I have the IQ7 inverters with 1 10KW battery. It works great. Wish I had the IQ8. Power went out and only had backup circuits powered. With full sun I make enough to power whole house and send power to the grid. Either way having solar pretty much eliminates electric bill. Prior to Solar, one month my electric bill was over $800 during a summer month, but no more. :)
You can't send power to the grid in an outage, you'll kill a line worker. You could have your transfer switch cut off the downed grid connection and have all of your circuits powered by the solar/battery system fairly easily though.
@@woohooivan you can still do an AC coupled battery with the IQ7 setup and a separate inverter for the battery which will keep the solar running during an outage. It's pretty simple.
Another great video, I don't think anyone else really explains the new capabilities as well as you do. With California killing net metering, I think there will be a big market in California for this. A 10 KW Enphase battery system and hooking that up to your car will easily get you through the peak hours even when running the air conditioning. The plan that I have with SDGE, the new (and much higher summer rates) for peak is 81.6 cents per KW and for off peak is 15.4 cents per KW. Saving 66.2 cents per KW (about 80%) is a big deal at the end of the month. I was not happy when they jacked up the super off peak rates by more than 50% this year.
I had a presentation with Enphase reps at my company today to explain this. This video is about 2000x better presented and explained then the actual Enphase reps hahaha
Fireman! Joe, I’ve seen tens of hundreds of your videos. I feel that in every video you have done, 100% of the time you have been mindful to be accurate with the words you say and not over represent anything…you have been amazing! Some I correspond with would believe that you are overstating the benefits of microinverter architecture. Personally, having been in the industry and understanding the struggles that have been real with central or string inverters, I completely see and understand what you are saying. Yet, to some, saying there is not a single point of failure with the microinverter architecture, some would say is not accurate. The inverter output circuits combine into a central combiner panel. These circuits then combine and leave the combiner as the combiner output circuit and interconnect to the building premises wiring via one method of connection. Any place the circuits merge into one circuit or there is a single connection, is a single point of failure for the microinverter system. A minor clarification when wording regarding microinverter systems, would Fix them right up. Thanks Joe for how tall you stand my Brother!
Hi Joe, thanks for doing this video. It answers several questions about the microinvertor and the fact that we can use a generator to both run our homes and charge our grid-tied solar system batteries. Sadly we don’t have Enpase where I live in Ireland and no solar company here appears to have the knowledge of how to even draw energy from the batteries using the ‘Load’ connection. 😳🤷🏽♂️ I and a few friends would really appreciate your guidance on how we can have our panels supply energy to our homes when the grid is down. If your happy do a zoom, FaceTime or WhatsApp video call that would be great. If you charge for such advice, then let me know and we’ll see what we can do collectively. Many thanks. Michael 👍🏾👍🏾
Wow, what a great video. I am getting solar and really wanted battery back up but for the cost it is not something I want to do right now. However since I recently bought a Tesla with 85KWH battery that with the Bi-Directional EV charger would meet my backup needs for a very long time. Thank you for sharing such valuable information Joe!
I'm excited about the Bidirectional EV Charger too, but Enphase said it won't be available till Q3 or Q4. Based on Enphase history of announcing new products, that probably means sometimes in 2024.
OK. I love the detail in your videos... and I'm kinda old, so I need some detail... so I pick you. I have an Enphase IQ3 na system that is only about 2 years old. I wanted to add 1-more 3.35kw battery to my system... but they are no longer available. I called Enphase Tech support, and they said I could add one of the newer 3T batteries, but I would need to run it through a new and separate subpanel, as a stand-alone unit. So, I bought a new 3T unit... and now I can't find anything on CZcams (or anywhere) that details what needs to be done... what breaker size... and where to install a new breaker in the IQSC. Please HELP! Video? Sketch? Step-by-step description of the individual task? Anything!!!
Hi Joe. I always enjoy your videos. In my opinion, you are very informative, and explain things very well. Thank you so much. I live in Edmonton in the province of Alberta in Canada. In summer, our days are long. Sun rises early in the morning and sets late in the evening. Winter is cold with lots of snow and short days, but we have many sunny days in winter. And a growing solar and wind industry.
Love your videos. Clear presentation and very informative. Not sure about vehicle battery usage yet. Ford lightning 35K replacement cost, they say it will last 8 years with 3% degradation per year. We will see.
Nice overview. Have you installed Enphase iQ8 with generator? If yes, it would be great if you could show actual operation of such system like you did with the video of generator setup at your property. It's unclear how the iQ8 works with generator such as how they share powering loads in different setups (e.g. sunlight only iQ8).
Put in the IQ7s three years ago. If the government shuts down the grid then I’m screwed. It will cost me around $4000 to put the new IQ8s on and enable me to get a good battery. I feel that I’ve been jacked by Enphase.
Would incorporating a SPAN panel with the Enphase allow for eliminating IQ8 System Controller, if NOT what would be the benefit of the added expense of a SPAN panel in an IQ8 solar system?
Good question. The IQ System Controller is required for any Enphase system with Sunlight backup or Enphase battery storage. The “system controller” is basically a transfer switch. The Enphase Load Controller more closely matches the function of the Span panel.
I’ve sold more Enphase than anything else. No one mentions that Enphase also has a single point of failure, the AC Junction box or Combiner Box. This only has a 5 year warranty and has caused us issues when it fails
@@SolarSurge When 3G was obsoleted I had the choice of buying a new cellular card or reconfiguring my combiner to connect to my WiFi Internet. I did the latter. The upside is I now get near continuous reporting on my power production at the panel level instead of a few times a day with cellular data. The downside is if I have a neighborhood Internet outage the Envoy can’t talk to the cloud, but neither can my Enphase app so… What are the stats are envoy failures a problem?
i just had installed IQ8A inverters on 28 460w panels no batteries currently but maybe in the future, i wanted to future proof solar system to add batteries later and now this new EV bi directional coming has me thinking i did a good move, i changed the cell modem connection to WIFI after a week, wanted to be updated every 15mins instead of the 6-8 hours on cell.
I have the original microinverters. Have had about 10 go down since we had them installed back in 2013. Since they are past the 3 year labor warranty, I've had to pay about $300 each time I have needed one replaced. The microinverter is still under warranty. The labor cost is not. AND I'm usually waiting around for tech service for upwards of 3 months. I do not recommend Enphase products. I really wish they were more reliable and that I could say we had gotten our money's worth, but everyone I know with a regular array has had zero issues, and our microinverters keep going down.
