sent Enphase and I will let you know asap if I can assist you. Thanks for watching and for your comment.

[@tedrees5989]

I think you have multiple errors in your presentation. For instance "Bi-directional Inverter" Your comments about the auto-shutdown being built in to the micro-inverters also seems wrong. That is in the Controller 2, that opens up the grid from the rest of the system, when it senses low grid volts. What you are missing, is something not mentioned anywhere that I've seen, and that is that there are 2 types of inversion. In one type, the inverter is designed to output a sine wave voltage, and supply variable current that the load absorbs. But in most solar inverters, the inverters are grid tied, and they allow the grid to set the voltage, they just supply current. The IQ8's can switch between voltage output, or current output, depending of if the output is tied to a low resistance (grid), or simply a load. And, a bunch of parallel IQ8's not connected to the grid, all work together to provide the sine wave voltage. (micro-grid).

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Hi Ted, I won't pretend to be an expert, I am a practitioner and have been in the industry for almost 15 years. Let me clarify a few of the issues you have raised. The IQ8 is a "Bi-directional Inverter" it is able to convert AC to DC as well as convert DC to AC. It is the same inverter you find inside the Enphase IQ8 batteries. Regarding Auto Shutdown - all Enphase Microinverters - IQ8 or earlier models like IQ7, etc all have an inbuilt rapid shutdown. They constantly monitor the grid and the moment they detect grid failure they shut down. This is a requirement of the electric code as well as the law. The IQ controller is only installed when you buy an Enphase battery. The controller is responsible for isolating the home solar system during an outage and mimicking the grid so that the microinverters on the roof (could be old IQ7 or M series regular microinverters) continue to operate since they don't detect grid failure. I am not qualified to comment on the other issues you have raised, but all of the above-mentioned facts are 100% correct. Thanks, v much for watching and writing such a detailed comment.

[@tedrees5989]

@@MySolarHomeUSA Thanks for your informative reply. So they are DC>AC inverters, as well as AC-DC chargers? Wow! I wonder why they don't just say that. On the other issue: grid tied, vs. load driving. The loads just expect the 240V or 120V power to be applied. Usually this comes from the utility. But, my understanding is that the IQ8's can mimic the grid and supply that voltage, without the grid being present. But, if they try to do that when the grid is 'down', the millions of loads on the grid, will hold the voltage at zero, and overload the IQ8's. I wonder if I could make my own IQ8 battery using the low cost 48V batteries, by simply hooking IQ8's to the battery. Of course it might need some extra hardware to detect the state of charge in the battery, and monitoring bells and whistles.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

@@tedrees5989 I am not too confident that you would be able to work with the IQ8 and 48V batteries. There is a lot going out in the controller that you might have difficulty building yourself. The good news is that you could try this out with a single panel and a single iq8 and see if your solution actually works before making a big investment. Best of Luck.

[@tedrees5989]

@@MySolarHomeUSA Right. Thanks

[@Wavefront101]

@@tedrees5989 You can't be connected to the grid and have the microinverters on, or that power could electrocute people working on the grid during an outage, which is why they have the rapid shutdown code. The IQ controller is what disconnects your electrical system from the grid, and can allow the iq8 microinverters to still function feeding that power to your panel. The IQ controller is like a transfer switch, but I believe it is solid state, and not a physical moving switch.

[@michaelmiller5597]

Not very useful for midwest.

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

Well if you have less sun - thats true. Perhaps adding the smallest 3kwh Enphase battery would be a better solution or the Midwest , not too expensive and enough power to keep the essentials going day and night. Thanks so much for watching. Do email me at [e-mail] if you are looking for a quote.

[@byronschroedel432]

Disingenuous baloney, most grid tie inverters have a grid disconnect

[@MySolarHomeUSA]

I am not sure what is disingenuous - all inverters have a grid disconnect. But, we now need rapid shutdown at panel level. I am not sure if I understand your comment. What exactly were you referring to? If I made an error I would like to correct it - appreciate you taking the time to give feedback.