The solar industry has a few premiere products that are top-of-the-line for installers and customers alike. We sell two such systems: Enphase microinverters and Tesla Powerwall 3.
Savvy customers are on the lookout for each, but how can you choose between the two? Which one is right for your home and your needs?
Both options are popular for their quality, but they serve different purposes.
At Penrith Solar Centre, we’re here to help you understand the strengths and limitations of each system to make an informed choice. We’re experts in what each system offers. After all, we install them all day, every day.
In this article, you’ll learn about the following:
- What Are Enphase Microinverters, and How Do They Work?
- How Does the Tesla Powerwall 3 Compare?
- What Are the Downsides of Each System?
- Which System is Right for Your Home?
- Frequently Asked Questions
By the end of this article, you’ll understand the strengths and limitations of each solar system, and which is best for you and your needs.
What Are Enphase Microinverters, and How Do They Work?
Microinverters are small devices mounted underneath each solar panel. They’re single-phase inverters attached to individual panels.
This provides each solar panel the ability to operate independently. This is unlike traditional “string” inverters that connect all panels together.
Key Benefits:
Long Warranty: Enphase microinverters come with a 25-year warranty. This is the longest warranty in the solar industry. There aren’t any other inverters warranted for this lifespan. It’s just non-existent.
Consumption Monitoring: Enphase includes real-time consumption monitoring to track energy usage. It’s a combination of software and hardware that comes pre-installed with every Enphase system. You use it to keep track of:
- How much energy your solar is producing.
- How much energy your home is using.
- How much energy you’re importing from the grid.
- How much energy you’re exporting to the grid.
- If you have a battery, how much that battery is charging or discharging.
Monitoring software is like a speedometer for your energy; it gives you a clear view of your energy habits. It’s also really efficient at identifying anything that needs repair or replacing in your system.
Safer AC Architecture: Enphase uses AC (alternating current) technology, which is safer than DC (direct current).
Now that’s an inflammatory sentence in the solar industry because most solar systems are DC technology. Enphase is AC technology.
This doesn’t mean that DC solar is unsafe. The quality of the installation is the most important safety measure you can take when installing solar. However, there are reasons why there are so many Australian standards for installing DC solar systems. There are risks associated with it.
Your home runs on AC power, the same as the grid, which also utilises AC technology to power the homes of Australia.
One of the main reasons DC solar is more dangerous is because it lacks true rapid shutdown. Only an Enphase microinverter system can truly shut down completely at the flip of a switch. When you shut down a DC system inverter, there is still electricity in the cables leading down to the home where the inverter is located.
Enphase microinverters are attached to each panel and can shut down the system without any electricity going beyond the microinverter.
For this reason, they are inherently safer systems than Powerwall 3.
Scalability and Flexibility: Enphase allows you to expand your system by adding more panels over time. It’s very easy to do. When you want to add more solar panels to your system, it’s easier to add them with Enphase.
Every solar panel behaves independently of the other because of the microinverter mounted beneath it. When you add more panels, you’re just plugging additional panels into the same trunking cable that feeds the home downstairs.
There’s no need for exact matching of new panels, adding additional strings to the array, or adding an additional system like you would with Powerwall 3.
Scaling up with Enphase as your energy needs grow is very easy.
In Short:
- Enphase is a solid choice if you want a reliable, safe, and expandable solar-only setup with long-term monitoring features.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about microinverters, you might want to check out the following article titled, Myths & Misconceptions About Solar Microinverters.
How Does the Tesla Powerwall 3 Compare?
Now then, when comparing solar systems, it’s very clear to us that Enphase microinverters deliver more value than any other solar system on the market. Of course, we install Enphase systems, so we’re a little biased.
The value of an Enphase system will stand the test of time over the course of its life. Most other solar systems, only last ten years or so (the cheap ones, anyway). Enphase has a huge warranty, Enphase has monitoring software, and Enphase is the safest.
There’s a new player in the game: the Powerwall 3.
Tesla has stepped it up a notch with the release of Powerwall 3. They’ve changed the way solar is installed forever. As a solar battery, it’s more installable and user-friendly compared to other batteries in its class.
This is all due to the enclosed inverter/battery combination with three MPPTs (maximum power point trackers). It’s an all-in-one solution, that handles both solar power generation and energy storage.
It’s the perfect choice for those who want both solar and battery backup.
