Legacy products
The M175[20] was the first product from Enphase, released in 2008. It was designed to output 175 watts of AC power. The M175 was packaged in a relatively large cast aluminum box. Wiring was passed through the case using compression fittings and the inverters connected to each other using a twist-lock connection. The product saw modest sales.
Sales picked up with the second generation M190,[21] released in 2009. The M190 had a slightly higher power rating of 190 watts, but in a much smaller case with built-in cable connections replacing the earlier compression fittings.
Around the same time the company also released the D380,[22] which was essentially two M190 units in a single larger case. For small inverters like the M190, the case and its assembly represented a significant portion of the total cost of production, so by placing two in a single box that cost is spread out. The D380 also introduced a new inter-inverter cabling system based on a "drop cable" system. This placed a single connector on a short cable on the inverter, and used a separate cable with either one or three connectors on it. Arrays were constructed by linking together up to three D380s with a single drop cable, and then connecting them to other drop cables using larger twist-fit connectors.
The third generation M215 was introduced in 2011, bumping up the power rating to 215 watts and adding trunk cabling, which increased installation speed by using one long cable run, with the inverters spliced in as necessary.
The fourth generation M250 was released in 2013,[23] increasing the power rating to 250 watts and efficiency to 96.5%. The fourth generation added an integrated grounding system, eliminating the external grounding conductor. Enphase continued to offer the M215 but updated it with the integrated grounding system.
In 2015, the company launched its fifth generation of products. The "S" series S230 and S280 microinverters with power ratings of 230 and 280 Watts, increased efficiency of 97% and added advanced grid functionality like reactive power control along with bidirectional capabilities allowing the micro-inverter to also convert AC into DC for battery use.
The next-gen Envoy-S[24] offers revenue-grade metering of solar production, consumption monitoring, and integrated Wi-Fi. The company also moved into home energy storage with its storage system featuring an AC Battery,[25] a modular, 1.2kWh lithium-iron phosphate offering aimed at residential users that is part of a Home Energy Solution. The Home Energy Solution launched in Australia in mid-2016.[26]
Current products
Since 2017, Enphase has been offering its "IQ" series microinverters which use a simplified cabling system with two conductors (down from four) that eliminated the need for a neutral line. The first to be introduced was the IQ6, with the older M215, M250 and S280 remaining on sale but updated to use the new cabling system. The updated IQ7 series was launched in 2018.[27]
In 2021, the IQ8 Microinverter was introduced as a grid-forming microinverter, enabling solar-only backup during grid outages.[18] It features a split-phase power conversion capability to convert DC power to AC power more efficiently and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which enables the device to operate in grid-tied or off-grid modes. This chip is built in 55 nm technology with high-speed digital logic and has fast response times to changing loads and grid events, alleviating constraints on battery sizing for home energy systems.[28]
In 2020, the company introduced the Enphase Encharge storage system, now known as the IQ Battery, to customers in North America and expansion into parts of Europe began in 2021. The IQ Battery features lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry and comes in two capacity size configurations, 10.08kWh and 3.36kWh. Both configurations are compatible with new and existing Enphase solar systems with IQ6, IQ7, or IQ8 Microinverters.[29]
