Question Micro Inverters

[Joe Hogan]

Still thinking/planning a solar setup on the new DSDP. Anyone using Micro inverters, specifically Enphase? This would allow more production and monitoring of individual panel and reduce the impact during partial shade events. Also, higher voltage will reduce wire gauge requirement.

Thoughts?

Wish I had done this during the house install.

Microinverters | Enphase

enphase.com

 

[mjeds]

I had 40 of them on my house, I had one failure in 14 years, and they overnighted a replacement, 15 minutes to remove the bad one and install the new one. Enphase support is outstanding.

The big advantage is that when one fails or has an issue it doesn't affect the rest of the system. They are plug and play, easy to manage and with the monitoring unit you have live instant information to the production and status of the system.

the disadvantage is that you also need the $600 Enphase ENV-IQ-AM1-240 M Monitoring Unit to know if there is an issue.

If/when I get another home, I will go with them again, as well as the Enphase Battery system, While the Tesla Powerwall Battery is bigger, (enphase max size is 5kWh where Tesla is 13.5 kWh) the enphase system is plug and play and expandable, the Tesla Wall system is not, you have to have it pre-configured at the installation, with Enphase, you can daisy chain more batteries and/or panels as you needs change or grow and DIY the install.

When I lost my home, I stripped off 12 of my panels and put them on my mother's home before the courts took the house, with micro-inverters this was super easy, took under 2 hours to take the panels off the roof, 5 minutes to remove them from the monitoring unit,