The Enphase Energy Management System: What You Need To Know
Energy management is here. Solar Storage has landed.
The Enphase Energy Management System is the world’s first integrated system that will allow households to store, monitor and manage solar power to increase your energy independence and your reliance on the grid. As 1KOMMA5° installs the first systems across Australia over the coming months, let’s have a look at the components of an Enphase system and why it is set to revolutionise the way Australians use their power.
The Enphase Energy Management System
What sets Enphase apart from other options on the market is the system’s plug and play nature. The Enphase AC battery is managed by a networking hub that connects your solar system to the cloud, enabling system owners to not just monitor but manage your solar system from any device anywhere in the world.
Connecting your Enphase System to the cloud will also allow for home automation. For example, you may decide to direct excess solar power into underfloor heating or air conditioning rather than sending it out to the grid.
“Every other solution on the market that we know of is essentially just a battery,” Enphase Energy’s Asia-Pacific managing director, Nathan Dunn, told Gizmag. “This means you’d have to add additional components to convert the power supply to AC, and additional software to monitor the battery usage. All of that requires a lot of complex engineering. We’re offering a complete solution that can be essentially a plug and play exercise.”
The Enphase AC Battery
With a minimum 10 year expected life, the star of the show is the Enphase AC Battery. At just 25kg, the battery can be wall-mounted and will be well suited to a garage or a similar location. Measuring 39 x 32 x 22 cm, each battery comes with a bi-directional microinverter and will provide 1.2kWh of energy. The battery is designed to be cycled twice a day, meaning you will be able to get around 2.4kWh of power a day per battery.
The AC Battery’s modular architecture means you’ll get a storage solution that’s exactly what you need: no more, no less, no wasted costs. The system is easy to expand on as your needs change, as your family grows or you add an electric vehicle.
Enphase has partnered with ELIIY Power in Japan to provide the safest battery technology available on the market. Based on Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry and a prismatic cell format, the battery is far safer than a standard lithium battery used in common household electronics such as laptops and mobile phones. It is also very resilient to high temperatures and even trauma events.
The Envoy-S Metered
With all the talk surrounding solar storage, it has been easy to overlook the next generation Envoy-S Metered.
The hub of the Enphase system is an absolute game-changer as it is the first integrated energy monitor that provides energy usage insights, remote update capabilities and load management, enabling a more cost-effective and reliable solar installation while adding significant value for system owners.
The Enphase Envoy-S Metered delivers solar production and energy consumption data to the cloud-based Enphase Enlighten monitoring platform for comprehensive, remote maintenance and management of the Enphase System.
This is what so many micro inverters have been asking for, and we are now able to offer it with all of our new and existing customers.
With production metering and consumption monitoring options, Envoy-S is the platform for total energy management:
Consumption monitoring for total energy insight
99.5% accuracy – miles ahead of what we have seen previously
Bi-directional communications let the Envoy adapt to future utility requirements
Flexible networking options with integrated Wi-Fi
Ready for plug-play cellular networking
Connects up to 600 microinverters
Where Do We Start?
Step 1: Get your solar system installed with an Envoy-S Metered.
If you don’t have solar yet, we recommend that now is the time to be investing in a battery ready Enphase Solar System. Solar power is now so cheap we are able to offer a return on your money in around 3 to 5 years in most cases. There are also significant government rebates available on all system sizes, for example, a 5kW system comes with a rebate of around $4,000.
Solar power is now an established industry with over 1.5 million systems across Australia. This means an investment in solar power will offer you much greater returns compared to battery storage for the time being.
If you already have a solar power system, the next step is to get the Envoy-S Metered. The Envoy-S Metered is compatible with all solar systems and we install this network hub in your meter board.
Ideally you should have a month or two of consumption data before investing in battery storage, although a lot of our customers have expressed interest in getting one or two batteries to start with, as they have a high power usage and are comfortable that they will get maximum usage out of around 5kWh of stored power a day from 2 batteries.
Step 2 – Lead the Revolution
Installing an Energy Management System is not just about lower power bills, it is about taking back control and voting with your dollar. Yes, protesting on the street can work to a certain degree, but reeling in Australia’s Energy companies will happen one household at a time, as Australian’s stop buying electricity that is generated in Coal-Fired Power Stations and by Coal Seam Gas. With talk that Nuclear options are back on the table, it’s time that we who believe in a clean future that transcends dated technology ramp up our efforts to say that Australians want an energy grid that is predominantly generated by clean and renewable sources, in particular, solar power.
1KOMMA5° sees a future where the power grid is used only as a backup, in fact, we expect this to happen over the next few years. If we look at the rapid growth and establishment of solar power in Australia, it is not unreasonable to expect solar storage to follow a similar growth curve with hybrid solar systems and micro-grids becoming the norm.
As Energy Management systems are rolled out over the next 6 months, we expect the leaders of this revolution to install one or two batteries to start building towards your desired capacity. Over the years, batteries can be added as required as prices start to fall.
Step 3 – Understand your usage and add capacity
The Enphase system will automatically optimise itself based on your usage. Solar power will be fed into the home, with excess power stored in batteries to be used during the peak billing period or when needed, for example after work.
As an added bonus, you may be able to take advantage of the battery’s two daily cycles by charging the batteries overnight when wholesale electricity prices are at their lowest to then use in the morning. We expect micro-grids to come online over the coming years and this will further enhance your ability to manage your power consumption and save even more off your power bills.
As you become more comfortable with how the system works, you will easily be able to add more capacity as needed. As your installer, 1KOMMA5° will stay in touch with you to help you understand your options when looking to add capacity. We will also keep you up to date with all the latest pricing and technology developments.
We hope you are as excited about this as we are! Energy management is set to completely transform Australia’s energy sector, and right now you have the chance to partner with 1KOMMA5° and Enphase to lead a revolution that will take back control of Australia’s future.