How to Get Home Energy Backup WITHOUT a Solar Battery or Generator
How It Works: The Basics
The Enphase Sunlight Ready backup is a cheap way to provide energy back-up for essential loads, when the sun is shining. At Credible Solar we offer the Sunlight Backup standard with our residential solar installations.
Microinverters keep essential appliances running during a grid outage without the need to install a battery. This makes Sunlight Backup systems ideal for homeowners that want basic, daytime protection from grid outages while reducing their initial investment.
How It Works: System Line Diagram
Enphase' Sunlight Ready Backup Line Diagram
Traditionally, solar systems would need battery or generator backup to have energy backup during an outage. With new technological breakthroughs its now possible for a solar panel system equipped with only Enphase' Sunlight Ready Backup system, with no battery, to automatically divert solar energy from the main load panel into an essential load sub-panel during a power outage.
The Enphase IQ Load Controllers will allow you to control what essential loads would be powered from a computer or smart device, in case there wasnāt enough to power all the loads with the available sunlight.
Important Tips:
- Systems with IQ8 Microinverters must only contain IQ8 Microinverters as they are incompatible with older generations of Enphase microinverters, including IQ6 and IQ7 Microinverters. This applies for Solar Only systems as well as backup capable systems.
- IQ Combiner 4 and IQ Combiner 4C support hold down kits on four circuits. Backup systems with IQ8 Microinverters require hold down kits on all PV circuits.
- Sunlight Backup systems require the use of an IQ System Controller 2. IQ System Controller (formerly Enpower) is incompatible with Sunlight Backup systems.
- Sunlight Backup systems support up to four essential load circuits. This requires the installation of two IQ Load Controllers to control all four load circuits. You must install at least one IQ Load Controller before commissioning a Sunlight Backup system.
- Sunlight Backup systems require the use of the Enphase System Shutdown switch. The shutdown switch is sold separately and available from your local Enphase distributor. This switch wired to IQ System Controller 2 acts as the Rapid Shutdown initiator for grid forming IQ8 microinverters.
- Backup capable systems with IQ8 Microinverters require IQ Gateway (formerly IQ Envoy) software version of 7.0.101 or higher. The Installer App (formerly Installer Toolkit) will prompt you to update software if required.
- IQ Gateway software version 7.0.85 or higher can only be managed with the Installer App (formerly Installer Toolkit) version 3.24.x or higher. Be sure to update your Installer App before installation.
Conclusion
That's a quick guide on how to get home energy backup without a solar battery or generator. At Credible Solar we equip all of our solar installations with Enphase Sunlight Ready Backup standard, although you can add solar batteries or a home backup generator if you need more than essential energy backup or energy backup at nighttime during an outage. You can visit the Credible Solar website and request a free solar estimate for your property to get started with solar today.