Microinverters offer a wide variety of benefits to home and commercial solar arrays. They typically last longer than traditional string inverters, ensure that each panel is working to their maximum efficiency, and will continue working individually even if one of the panels in the system is down or having less output due to environmental or electrical issues. A handful of companies have begun offering microinverters for their respective brand, SMA has released numerous microinverters of their own, however they are typically taken off the market again after a short time. While they hope to produce a long term microinverter product, the company that has always stood strong in microinverter technology is Enphase Energy. To date, if one wanted to use microinverters on their homes, they would, naturally, be pointed in the company’s direction. A newer competitor has emerged from the company APsystems, has been in business since 2009 and has steadily gained recognition in the microinverter business.

*APsystems Installation Microinverters

While there are many similarities between the two companies there are a few noticeable differences. The first being that APsystems YC500i microinverters are designed to be installed on two panels while Enphase microinverters are installed on each individual panel in your solar array. The YC500i is approved to produce up to 548W of power, which is fairly advanced in terms of inverter technology, currently Enphase’s IQ+ series has its highest output power rated at 235-400W+ of power. That being said, in terms of application, this means that YC500i microinverters can handle up to two 270W solar panels and still meet its maximum output power. With solar panel technology ever increasing to above 300W of power, it is safe to say that the company will need to produce micoinverters with higher wattage output and input power to remain to competitive. However, for solar arrays that utilize panels 270W and below, the convenience of using one microinverter per two panels may be worth it. Using one microinverter for two panels will shorten installation time, require less installation components such as trunk cables, and ultimately save costs.

*Enphase Energy Microinverter Installation

For homeowners looking for the assurance of a long-term partner, Enphase may seem like the safer bet because it is more well known. However, the company has only been in business 3 years longer than APsystems, given the fact that microinverter technology is relatively new to the solar industry, the extent of the companies’ time in business may not be the best indication of a long-term partner. Those in the solar industry typically look out to the future to see new possibilities for the manufacturer and whispers of new product lines. Enphase to date has been fairly consistent in releasing new series and increasing their technology. As previously mentioned, they recently released the IQ and IQ+ series and are currently working on releasing their full line of batteries. Prior to this series, they were popular for their M215 and M250 series microinverters, which lead to the S series which has an S230 and S280 microinverter. APsystems releases updates to their products, but at the moment at a slower rate than Enphase, however, their technology is growing and they certainly have nowhere to look but up looking forward, and their unique installation process will serve them well in terms of remaining more cost competitive with traditional string inverter systems than Enphase.

*Enphase Energy IQ+ Microinverter

Ultimately, both manufacturers are strong and backed by cutting edge technology. Homeowner and business preferences in installation and cost are what truly separate the two manufacturers. We would be interested in seeing more cost competitive products from Enphase, and more flexibility in output power from APsystems. Watching their past and predicted future trends, both companies seem to be rising to the occasion and may out pace string inverters in the future due to their cutting edge technology and decreasing prices.

*APsystems YC500i Microinverter