The EV has to support bi-directional charging to make use the hookup. I know the Ford F-150 Lightning does but Teslas does not at this point. Probably because it may reduce Powerwall sales.
@@SolarSurge In fact, Elon wasn't at all interested in using EV as battery backup for the home during last week's Investor Day presentation. Too many variables, however, for every valid argument for EV backup, there's and equal an opposite argument against EV backup. Makes the head spin. Whatever suits the individual. By the way Joe, you have a worldwide reach. I'm in Melbourne, Australia and enjoy watching your videos. You explain everything in a simple and calm manner. I have a large LG/IQ7A array on my home.Cheers mate!!
@@davidissko9796 The next vehicle will have 240V / 120V output at least, so that's pretty neat. I have a couple Ecoflow Delta pros that I can use as a generator together to power my whole house (minus big loads of course). If I could just plug in my EV to charge those too, then I'm good. It is going to be waste via dc to ac back to dc, but it's a niche backup solution, not a constant thing.
I think the bidirectional charging only makes sense if you also have a home battery, and can use the EV battery to top up the home battery. Otherwise, you can’t drive anywhere while the power’s out. Bidirectional charging without a home battery might work well for a single person household.
It makes for a really easy small home battery system viable though. If you use your 75kWh battery to keep your 10-20 kWh home battery running the house and your vehicle is getting low you could also just drive it to an area with power, fast charge it, and bring that power back home again. The 10kWh home battery will run the house while you are out or at work until you get home and the solar will help keep everything lasting a very long time. It's much more about options and flexibility.
The vast majority of people don't need to be sold the microinverter pup. A quality string inverter and battery system such as SMA or Fronius will give 100% of the performance at 60% of the cost. Use that extra 40% saved to buy more solar panels or a bigger battery. That's not even going into the fact the enphase will have much higher maintenance costs over a 30 year period as scaffolding is going to be needed every time there's an issue. The only reason sellers are peddling enphase or solaredge so much is they have higher profit margins - don't fall for it! That's my 2p anyway.
Enphase has 25 year warranty. My fronius inverter only 5 years… so over 25 years you would have to calculate at least one replacement string inverter. Worst case 4 additional string inverters.
Is there a list of vehicles that officially support V2H for the dual way charger? From my understanding this is built in to any CHAdeMo vehicle but the only one I know of that is CCS is the lightning so far. You would think this would be a feature on every EV by default.
@@SolarSurgeHi, interesting development having bidirectional CCS in vehicles and how it’s not in most current vehicles. This allows the large vehicle battery to be used as required. Kudos to Ford for having this and getting even more value from your vehicle. Adding a generator then allows recharging for extended grid down operation, if the solar is not outputting enough. Again looking like a complete system. Take care all M.
I am just having a similar system but without the micro inverter as I don’t have shading and the bi-directional ev charge point as they are not available in the UK as far as I know and I have an iPace that I am married to, so I can’t see an upgrade being available on a 4 year old car. I have an 8.8kwh bi-directional SunSynk inverter to cope with peak loads and 20kwh of batteries as I only have roof space for 4kwh of batteries on 2 strings SE & SW so my main input of power especially in the winter months is charge at off peak rate of 12p and use during the day instead of 44p. I have belatedly added a simple string inverter also as the 4 panel string only produces 120v and the SunSynk has a wake of of 150v and even though it works in cold weather it might not in summer temperatures. You never seem to mention SunSynk which is quite advanced
@@bootangy the solar is Working at present on the SunSynk which needs a min 125v to wake up. One string will always be OK as produces over 200v off a 6 Panel string. The other is a 4 panel which at present is providing up to 150v when the sun shines and is 10 degrees C, but come the hot weather that 150v might drop 15% to 130v or lower which might not “wake the inverter”
@@mikejoseph425 im tempted to buy a sunsynk three phase inverter and battery. i been told that the generator input for the microi nverters will bypass my grid tie problem in long term grid down. not sure if that is true though
Joe, do you know where the bidirectional charger is going to connect to the system controller? Both your schematic and the one Enphase presented seem to indicate it’ll tie into the battery line. Is that the case?
I have a system with IQ7+ inverters and I was told by enphase that the inverter-level monitoring app you mentioned in this video is not included for free but rather you have to pay $250 for it. Is that your understanding too?
Interested in battery back up only. Not going solar. Do you have installers in hollywood florida? The power company has changed off peak to 2ea 4hr blocks. Use to be 2ea 5hr blocks. That's how they get the money back fewer off peak hrs.
Great stuff, much appreciated! I have an existing PV system with IQ7+s (34 panels) that was installed last year (2022). I did not get a battery back up, because i wanted to wait for bidirectional charging to use the EV as the battery. Looks like Enphase will offer this next year (2024). looks like the bi-directional is built on iq8, and the system controller doesn't allow mix n match (iq7 plus iq8), so, am I hosed? (in terms of implementing bi-directional charging w/o having to replace all my micro-converters? Or, does the PV going through the combiner somehow allow the iq7's to exist on the panels, but still allow bi-directional charging using the iq8s? PS sorry if I missed the answer to this in the comments/replies below - i did look first! :)
HI! Great video! What extra cost is the micro inverter installation add compared to a "normal " installation with only one big inverter? Would be great with a cost per panel figure, if possible. Would you recommend this installation for bigger installations? Br Anders
How do I design a solar system that can start a appliance that requires 22 lock rotor AMPs? Does this have to do with the battery and inverter? It’s a grid tie system.
if there was a grid down event, and Enphase corporate was unable to communicate (internet) with the home solar system (assuming sunlight backup with sufficient battery storage), will the solar system be able to power the home?
I have an existing off grid (and will never be on grid) mostly Victron system. Question: What’s the minimum amount of Enphase hardware needed to supply AC? I don’t need/want to track individual panels. Can the microinverters on their own supply self-regulated 120V AC?
@@SolarSurge Thank you for responding! So by "self-regulate" it means they won't generate their own AC without the IQ system controller? What does that mean precisely? Thanks in advance, I've failed to find this info anywhere, so it's appreciated.
