Founded in 2006, US-based Enphase Energy focuses on energy management technology for residential and commercial solar panels. Enphase has revolutionized the solar industry with its microinverter-based technology, and approximately 1.5 million Enphase-based systems have been deployed in more than 130 countries, so far. In this exclusive interaction, we have Sunil Thamaran, India Head, Enphase Energy, telling us more on Enphase’ microinverter technology, whilst discussing the company’s aggressive growth plans in the high-potential Indian market. An interview by Venugopal Pillai.
It is believed that though India has huge rooftop solar potential, there is not enough understanding among property owners of the nuances of rooftop solar. What is your view?
Despite the ambitious goals for solar deployment set by the Indian government, consumer awareness of the benefits and understanding of the technology is lacking. Rooftop solar is still in its infancy, and helping people get educated about the process of acquiring it will be critical for enabling growth of the business segment.
Additionally, making the customer acquisition process simple and seamless will help drive the mass deployment of rooftop solar. The process of going solar for many is complicated. Finding a trusted installer, acquiring reliable information about the technology, and understanding the government policies can be difficult.
“Enphase aims to provide an end-to-end platform that enables a hassle-free transition to solar.”
In such a situation, please discuss the role that Enphase Energy is playing in the Indian rooftop solar market?
Enphase aims to provide an end-to-end platform that enables a hassle-free transition to solar with its dependable, safe, and AI-driven energy management systems. The main focus of the company is to demystify Solar for its consumers and help them understand solar technology better, to make energy efficient choices.
Going forward, technology will play a key role in enhancing user experience and accelerating adoption in any industry. Even in Solar, especially in a market like India where the ecosystem is unstructured and lacks uniform policies, technology can bridge the gap. Enphase recently launched the Enphase Installer Network (EIN) in India, in an effort to streamline and bring all relevant stakeholders in the solar ecosystem on a single platform. EIN provides installers exclusive access to new products, executive sponsorship, trade show invites, priority in product allocation, zero cost leads, discounted product warranty extensions, co-branding and promotion opportunities. For homeowners, EIN offers easy access to best in class service and a platform to locate premium installers in the area, using the find an Installer tool.
Most customers subscribe to Enphase products because they know about the company, and the differentiated values we provide. There are many success stories in the market and with that we are chasing a larger customer base in India.
“Enphase works with both installers and homeowners to meet their individual solar system needs and requirements.”
Must read: Enphase Energy Launches Installer Network In India
Please explain if Enphase Energy deals directly with homeowners or is it the installers?
Enphase works with both installers and homeowners to meet their individual solar system needs and requirements. Installers on the Enphase network, work with homeowners and small business owners. Enphase provides these installers with guidance through initiatives such as the EIN (Enphase installer network) and pan India webinars. Homeowners can access services on the Enphase platform like System Estimator to locate high-end products and gather all necessary information with respect to the solar energy industry.
A growing number of people are looking to learn about and invest in solar power systems as the government places a greater emphasis on clean energy. Enphase aims to address the knowledge gap in the industry by organizing and providing all the necessary information/industry updates to the homeowners and the installers to help them make the right choice.
We understand that the core strength of Enphase Energy is in its “microinverter technology” Please explain in simple terms the advantage of Enphase Energy’s microinverter technology over conventional inverters?
Inverters act as the brains of a solar energy system. It converts direct current (DC) power from the solar panel into alternating current (AC) power that you can use in your home to power your devices. Traditionally, for rooftop solar, conventional – or “string” – inverters were the standard in the industry. Essentially, all the solar panels would be connected together in series and send the power through one centralized inverter. If that single inverter fails, the entire system goes down.
Enphase invented the microinverter. A microinverter offers a range of advantages including greater efficiency, reliability, and safety. There is one microinverter for every solar panel. This allows each panel to maximize its output and, if one microinverter fails, the other panels will continue to produce, ensuring the entire system doesn’t go down.
Key advantages microinverters offer are:
Production (higher energy generation): Enphase microinverters have the most sophisticated inverter technology available, resulting in increased productivity, increased dependability, and unrivaled intelligence. Enphase’s seventh-generation microinverters are based on a one of a kind software-defined architecture, that allows for a cost-effective design with a single hardware SKU available globally. Microinverters use burst technology that helps generate more energy even during dawn, dusk, and in low-light circumstances, resulting in a longer solar day.
