The certification meets the new North American safety and grid interconnection standards for connecting solar inverters, energy storage systems, and distributed energy resources (DERs) to the grid in compliance with IEEE 1547-2018 and IEEE 1547-1 2020.
The new UL standard is used by testing agencies to demonstrate a product’s compliance with the IEEE standards. Enphase was actively involved in the development of the UL and IEEE standards and participated as a member of the committees that created the rules. The new standards introduce requirements for several advanced interconnection functions that will allow the grid to accommodate much higher levels of renewable DERs.
One significant new capability, known as ‘interoperability’ standardises the way in which utilities can communicate with and control DERs like solar and battery systems. Interoperability provides a crucial mechanism for DERs to be updated efficiently and cost effectively to better accommodate ever-evolving conditions on the grid.
“Enphase is pleased that our industry-leading IQ8 Microinverter system is the first product in North America to receive this critical certification from UL” said Raghu Belur, co-founder and chief product officer at Enphase Energy. “Our close partnership with UL has allowed us to quickly reach compliance with all applicable North America safety standards. We selected UL as our global certification partner and our close working relationship with them has been invaluable in this effort. We look forward to further collaboration with UL to expand our innovative product offerings and help transform the grid.”
Enphase’s IQ8 Microinverters, paired with the IQ Combiner 4/4C and IQ Gateway, create the first complete residential DER system certified by UL. Many states throughout the US will soon require products to be compliant with these standards, and Enphase aims to have all its products certified ahead of the forthcoming state deadlines.
“We are at the start of a new era in which distributed energy resources, such as solar PV and battery systems, will become a foundational element of the way we think about electricity for our homes, buildings, and tools for utility use” added Jeff Smidt, senior vice president of Industrial Testing, Inspection and Certification at UL. “With the Enphase IQ8 Microinverter as the first ever distributed energy resources product certified by UL to UL 1741, 3rd edition with the SB Supplement, Enphase has taken a significant step in helping advance the safety and security of reliable, clean, and smart energy available in the home or on the grid.”
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