This is the best explanation of micro invert ecosystem i have seen so far. But I would like to know how i can use these microinverter ecosystem components to design a completely off grid system. how do the iq batteries and microinverters keep the AC power in sync?
The IQ8X-bat series micro-inverters have the ability to create their own sine wave for off-grid operation. What you see here can be used for off-grid installations.
Hello! I am from România and an Enphase user. Please tell me what kind of generator can i use? I have an gas generator with avr. It is good? Thank you.
Our 18kw ground mounted array (45 QCells w/ IQ8As) will need a ~120' wire (in a trench). What gauge wire would you recommend? Thanks for some quality content Joe, as usual.
Muy buenos días...estos microinversores se pueden regular para que la energía DC convertida a AC se regule para q nunca exporte la energía a la red??? Hay inversores de tipo suni2g con limitadores que hacen eso. Quiero saber si se puede hacer con los enphase. Gracias.
I am hearing reports about issues with the Enphase Smart Switch with faulty components that cannot be changed out easily DC disconnect connector switch?? In any case my installers will not install any until Enphase deals with the issue.
Can you do an actual comparison of the Enphase system with the Solaredge system as I am personally uncertain which system I should choose for my home right now. Thank you in advance!
Is it recommended to plug generator into battery? Also am I wasting panels if I get a 20kwh battery and cant plug in all the strings into that one battary. They said I can only plug in 6 out of 8
Yes you can integrate a fuel burning generator its the system. The Enphase IQ System Controller will regulate power flow from the generator to protect the batteries.
The idea of failure in a solar system by using micro inverters compared to other systems needs to be explained to let us know roughly what we are losing. How much time and production and the money value I'm losing if down for a while. Things like that. If I lose 20 bucks in production a few times in the life of the system is that bad.
Does clipping really matter? I'm told that in the real world the best panels almost never generate enough power that the microinverter can't handle so there's no reason to go with the IQ8s. I've heard the only thing that meaningfully separates the cheaper IQ7s from the IQ8s is the ability to power your house when you have no battery and the grid is down - but the smart switch to enable that capability will cost $13,000 so you're better off buying a battery. Can you comment?
I agree. That main difference between iq7 and iq8 is sunlight backup and better battery control during off grid mode. For a regular grid tied system, iq7 is fine and we still offer those.
@@SolarSurge still don’t see the benefit of IQ8. Even with IQ8, I think the System controller is still required for Solar backup. And the system controller claims to work with IQ7! (Just not mix n match ). So what do we get for the extra $?
So during the day if the solar production isn’t sufficient to power my house, does the system then pull the difference from the grid? I just got this system, no batteries tho.
Yes. That's exactly how it works. Both solar and grid power sources are connected simultaneously. If the solar can't meet the demand, the remaining balance is automatically pulled from the grid.
My microinverters have died again. April 3 and now June 17, 2023. I have to babysit the Enphase solar system to make sure power is being delivered daily. Been a terrible experience. North Las Vegas, NV
I meant no power to the grid at all, not the function that detects if the grip has a power drop then also the microinverter cuts the power. I want the power meter of my power provider NOT going backwards because thats illegal in my country..@@SolarSurge
Hmm no outside cutoff switch for solar panel? In our parts the smart switch does not count as one as our utility has to be able (from outside the house) or firefighter, shut off electricity between the house and the solar panels......
@@SolarSurge Thanks much my electrician just installed the combiner panel and cutoff switch and monitoring lines so when its commissioned I will be able to see and compare incoming solar energy vs load from the house etc....... App is enphase enlighten. I was supposed to get a smart switch but they are not installing smart switches anymore as per my comment above. :-( He also said the smart switch will need its own cutoff switch as well??? Perhaps thats only for an outside install??
Yes. You can technically add IQ batteries to an existing home using Enphase IQ7+ micro-inverters. For a new system, I recommend keeping everything IQ8-series.
It's jus Ludacris to a electrician. With solar panels being so cheap to get as they are thrown out/recycled by manufacturers all the time, and the equipment being what it costs, it shouldn't even pass $10k. Let's see $1125 for 15 300w panels About $800 on Inverters/chargers Let's say $4,000 for 12.8kw of battery storage (the most important part) And say $2,000 on misc (wires, brackets etc That's $7,925!! People are literally getting killed by labor cost. More than $25k. So sad. I've even seen more than $50k prices
California Installation. Our current installation is comprised of 17 400-watt solar panels each sporting the IQ8 microinverter. They are then wired to the IQ combiner box, which is wired to the main incoming power service meter panel. In the event of grid down situation we lose all power beings the solar panels are disconnected to protect the grid side linemen. 1st question. Of the current equipment, what would be removed if the "IQ System Controller" were added to the current setup described or does all hardware continue to be used with this addition? 2nd Question. By what means does the solar panel power get cut off when the grid goes down are there clamp-on meters detecting voltage located in the service main? I am thinking the new meter main box has some additional circuitry to allow the cutting off of power in my setup. Can the IQ system controller be installed now and later other components added such as batteries and V2H hardware? How does my Nem 2 affected if I have my system modified? I mean there was a rush to get my system installed to avoid the changes in Net Energy Metering 2.0?
1. The IQ System Controller can be added without having to remove any existing hardware. 2. The IQ System Controller isolates the micro-inverters from the grid in the event of a blackout. 3. Yes, IQ System controller can be installed now (with load controller) and then batteries and EV charger added later.
@@SolarSurge went back and studied the diagram showing the different components and could not find the load controller you mentioned in your reply could you expand on that part of the equipment.
Right, it comes off the roof AC. 240V 39amp. Current must be converted to DC for battery storage, then converted back to AC. Wasteful. Too much lost to heat.
Concur wiith all except battery storage, still too expensive to add batteries. More cost effective still to install a generac propane whole home generator. Also the battery output compared to some seems weaker.
@@SolarSurge Yes, I am sure you do but not everyone has the budget. Given one should go for the iq8 inverters for future proofing. Setup the device so you can get emerg power at least during daylight hours, the next step is a. do I spend 10-12K on batteries that may not do the whole house, will not provide power during the night, will not provide full power if the days are overcast or the solar panels are iced over..................... Compared to spending 6-8K US (8-10K Cdn) on a whole home generator................. day or night, regardless of cloud/rain/ice/snow cover.......... Battery costs have to be cut in half to make them tenable. Just my opinion~ I would much prefer to not have to burn fossil fuels........
happy for you on the system, wish I had an IQ8 system and not an older solaredge one. But the point was the whole system and a bidirectional charger is new and impacts the whole thing.
