In residential, solar + storage is really shorthand for solar + storage + power control in order to hopefully avoid main panel upgrades. So, it was only a matter of time before Enphase Energy added such capabilities to its offering.
Last week, Enphase announced the launch of Enphase Power Control software that can integrate with the Enphase Energy System in North America. Enphase Power Control software is UL-certified and can support a variety of solar-only and solar-plus storage combinations, including grid-tied and grid-forming applications. Enphase Power Control dynamically controls the power produced by an Enphase Energy System, which gives installers more flexibility in system design.
The Enphase batteries are listed with the CEC as power control compliant with the import-only operating mode and the IQ8 Microinverters are certified for power export limiting (PEL). This enables easy interconnection with utilities without requiring customers to pay for expensive utility transformer upgrades.
“When designing a home energy system, homeowners are looking for flexible, efficient systems to meet their unique energy needs, and Enphase is accomplishing this with impressive installation savings,” said William May, owner and operator of May Electric Solar, a Florida-based installer of Enphase’s products. “The Enphase Energy System with power control software integration maximizes the efficiency while remaining compliant with rules and regulations, easily meeting the needs of both homeowners and utilities.”
When is it available? Enphase expects to launch additional power control functionality in the third quarter of 2024, including support for busbar power control, which enables homeowners to get more power from their Enphase systems while ensuring the home’s main load panel is within safe limits. Enphase also expects to include its power control feature in Solargraf, its cloud-based design, proposal, and permitting software platform later this year.
Installers can pitch larger systems, avoid costly main panel upgrades, and meet utility and national electrical code (NEC) requirements. How big? Enphase says the Power Control software could accommodate a system with 80 kWh in capacity, doubling the capacity when compared with prior Enphase battery generations.
Enphase Power Control software enables the installation of more solar panels or batteries without requiring expensive main panel upgrades to meet NEC requirements, helping homeowners save on labor and material costs. For example, a home with a 200-ampere main panel could double the size of the solar and battery system without requiring a main panel hardware upgrade.
Enphase Power Control software is also tasked with exporting from IQ Batteries to the grid for economic benefit, maximizing the system value under rate structures like California’s NEM 3.0. Enphase batteries are now listed with the California Energy Commission (CEC) as power control compliant with the export operating mode.
— Solar Builder magazine
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