On July 9th, 2013, Enphase Energy, Inc. introduced its fourth generation of solar microinverters that work together with Envoy advanced communications gateway and Enlighten intelligent monitoring software platform to deliver reliable, high-performance solar arrays. The Enphase System now includes an M250 microinverter that produces 250-Watts peak AC output power and MyEnlighten, an intuitive, web-based solar monitoring solution designed for system owners.
Enphase microinverters have revolutionized solar power generation, leading Enphase Energy to be named the number one residential PV inverter supplier in the Americas, according to industry data published yesterday by IHS Research in its PV Inverter World Market Report - 2013.
Enphase M250 Microinverter: Optimized for high-power solar modules, the M250 microinverter produces 250-Watts peak AC output power and pairs with 60-cell modules up to 300W STC. The M250 is rated at 96.5 percent CEC weighted efficiency, the highest efficiency in the industry for microinverters. In addition, the M250 has been built to withstand the most grueling environmental conditions. It is NEMA 6 rated and has undergone over one million hours of testing in extreme temperature and humidity environments prior to launch. The new Enphase System continues to be supported by an industry-leading 25-year warranty.
The M250 also supports a new integrated ground feature, again a first in the industry for microinverters. Because the M250 microinverter’s DC circuit is isolated and insulated from ground, it eliminates need for a separate copper Grounding Electrode Conductor (GEC) to each microinverter. This improvement allows for faster installation time and lower materials costs.
Enlighten Software Platform: Enlighten is an intelligent web-based monitoring software platform that provides solar professionals and system owners with ongoing operations and uptime assurance. It now comes available in two different versions.
For solar professionals, Enlighten Manager offers web based tools to monitor and manage multiple installations, streamlining the operations and maintenance processes. Solar professionals can view detailed performance data from a fleet of PV installations, compare actual system performance data against modeled performance, remotely diagnose and resolve issues impacting system performance and access performance data for PV module warranty claims.
For solar energy system owners, MyEnlighten offers an engaging interface to view and share energy production and environmental benefits of their solar arrays. From any device with an Internet connection, system owners can access at-a-glance views of energy production, compare current performance against a previous day, week or month, view historical weather data to understand variations in performance and share performance data with friends and colleagues through integrated social media buttons.
Envoy Communications Gateway: The Envoy Communications Gateway connects the solar array with network access, enabling comprehensive monitoring and management of an Enphase installation. The latest Envoy supports up to 500 microinverters. This means a single Envoy can support a residential or small commercial system up to 100kW, and multiple Envoys can be used for larger system sizes. In addition, powerline communications has been enhanced to provide greater noise immunity, longer range and higher performance resulting in improved connectivity between Envoy and the solar array.
The new Enphase System will be available through authorized distribution in North America in September and available in Europe and Australia in 2014. For more information about the new Enphase System, visit enphase.com.
