Enphase System Overview
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- Опубліковано 17 вер 2022
- Detailed walk through of all the components in my Enphase system.
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Very nice. I have had Enphase since 2015, old M215 and gateway. The new system has IQ7+ . I used to like the older web view. I recently setup Home Assistant and can see a lot more data, including microinverter level power output.
@Spookies Reef
Hi. It’s nice to “meet” someone with years of experience with Enphase microinverters. We had 19x395w panels with IQ7+ installed in June 2022. The panels are in three arrays facing east, south, west and I would like to have an idea about how often the microinverters are clipping. Does the home assistant provide data about the “instantaneous” output of each microinverter? How do you set it up?
Hey! Nice video! We have Enphase too.
PV output is going down in September but yesterday (17/9) we saw 29.4kwh, to remind us the summer days.
Enphase microinverters are very reliable and they keep the panels under low voltage which means less degradation over time. However I believe that optimised string inverters (Solaredge) for multi orientated roofs yield more kwhs as they capacity share and don’t suffer from clipping. Optimisers are not as reliable and having the panels at 600-700V DC is not as good as 40-45V. The Solaredge monitoring platform includes individual panels instantaneous output.
Brilliant tutorial thank you. We are about to have solar PV panels installed, 31 Q Cell 405-watt panels (8 facing east and 23 facing west) mated to Enphase 31 IQ8A Inverters then an IQ Combiner 4C. We will add batteries next year and considering getting 2 Tesla Power Wall 3s or 4 Enphase 5Ps. Installer says my system will include a Cell Modem with 5 years of free cell service, then I pay for that service. I guess the advantage is I can still access all my data from the Enphase Cloud server on my phone even during a power outage if I don't have batteries. I think that's what he's inferring? Cheers from southern Illinois.
Thank you for all your hard work producing these superb videos. I have ordered an 18x390W non optimised system but with a GivEnergy 9.5kWh battery. This is not due to be installed until late November. I have a large south facing roof with no shading issues. I am finding your updates fantastic preparation for my the start of my solar experience. I have a couple of questions related to EV charging and the immersion charging. I have a Wallbox charger and a simple immersion system with a timer. I understand the advantages of setting the EV charger to draw from the grid at an overnight cheap rate if the battery is empty. But how do you time the immersion heating? Is that during the middle of the day surplus or at some other time. I realise I will probably have to add a diverter though if I'm using an immersion timer is that necessary? Finally, I am a meteorologist by training and would note that for your location it has been unusually sunny for much of this year. For NW London the solar anomalies versus the 1991-2020 means have been: J 120% of mean, F 110%, M 120%, A 100%, M 85% (so a duller month than normal), J 120%, J 115% and August also 115%. So consistently sunnier than average with the exception of May. Hope that helps and keep up the great work. Martin
Hi Martin, and thanks for your message. So, if you get an Eddi for your solar diverter, you can set up a timer function if you want. So you can get it to heat your water overnight on the cheap rate too.
If you just leave it to divert solar surplus, then in my case it kicks in after the battery has filled up. It all works via a grid CT clamp. I can set tolerances on the Eddi to fine tune when it kicks in to prevent it from starting whilst the battery is charging up.
You can also 'boost' the Eddi via the app or buttons on the device to get it come on for upto an hour at full power instantly.
Since I've got the 2nd battery installed (17.7kWh total), I am not really generating enough surplus to heat water and put a bit of power into the car after having fully charged the battery. So I leave the gas to do hot water. It seems that it might take a long time to pay off the Eddi at this rate. But that's because I need to prioritise the car over the hot water. It's hard to tell now. I'll have to wait until next summer to see if the Eddi is still a worthwhile investment.
I notice you can now get smart 'Tesla' immersion heaters. This might be a cheaper app controlled alternative vs getting an Eddi. I'm not sure if it can monitor solar surplus, but it's a cheaper option to consider if you can find a way to make it work for you.