Folks, you can learn a lot on this channel about solar power. But Joe isn't doing this for educational purposes. This is an infomercial channel. He wants you to think, "Hey, this guy knows a lot. I'll call him about solar for my home." This is why he's putting old-ish wine in new bottles.
I think so. I had a string system on a previous installation. When the inverter subsequently failed I was without the ability to export or use the solar power generated. As the string inverter came from China it took several months to get a replacement. I now have the Enphase system which uses the micro inverters so there is no single point of failure. The Enphase system is operating at 100% reliability. Your choice depends on what you want to achieve with the funds available. Starting with a system that has growth potential as funds become available is a good way to begin.
@@Helekopa_Pailaka I currently have a string inverter system. I’m in Texas. The cost of Enphase micro inverter/ panels. Vs my current string inverter system was about 40% higher. It could have been because of the installation cost. I’m not sure. I only know that my 3 quotes were from $75000-$87,000. For the same sized system that I got installed. That is a string inverter. 12kw & 1 Powerwall. My system cost 40% less. I will checkout a DIY Micro system for my storage shed. My house roof line will shade it. So Micro might be better for that application. Thanks.
I think its a mistake to go with micro inverters personally, Id rather have a string inverter with battery backup, plus what happens if these micro inverter companies go out of business? Yeah single point of failure is better in that reguard also can these even handle super large surge loads like air compressors like a :LF inverter would with ease
@@perwis9893 My main point and question was can these microinverters even handle large inductive loads like motors and stuff, id rather have a string inverter low freq they can def handle large inductive loads
Good question. I don’t know. But that is not really a problem unless you are off grid right? And then you would presumably still need a battery right? Or what am I missing here?
I'm playing this a 2X speed and it still seems slow. Most of this stuff has been available for the past year. It's only the bidirectional charger that's new. Enphase is the expensive option to do all this, and you can see why. Having an integrated system is great, but the idea is to save the customer money, not charge them more for it. Enphase works in CA where energy prices are high, but here, in NC it's prohibitively expensive when energy is only 7.7 cents per kwh.
Duke charges .11 kwh here with the energy star rate. Not sure where you get .07 kwh but that's not the case for most of the state. Plus Duke wants to raise rates aggressively for most of the state. I would gladly add 1 year to payback for a superior system. My solaredge inverter has failed twice in 5 years. Pretty sure it will need to go in 10 years thank God with credits I hit my payback already.
What a mess; remembering back in the day when we had clean nuclear generators sending clean AC power out to the grid-- now history and we are now generating a massive amount of electronics just to power houses-- one by one. On the up side we can't discount all the millions of new jobs solar systems produce.
I have the IQ7 inverters with 1 10KW battery. It works great. Wish I had the IQ8. Power went out and only had backup circuits powered. With full sun I make enough to power whole house and send power to the grid. Either way having solar pretty much eliminates electric bill. Prior to Solar, one month my electric bill was over $800 during a summer month, but no more. :)
smart. same here. -V
You can't send power to the grid in an outage, you'll kill a line worker. You could have your transfer switch cut off the downed grid connection and have all of your circuits powered by the solar/battery system fairly easily though.
@@Snerdles Not easy, this is why they said that they wished they had 8 series inverters. Otherwise you are limited to micros per battery capacity.
@@woohooivan you can still do an AC coupled battery with the IQ7 setup and a separate inverter for the battery which will keep the solar running during an outage. It's pretty simple.
How much would this system cost for a 1900 square foot home with Ion solar panels?
Another great video, I don't think anyone else really explains the new capabilities as well as you do.
With California killing net metering, I think there will be a big market in California for this. A 10 KW Enphase battery system and hooking that up to your car will easily get you through the peak hours even when running the air conditioning. The plan that I have with SDGE, the new (and much higher summer rates) for peak is 81.6 cents per KW and for off peak is 15.4 cents per KW. Saving 66.2 cents per KW (about 80%) is a big deal at the end of the month. I was not happy when they jacked up the super off peak rates by more than 50% this year.
Those prices are just ridiculous. We are still paying $0.12/kWh where in live in SC.
Wow, here i was upset my electric rate doubled to 36c/kWh, can't imagine 86c/kWh
Thank you Joe
You guys did an awesome job on my residential system
Yesterday, the System generated 50KWh in central Texas.
Good to hear!
This is a great system. And the bi-directional charger is a game changer.
I had a presentation with Enphase reps at my company today to explain this. This video is about 2000x better presented and explained then the actual Enphase reps hahaha
Fireman!
Joe, I’ve seen tens of hundreds of your videos.
I feel that in every video you have done, 100% of the time
you have been mindful to be accurate with the words you say and not over represent anything…you have been amazing!
Some I correspond with would believe that you are overstating the benefits of microinverter architecture.
Personally, having been in the industry and understanding the struggles that have been real with central or string inverters, I completely see and understand what you are saying.
Yet, to some, saying there is not a single point of failure with the microinverter architecture, some would say is not accurate.
The inverter output circuits
combine into a central combiner panel.
These circuits then combine and leave the combiner as the
combiner output circuit
and
interconnect to the building premises wiring via one method of connection.
Any place the circuits merge into one circuit or there is a single connection, is a single point of failure for the microinverter system.
A minor clarification when wording regarding microinverter systems, would
Fix them right up.
Thanks Joe for how tall you stand my Brother!
Thanks Joe for showcasing Enphase system.
I really appreciate your content. This tutorial is great for those just starting out with solar systems.
Happy to hear about the Bidirectional vehicle charger. Been expecting this announcement for a while.
Solar Panels for Dummies (me) 😅 thank you for this straightforward explanation!! This is exactly what I was looking for.
I didn't hear anything about the IQ system controller in this video, but it seems necessary for much of what was discussed beyond the combiner box.
Hi Joe, thanks for doing this video. It answers several questions about the microinvertor and the fact that we can use a generator to both run our homes and charge our grid-tied solar system batteries.