- Reliability (both unit and system reliability): Enphase’s microinverters are intrinsically more dependable since they work independently. A microinverter system has no single point of failure. At Enphase, quality is paramount; if one panel fails, the others will not be affected. The company also provides the best warranty and service package in the industry; Enphase microinverter comes with a 10 year standard warranty, which can be extended up to 25 years.
- Safety: Enphase microinverter are safer as they are an all-AC system, no high-voltage DC power on the roof. Streamlined components make for quicker and less costly installations. High-quality materials and remote problem-solving makes Enphase more reliable and secure.
- Smart (with app based updates): Enphase systems gathers real-time data from installed microinverters and sends remote updates to ensure the entire system is always in sync.
“While the rooftop solar industry has not grown at the same rate as other countries, we see a lot of opportunity in India.”
Digressing a bit to the macro industry, the rooftop solar industry in India has not picked up as expected. What appear to you as the main reasons?
While the industry has not grown at the same rate as other countries, we see a lot of opportunity in India. Creating simple and long-term policies around unique advantages of solar will be critical to enable growth. People are more inclined to make an investment when there’s certainty around the future of their decisions.
Secondly, again, the level of awareness in India is quite low. There is limited knowledge available on the sector, products available and its value. The right training for installers and more conversations around solar will help accelerate the adoption.
And lastly, financing has been a challenge. The financing sector initially did not find the solar market attractive, given the barriers of policy and awareness. We are looking at ways to address this, to make solar more accessible to people
“Salcomp, our Finland-based EMS partner, has set up a fully automated manufacturing line for Enphase in Chennai.”
Coming back to Enphase Energy, we understand that the company has planned to set up a manufacturing facility in India for its microinverters. Tell us more.
With the support of the government under the Make in India initiative, we partnered with an EMS partner in Chennai, in October 2020 to start manufacturing our microinverters. Salcomp, a Finnish EMS company, set up a fully automated manufacturing line for Enphase. We have done around 400,000 units per quarter and can ramp up to 1.5 million units per quarter. We export all units to the US currently. We are awaiting the BIS certification for the India market and then we can supply from the Chennai plant to our customers here.
We also learn that Enphase Energy will be complementing its services with systems for real-time tracking, etc of the solar rooftop system. Please elaborate.
Enphase aspires to be a global leader in energy technology, offering smart, user-friendly solutions that combine solar generation, storage, and communication into a single intelligent platform. Enphase offers two solutions for real time tracking – Enphase Envoy & MyEnlighten app.
MyEnlighten app is a system where owners can track their energy production, monitor their system’s health, and share their data with family and friends, all from a simple, mobile-friendly interface. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Envoy is Enphase Microinverter System’s gateway. Envoy keeps the entire system in constant communication by collecting real-time data from microinverters and delivering remote updates to users:
- Bi-directional communications: The Envoy delivers performance data from the microinverters to the Web, and carries system updates from the Web to the microinverters. It is a bi-directional interface enabling optimal benefits.
- In-depth monitoring: The Envoy brings real-time, module-level performance data that makes it easy to monitor systems or fleet from any web-connected device.
- Remote problem-solving: The Envoy lets users pinpoint performance issues instantly and resolve them remotely before they get in the way of system performance
“Enphase’s microinverter-based technology has revolutionised the residential and small commercial solar sector.”
Equipped with efficient and differentiating technology, a local manufacturing setup and a vastly untapped market, how do you see the years ahead for Enphase Energy in India?
Enphase Energy was launched in India in 2017, and we now have over 1,200 employees working on the hardware and software development, business management and customer service areas for the company’s global markets, including India. Energy is an area where advanced technology is becoming more widely used. Because of the impact on a sustainable future, many want to work for energy companies. We offer a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work in India, on advanced technology in energy management systems.
We are focused heavily on the software and hardware development, as well as the advanced development in the areas of AI/ML/Cloud/Mobile. The focus products for us are: Ensemble (Home Energy Management System), Portable Power Storage (akin to power on the go with your own power pack that can be charged with various sources), and commercial products (IQ8D which is the first in line of dual-panel microinverter)
Enphase’s microinverter-based technology has revolutionised the residential and small commercial solar sector. We aspire to be a world leader in energy technology, providing smart, user-friendly solutions that integrate solar generation, storage, and communication into a single intelligent platform. We are heavily invested in India, and are looking to do a lot more here in terms of engineering, business development and manufacturing.
(Photographs show microinverters by Enphase Energy, and some of the company’s solar rooftop projects in India.)