@@HarvestingTheSun Hello again. Just had a G99 referral back and they have placed a 6.26kw export limit against 11kw applied for. Did you have any issues with export limts> I'm not that bother as what your video have taught me above anything else is to limit export to the barest minimum.
@@martinmallett9565 Hi Martin. I didn't have any issues with my g99, but my installer did tell me that pretty much the main thing they are concerned about is that you're not net exporting a lot.
They will have applied this limit because they don't really want your surplus, and looking at the size of your array vs your typical consumption, they feel you might be exporting a lot.
How much does your house consume on an average day? And do you have an EV?
For comparison, at the peak of summer, my system was producing about 4.5-5kW. I was consuming the majority and so only pumping 1kW back to the grid at most...and that's only for a short time. So based on that, I wouldn't be concerned about a limit of 6kW. You're absolutely right, the game is to consume or store as much as you can...sending to the grid is a last resort...so the impact of this limit really shouldn't affect you much.
If you have an EV, then it requires more power than you will typically generate, so it's highly unlikely you will regularly be exporting a lot to the grid.
11kW is a big array, but if you consume a lot of power in your house....like 40kW+ (not including EV), then it's unlikely you will be exporting large amounts to the grid.
Hope this helps.
@@HarvestingTheSun Thanks helpful. The planned system size is 7.02 kWp. The installer said the DNO has limited exports due to the fact the incoming is single phase not 3 phase. I have a hybrid (Volvo XC40 Recharge). My projected consumption is very large at around 11000 kWh. I'm just hoping this pushback doesn't restart the 45 day application process.
@@martinmallett9565 okay, then I don't think you've got anything to be worryied about. With a 7kW system, the chances of you producing 6.26kW is limited, and given your consumption, it's safe to say you will never be exporting intentionally, nevermind get anywhere close to 6kW.
I would proceed with your installation before the prices of the equipment go up some more.
From what I've heard, recycling on the g99 is pretty quick. After your installation, your installer has to submit the final g99 with all the exact details, and what I heard is they can make small adjustments at that time, and the DNO doesn't usually have an issue. This is to accommodate the fact that you might end up with 1 or 2 extra or fewer panels because it's hard to accurately measure your roof space from the ground.
Hi Thank You for sharing this and all your hard work, have spent the last couple of days going through your videos as looking at an Enphase system, with 5kVA Victron Inverter with Pylontech Batteries. Your videos have been very informative and it is good to have a UK slant on the figures and performance. One question I have is on the IQ7+ is I note it is 290VA output so for arguments sake 290w and the panels are 385w I presume the IQ7+ therefore will limit the panel output to 290 watts, are you able to confirm this?
Hi Keith. Your logic is correct, and I have the same question. I’ve not noticed any ‘clipping’ in the charts I have, but I’m convinced a few panels will be hitting the limit. With enphase, the app gives me aggregates of data so it’s hard to identify this, but I think you can calculate this info if you can write an api and get the raw data out of their system.
Because my system is east/west I think the impact to me is relatively small…probably only a few panels for a couple of hours a day. But if you have a south facing array, it will impact you much more, so maybe you need the IQ8 micro inverters which have a higher output?
@@HarvestingTheSun Thanks yes the roof faces 20 degrees off south and my installer was suggesting 18 x 395w panels which would only give me a max of 7.1kwp against an actual 5.2kwp with the Enphase IQ7+ so will look at the IQ8’s. Thanks again for your all your info which is very helpful and a fountain of knowledge.
If you don’t have panels in multiple orientations and if there isn’t significant and complex partial shading of your array, then very likely a good string inverter will suffice. Meaning comparable pv production without the added cost.
@@serraios1989 I have shading from some trees so will benefit from the Enphase and will be getting IQ7A microinverters which are 366VA so less clipping. I am also an electrical engineer and am very interested in the data provided by the Enphase on a per panel basis and these inverters also eliminate the high voltage DC.
can it do three phase?
whats up with this video? My Enphase shows none of this. Is this video produced for UK?
Who is your installer please? Thank you.