Sadly we don’t have Enpase where I live in Ireland and no solar company here appears to have the knowledge of how to even draw energy from the batteries using the ‘Load’ connection. 😳🤷🏽♂️
I and a few friends would really appreciate your guidance on how we can have our panels supply energy to our homes when the grid is down. If your happy do a zoom, FaceTime or WhatsApp video call that would be great. If you charge for such advice, then let me know and we’ll see what we can do collectively.
Many thanks.
Michael 👍🏾👍🏾
Wow, what a great video. I am getting solar and really wanted battery back up but for the cost it is not something I want to do right now. However since I recently bought a Tesla with 85KWH battery that with the Bi-Directional EV charger would meet my backup needs for a very long time. Thank you for sharing such valuable information Joe!
I don’t think Tesla offers bidirectional charging yet except in the new cybertruck.
I'm excited about the Bidirectional EV Charger too, but Enphase said it won't be available till Q3 or Q4. Based on Enphase history of announcing new products, that probably means sometimes in 2024.
Yes. I should expect the EV charger to start installing in early 2024
OK. I love the detail in your videos... and I'm kinda old, so I need some detail... so I pick you. I have an Enphase IQ3 na system that is only about 2 years old. I wanted to add 1-more 3.35kw battery to my system... but they are no longer available. I called Enphase Tech support, and they said I could add one of the newer 3T batteries, but I would need to run it through a new and separate subpanel, as a stand-alone unit. So, I bought a new 3T unit... and now I can't find anything on CZcams (or anywhere) that details what needs to be done... what breaker size... and where to install a new breaker in the IQSC. Please HELP! Video? Sketch? Step-by-step description of the individual task? Anything!!!
Hi Joe. I always enjoy your videos. In my opinion, you are very informative, and explain things very well. Thank you so much.
I live in Edmonton in the province of Alberta in Canada. In summer, our days are long. Sun rises early in the morning and sets late in the evening. Winter is cold with lots of snow and short days, but we have many sunny days in winter. And a growing solar and wind industry.
Hi Gordon. Thanks for the comment.
Love your videos. Clear presentation and very informative. Not sure about vehicle battery usage yet. Ford lightning 35K replacement cost, they say it will last 8 years with 3% degradation per year. We will see.
Great coverage,excellent
Nice overview. Have you installed Enphase iQ8 with generator? If yes, it would be great if you could show actual operation of such system like you did with the video of generator setup at your property. It's unclear how the iQ8 works with generator such as how they share powering loads in different setups (e.g. sunlight only iQ8).
This is great. Thank you for the video tip.
Put in the IQ7s three years ago. If the government shuts down the grid then I’m screwed. It will cost me around $4000 to put the new IQ8s on and enable me to get a good battery. I feel that I’ve been jacked by Enphase.
Does not the Battery provide a grid even with Iq7?
Would incorporating a SPAN panel with the Enphase allow for eliminating IQ8 System Controller, if NOT what would be the benefit of the added expense of a SPAN panel in an IQ8 solar system?
Good question. The IQ System Controller is required for any Enphase system with Sunlight backup or Enphase battery storage. The “system controller” is basically a transfer switch. The Enphase Load Controller more closely matches the function of the Span panel.
I’ve sold more Enphase than anything else. No one mentions that Enphase also has a single point of failure, the AC Junction box or Combiner Box. This only has a 5 year warranty and has caused us issues when it fails
The 5 years has more to do with the internal cell card data service. There’s no reason a breaker box should fail in 5 years.
@@SolarSurge When 3G was obsoleted I had the choice of buying a new cellular card or reconfiguring my combiner to connect to my WiFi Internet. I did the latter. The upside is I now get near continuous reporting on my power production at the panel level instead of a few times a day with cellular data. The downside is if I have a neighborhood Internet outage the Envoy can’t talk to the cloud, but neither can my Enphase app so… What are the stats are envoy failures a problem?
i just had installed IQ8A inverters on 28 460w panels no batteries currently but maybe in the future, i wanted to future proof solar system to add batteries later and now this new EV bi directional coming has me thinking i did a good move, i changed the cell modem connection to WIFI after a week, wanted to be updated every 15mins instead of the 6-8 hours on cell.
I have the original microinverters. Have had about 10 go down since we had them installed back in 2013. Since they are past the 3 year labor warranty, I've had to pay about $300 each time I have needed one replaced. The microinverter is still under warranty. The labor cost is not. AND I'm usually waiting around for tech service for upwards of 3 months. I do not recommend Enphase products. I really wish they were more reliable and that I could say we had gotten our money's worth, but everyone I know with a regular array has had zero issues, and our microinverters keep going down.
The EV has to support bi-directional charging to make use the hookup. I know the Ford F-150 Lightning does but Teslas does not at this point. Probably because it may reduce Powerwall sales.
Tesla says they will support this too, but Elon recommends using the vehicle battery only in tandem with a dedicated home battery.
@@SolarSurge In fact, Elon wasn't at all interested in using EV as battery backup for the home during last week's Investor Day presentation. Too many variables, however, for every valid argument for EV backup, there's and equal an opposite argument against EV backup. Makes the head spin. Whatever suits the individual. By the way Joe, you have a worldwide reach. I'm in Melbourne, Australia and enjoy watching your videos. You explain everything in a simple and calm manner. I have a large LG/IQ7A array on my home.Cheers mate!!
@@davidissko9796 The next vehicle will have 240V / 120V output at least, so that's pretty neat. I have a couple Ecoflow Delta pros that I can use as a generator together to power my whole house (minus big loads of course). If I could just plug in my EV to charge those too, then I'm good. It is going to be waste via dc to ac back to dc, but it's a niche backup solution, not a constant thing.
Cybertruck has bi directional power. Unsure if it will work with enphase though.
kind of seems like how it was before a single inverter with panel optimizers basically
Hi Joe That is my new system. Should have it sometime in June.
Congrats!
Great video and summary. It's good to see your "surge" of new subscribers.
I think the bidirectional charging only makes sense if you also have a home battery, and can use the EV battery to top up the home battery. Otherwise, you can’t drive anywhere while the power’s out. Bidirectional charging without a home battery might work well for a single person household.
I just like having the option available. For me, I would always want to have a dedicated home battery also.
For emergency use, where you just need it to power your home a few hours a year, it's fine. Also many households have multiple cars.
It makes for a really easy small home battery system viable though. If you use your 75kWh battery to keep your 10-20 kWh home battery running the house and your vehicle is getting low you could also just drive it to an area with power, fast charge it, and bring that power back home again. The 10kWh home battery will run the house while you are out or at work until you get home and the solar will help keep everything lasting a very long time. It's much more about options and flexibility.
Good info. Very cool devices.
The vast majority of people don't need to be sold the microinverter pup. A quality string inverter and battery system such as SMA or Fronius will give 100% of the performance at 60% of the cost. Use that extra 40% saved to buy more solar panels or a bigger battery. That's not even going into the fact the enphase will have much higher maintenance costs over a 30 year period as scaffolding is going to be needed every time there's an issue. The only reason sellers are peddling enphase or solaredge so much is they have higher profit margins - don't fall for it! That's my 2p anyway.
Enphase has 25 year warranty. My fronius inverter only 5 years… so over 25 years you would have to calculate at least one replacement string inverter. Worst case 4 additional string inverters.
Is there a list of vehicles that officially support V2H for the dual way charger? From my understanding this is built in to any CHAdeMo vehicle but the only one I know of that is CCS is the lightning so far. You would think this would be a feature on every EV by default.
As of now, Ford is 100% on board. Tesla, GM, Lucid, Nissan, and Rivian have all announced support for V2H.
@@SolarSurgeHi, interesting development having bidirectional CCS in vehicles and how it’s not in most current vehicles. This allows the large vehicle battery to be used as required. Kudos to Ford for having this and getting even more value from your vehicle. Adding a generator then allows recharging for extended grid down operation, if the solar is not outputting enough.
Again looking like a complete system.
Take care all M.
Dang Joe, just installed my Rivian charger. It would be interesting to know what the price ranges are on all these bells and whistles. Best, Dale
Hi Dale. This Enphase EV charger is still pre-release. We should have pricing by Q1 2024.
I am just having a similar system but without the micro inverter as I don’t have shading and the bi-directional ev charge point as they are not available in the UK as far as I know and I have an iPace that I am married to, so I can’t see an upgrade being available on a 4 year old car. I have an 8.8kwh bi-directional SunSynk inverter to cope with peak loads and 20kwh of batteries as I only have roof space for 4kwh of batteries on 2 strings SE & SW so my main input of power especially in the winter months is charge at off peak rate of 12p and use during the day instead of 44p. I have belatedly added a simple string inverter also as the 4 panel string only produces 120v and the SunSynk has a wake of of 150v and even though it works in cold weather it might not in summer temperatures. You never seem to mention SunSynk which is quite advanced
i got grid tied enphases on my panels. can your pv still produce grid down?
@@bootangy the solar is Working at present on the SunSynk which needs a min 125v to wake up. One string will always be OK as produces over 200v off a 6 Panel string. The other is a 4 panel which at present is providing up to 150v when the sun shines and is 10 degrees C, but come the hot weather that 150v might drop 15% to 130v or lower which might not “wake the inverter”
@@bootangy not quite sure what you mean by “grid down”
@@mikejoseph425 long term outages
@@mikejoseph425 im tempted to buy a sunsynk three phase inverter and battery. i been told that the generator input for the microi nverters will bypass my grid tie problem in long term grid down. not sure if that is true though
Joe, do you know where the bidirectional charger is going to connect to the system controller? Both your schematic and the one Enphase presented seem to indicate it’ll tie into the battery line. Is that the case?
It connects at the battery terminal
I have a system with IQ7+ inverters and I was told by enphase that the inverter-level monitoring app you mentioned in this video is not included for free but rather you have to pay $250 for it. Is that your understanding too?
Maybe, but pretty much all of the installers offer it as standard equipment. Most homeowners want to be able to see each panel.
Nice. I like it. Thanks
Interested in battery back up only. Not going solar. Do you have installers in hollywood florida? The power company has changed off peak to 2ea 4hr blocks. Use to be 2ea 5hr blocks. That's how they get the money back fewer off peak hrs.
Great stuff, much appreciated! I have an existing PV system with IQ7+s (34 panels) that was installed last year (2022). I did not get a battery back up, because i wanted to wait for bidirectional charging to use the EV as the battery. Looks like Enphase will offer this next year (2024). looks like the bi-directional is built on iq8, and the system controller doesn't allow mix n match (iq7 plus iq8), so, am I hosed? (in terms of implementing bi-directional charging w/o having to replace all my micro-converters? Or, does the PV going through the combiner somehow allow the iq7's to exist on the panels, but still allow bi-directional charging using the iq8s? PS sorry if I missed the answer to this in the comments/replies below - i did look first! :)
HI! Great video! What extra cost is the micro inverter installation add compared to a "normal " installation with only one big inverter? Would be great with a cost per panel figure, if possible. Would you recommend this installation for bigger installations? Br Anders
How do I design a solar system that can start a appliance that requires 22 lock rotor AMPs? Does this have to do with the battery and inverter? It’s a grid tie system.
if there was a grid down event, and Enphase corporate was unable to communicate (internet) with the home solar system (assuming sunlight backup with sufficient battery storage), will the solar system be able to power the home?
Hi Caleb. Good question. Yes, the Enphase system works in off-grid mode without a connection to the Enphase cloud.
I have an existing off grid (and will never be on grid) mostly Victron system.
Question:
What’s the minimum amount of Enphase hardware needed to supply AC? I don’t need/want to track individual panels.
Can the microinverters on their own supply self-regulated 120V AC?
I suppose at minimum you could have a single micro-inverter. However, they cannot self-regulate without the IQ System Controller.
@@SolarSurge Thank you for responding!
So by "self-regulate" it means they won't generate their own AC without the IQ system controller? What does that mean precisely?
Thanks in advance, I've failed to find this info anywhere, so it's appreciated.
Love your videos, who currently makes the best backup battery system for residential use? Your top 3
That’s amazing. I just recorded a video on this topic yesterday. It should be published later this week like Wednesday or Thursday.
This is the best explanation of micro invert ecosystem i have seen so far.
But I would like to know how i can use these microinverter ecosystem components to design a completely off grid system.
how do the iq batteries and microinverters keep the AC power in sync?
The IQ8X-bat series micro-inverters have the ability to create their own sine wave for off-grid operation. What you see here can be used for off-grid installations.
What’s the availability of Enphase batteries at this time? Is there a long lead time?
Supply is good. We are look at about 60-75 days contract-to-install for Enphase solar + storage systems.
Can this be used with an existing battery system as long as you tie it via AC coupling to the combiner?
Joe, you mention at 5:40 an "internal cellular card" which implies the need for cellular service. Is that a recurring cost the consumer picks up?
Enphase prepays for the first 5 years worth of data service. Not sure the exact charge after that.
@@SolarSurge Thanks.
wowsa
Hello! I am from România and an Enphase user. Please tell me what kind of generator can i use? I have an gas generator with avr. It is good? Thank you.
Our 18kw ground mounted array (45 QCells w/ IQ8As) will need a ~120' wire (in a trench). What gauge wire would you recommend?
Thanks for some quality content Joe, as usual.
You should use #2 gauge wire minimum for this circuit.
Muy buenos días...estos microinversores se pueden regular para que la energía DC convertida a AC se regule para q nunca exporte la energía a la red??? Hay inversores de tipo suni2g con limitadores que hacen eso. Quiero saber si se puede hacer con los enphase. Gracias.
I am hearing reports about issues with the Enphase Smart Switch with faulty components that cannot be changed out easily DC disconnect connector switch?? In any case my installers will not install any until Enphase deals with the issue.
Instead of using the enphase system controller could I just use an inverter?
Can you do an actual comparison of the Enphase system with the Solaredge system as I am personally uncertain which system I should choose for my home right now. Thank you in advance!
Here you go: czcams.com/video/-16f-Juc1eE/video.html
Is it recommended to plug generator into battery? Also am I wasting panels if I get a 20kwh battery and cant plug in all the strings into that one battary. They said I can only plug in 6 out of 8
Yes you can integrate a fuel burning generator its the system. The Enphase IQ System Controller will regulate power flow from the generator to protect the batteries.
The idea of failure in a solar system by using micro inverters compared to other systems needs to be explained to let us know roughly what we are losing. How much time and production and the money value I'm losing if down for a while. Things like that. If I lose 20 bucks in production a few times in the life of the system is that bad.
I would like to set up a zoom call with you. Man Go Energy Independence Co.
Absolutely. www.solarsurge.net
I have no intention of hooking up to the grid. Is the IQ8 an overkill for an offgrid system?
Hello Joe Question can you use this system off grid nay have missed a video on this my name Kelly
Yes, this can be used in an off-grid configuration.
is the IQ8 the proper inverter to use with Q Cell 405-watt panels? That's what my first proposals are using?
For that panel, you should use IQ8+ or IQ8M.
Does clipping really matter? I'm told that in the real world the best panels almost never generate enough power that the microinverter can't handle so there's no reason to go with the IQ8s. I've heard the only thing that meaningfully separates the cheaper IQ7s from the IQ8s is the ability to power your house when you have no battery and the grid is down - but the smart switch to enable that capability will cost $13,000 so you're better off buying a battery. Can you comment?
I agree. That main difference between iq7 and iq8 is sunlight backup and better battery control during off grid mode. For a regular grid tied system, iq7 is fine and we still offer those.
@@SolarSurge still don’t see the benefit of IQ8. Even with IQ8, I think the System controller is still required for Solar backup. And the system controller claims to work with IQ7! (Just not mix n match ). So what do we get for the extra $?
So during the day if the solar production isn’t sufficient to power my house, does the system then pull the difference from the grid? I just got this system, no batteries tho.
Yes. That's exactly how it works. Both solar and grid power sources are connected simultaneously. If the solar can't meet the demand, the remaining balance is automatically pulled from the grid.
@@SolarSurge thanks so much, and thanks for the video!
Does the Bi-directional EV Charger work with a Tesla model 3 ?
Not yet. Tesla will have to activate this feature on their end.
Is it available in philippines
cant get this all in uk.
Any recommendations for Chicagoland installers and suppliers?
eequals.com/
My microinverters have died again. April 3 and now June 17, 2023. I have to babysit the Enphase solar system to make sure power is being delivered daily. Been a terrible experience. North Las Vegas, NV
How does it work now?
Working perfectly now. Battery, micro inverters, reporting to NVEnergy, works great.
how you prevent the power going back to the grid when you are not using all the output power ?
The Enphase IQ system controller can be configured not to allow grid export
I meant no power to the grid at all, not the function that detects if the grip has a power drop then also the microinverter cuts the power. I want the power meter of my power provider NOT going backwards because thats illegal in my country..@@SolarSurge
Hmm no outside cutoff switch for solar panel? In our parts the smart switch does not count as one as our utility has to be able (from outside the house) or firefighter, shut off electricity between the house and the solar panels......
NEC requires a separate AC Disconnect apart from the Enphase IQ System Controller.
@@SolarSurge Thanks much my electrician just installed the combiner panel and cutoff switch and monitoring lines so when its commissioned I will be able to see and compare incoming solar energy vs load from the house etc....... App is enphase enlighten. I was supposed to get a smart switch but they are not installing smart switches anymore as per my comment above. :-(
He also said the smart switch will need its own cutoff switch as well??? Perhaps thats only for an outside install??
Is the Enphase IQ8 solar system compatible with the Timberline solar shingles?
No I don’t think so. The system controller works with Enphase micro inverters only.
If you iq 7plus solar panels and get the wholeback , would it still be able to run the house cause battery has iq8?
Yes. You can technically add IQ batteries to an existing home using Enphase IQ7+ micro-inverters. For a new system, I recommend keeping everything IQ8-series.
It's jus Ludacris to a electrician. With solar panels being so cheap to get as they are thrown out/recycled by manufacturers all the time, and the equipment being what it costs, it shouldn't even pass $10k.
Let's see
$1125 for 15 300w panels
About $800 on Inverters/chargers
Let's say $4,000 for 12.8kw of battery storage (the most important part)
And say $2,000 on misc (wires, brackets etc
That's $7,925!!
People are literally getting killed by labor cost. More than $25k. So sad. I've even seen more than $50k prices
California Installation.
Our current installation is comprised of 17 400-watt solar panels each sporting the IQ8 microinverter.
They are then wired to the IQ combiner box, which is wired to the main incoming power service meter panel.
In the event of grid down situation we lose all power beings the solar panels are disconnected to protect the grid side linemen.
1st question.
Of the current equipment, what would be removed if the "IQ System Controller" were added to the current setup described or does all hardware continue to be used with this addition?
2nd Question.
By what means does the solar panel power get cut off when the grid goes down are there clamp-on meters detecting voltage located in the service main? I am thinking the new meter main box has some additional circuitry to allow the cutting off of power in my setup.
Can the IQ system controller be installed now and later other components added such as batteries and V2H hardware?
How does my Nem 2 affected if I have my system modified? I mean there was a rush to get my system installed to avoid the changes in Net Energy Metering 2.0?
1. The IQ System Controller can be added without having to remove any existing hardware. 2. The IQ System Controller isolates the micro-inverters from the grid in the event of a blackout. 3. Yes, IQ System controller can be installed now (with load controller) and then batteries and EV charger added later.
@@SolarSurge went back and studied the diagram showing the different components and could not find the load controller you mentioned in your reply could you expand on that part of the equipment.
@@MaxGoddur Hey Bob. It’s not on the diagram but you can find it here. enphase.com/store/accessories/accessories-storage/iq-load-controller
@@SolarSurge sorry but it would be nice to see the "Load Controller" in the diagram allowing us to see how it fits into the system.
😄 👌 👍
Right, it comes off the roof AC. 240V 39amp. Current must be converted to DC for battery storage, then converted back to AC. Wasteful. Too much lost to heat.
Concur wiith all except battery storage, still too expensive to add batteries. More cost effective still to install a generac propane whole home generator. Also the battery output compared to some seems weaker.
Hi Alex and thanks for writing in. We do a lot of systems using solar + batteries + Generac generator.
@@SolarSurge Yes, I am sure you do but not everyone has the budget. Given one should go for the iq8 inverters for future proofing. Setup the device so you can get emerg power at least during daylight hours, the next step is a. do I spend 10-12K on batteries that may not do the whole house, will not provide power during the night, will not provide full power if the days are overcast or the solar panels are iced over..................... Compared to spending 6-8K US (8-10K Cdn) on a whole home generator................. day or night, regardless of cloud/rain/ice/snow cover.......... Battery costs have to be cut in half to make them tenable. Just my opinion~ I would much prefer to not have to burn fossil fuels........
Why do you keep posting videos of old products claiming they are new? I installed my IQ8 system here in NC back in May 2022…
happy for you on the system, wish I had an IQ8 system and not an older solaredge one. But the point was the whole system and a bidirectional charger is new and impacts the whole thing.
Folks, you can learn a lot on this channel about solar power. But Joe isn't doing this for educational purposes. This is an infomercial channel. He wants you to think, "Hey, this guy knows a lot. I'll call him about solar for my home." This is why he's putting old-ish wine in new bottles.
Cause IQ8 hasn’t even been introduced yet in many countries. There is a world outside US.
Is it worth the 40% cost increase over a String inverter sytem?
The cost increase should not be that severe. We see about 5% higher cost overall.
I think so. I had a string system on a previous installation. When the inverter subsequently failed I was without the ability to export or use the solar power generated. As the string inverter came from China it took several months to get a replacement. I now have the Enphase system which uses the micro inverters so there is no single point of failure. The Enphase system is operating at 100% reliability. Your choice depends on what you want to achieve with the funds available. Starting with a system that has growth potential as funds become available is a good way to begin.
@@SolarSurge Thanks for the reply. Love the show.
@@Helekopa_Pailaka I currently have a string inverter system. I’m in Texas. The cost of Enphase micro inverter/ panels. Vs my current string inverter system was about 40% higher. It could have been because of the installation cost. I’m not sure. I only know that my 3 quotes were from $75000-$87,000. For the same sized system that I got installed. That is a string inverter. 12kw & 1 Powerwall. My system cost 40% less. I will checkout a DIY Micro system for my storage shed. My house roof line will shade it. So Micro might be better for that application. Thanks.
Is enphase available in the EU?
Yes. This system is very popular in Europe.
@@SolarSurgeare the IQ8 available in the UK?
How hard is it to hook up generator to battery?
Not hard. The Enphase IQ System Controller has a dedicated generator input for this.
@Solar Surge thank you so much. And thanks for taking the time to respond in a timely manner and with simple anwsers
😀🙏💙
It turns the what? 👈🧐🤔🤨😂🤣🤪👌✌️💎 #electricible 🙌
I think its a mistake to go with micro inverters personally, Id rather have a string inverter with battery backup, plus what happens if these micro inverter companies go out of business? Yeah single point of failure is better in that reguard also can these even handle super large surge loads like air compressors like a :LF inverter would with ease
Enphase is a huge co. Will not go out of business any time soon. Other microinverters though…
@@perwis9893 My main point and question was can these microinverters even handle large inductive loads like motors and stuff, id rather have a string inverter low freq they can def handle large inductive loads
Good question. I don’t know. But that is not really a problem unless you are off grid right? And then you would presumably still need a battery right? Or what am I missing here?
3 Enphase batteries to match 1 Franklin
I'm playing this a 2X speed and it still seems slow. Most of this stuff has been available for the past year. It's only the bidirectional charger that's new. Enphase is the expensive option to do all this, and you can see why. Having an integrated system is great, but the idea is to save the customer money, not charge them more for it. Enphase works in CA where energy prices are high, but here, in NC it's prohibitively expensive when energy is only 7.7 cents per kwh.
Duke charges .11 kwh here with the energy star rate. Not sure where you get .07 kwh but that's not the case for most of the state. Plus Duke wants to raise rates aggressively for most of the state. I would gladly add 1 year to payback for a superior system. My solaredge inverter has failed twice in 5 years. Pretty sure it will need to go in 10 years thank God with credits I hit my payback already.
@@kevinbranch7010 Energy United is 7.7 cents, and their solar program is paid at wholesale avoidable cost, not retail + tax.
@@ToddDesiato that's great crazy how much better than Huntersville area and their power company which both serve small focused areas.
Wow 7 cents! In Puerto Rico we pay 30 cents and with unreliable service, everybody is going solar. I have my enphase system for a year now.
What a mess; remembering back in the day when we had clean nuclear generators sending clean AC power out to the grid-- now history and we are now generating a massive amount of electronics just to power houses-- one by one. On the up side we can't discount all the millions of new jobs solar systems produce.