And because it’s solar combined with a battery, homeowners are able to knock out a bigger chunk off of their energy bills. We’re seeing payback periods of around 5 years projected for Powerwall 3. For a solar and battery combination, that’s unheard of before now.
Key Benefits:
Combined Battery and Solar Inverter: Because solar generates DC electricity and your home runs on AC electricity, you’ll need an inverter to convert that power for your home to use. Traditionally, if you want a solar battery, you would need a piece of technology called a hybrid inverter.
What Powerwall 3 has done is encase the hybrid inverter within the battery, giving consumers both components in one package. It’s a proper two-for-one deal.
Affordable Installation: Labour is one of the most expensive aspects of solar installation. Tesla has changed the game for installers by designing a custom trolley. There’s no other battery manufacturer who has built a trolley to make their product more installable. Powerwall 3 weighs in at 130kg. This is heavy.
With the help of the trolley, we’re able to do solar and battery in one day. There’s only so much a team of four can do, and every second shaved off that clock saves customers money.
By having an easier time of it with the battery, frees up the rest of the crew. This speeds up installations and keeps that cost low, ultimately reducing your payback period.
Cost-Effective Compared to Enphase: To be fair here, we need to compare Powerwall 3 to an Enphase system with an Enphase IQ Battery added to the cost. After all, Powerwall 3 is a solar system with a battery, it needs to be an equal comparison.
So if you installed Enphase microinverters with two Enphase IQ Batteries to approximate the same storage as Powerwall 3, you would be paying significantly more money upfront for an Enphase system. The amount will vary from installer to installer, but it will be a significant difference.
Powerwall 3 would probably be between $8,000 – 10,000 cheaper than an Enphase system. It would probably also come in cheaper than some of the low-quality systems you can purchase because of the two-in-one inverter/battery combination.
It’s got fewer components and easier installation. This drops the price. Significantly.
3 MPPTs (Maximum Power Point Trackers): The Tesla Powerwall 3’s built-in inverter has three MPPTs. Each MPPT optimises the energy output from one of three strings of solar panels, adjusting to changing light.
If some panels face east and others face west, the three MPPTs allow each string of panels to perform at their best. These MPPTs provide flexibility in system design and layout. You can place solar panels in different areas of your roof without compromising efficiency.
It’s especially helpful if your roof has multiple sections that don’t face the same direction. This setup increases the overall efficiency of your solar system, ensuring no energy is wasted due to mismatched conditions.
In Short:
- Tesla Powerwall 3 offers an affordable, efficient, all-in-one solar and battery solution, ideal for energy independence and backup power.
If you’d like to learn more about Tesla products, we recommend you check out the following article titled, Tesla Powerwall 3 Review: An In-Depth Look at Tesla’s New Solar Battery.
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What Are the Downsides of Each System?
Enphase Downsides:
No battery: With an Enphase system, as we mentioned, the battery is sold separately. And while the Enphase IQ Battery 5P is well-priced for its class, it’s expensive when compared to the value of Powerwall 3. If you want solar plus battery, Powerwall 3 is an economical option.
Higher Upfront Cost: Enphase systems are premiere systems. They’re the top of the line because they offer the most efficient system in solar. This price point reflects the efficiencies this system will be able to produce over its warranted lifespan of 25 years.
Tesla Powerwall 3 Downsides:
3 Strings of MPPTs: While the three MPPTs offer variance in conditions, it’s nothing compared to what an Enphase system can accommodate. Remember, each MPPT is only responsible for a string of solar panels.
Powerwall 3 is still limited by the parameters of any string system. If there’s a dip in efficiency for one panel, it affects the production of the entire string of panels. The whole string drops to match the efficiency of the lowest-producing panel.
Central Point of Failure: Battery and inverter are combined in one unit. If the inverter fails, both the solar and battery functions go down. Which is catastrophic for your solar production. When the whole system goes down, you get no solar from the roof.
This is different from Enphase’s individual microinverters, where a single failure doesn’t affect the whole system. An Enphase system will still function, minus the output of one microinverter, and still produce energy for you while it’s being repaired. Powerwall 3 can’t do that.
Single-Phase Backup Only: Powerwall 3 only provides single-phase backup for outages, which may be limiting for homes with three-phase setups. It can still work in three-phase homes but can only back up one phase during an outage.
In Short:
- Enphase is more expensive upfront and best for solar-only setups.
- Tesla Powerwall 3 is more affordable for a combined solar-plus battery but has single-point failure risk and limited backup for three-phase systems.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about the ins and outs of solar batteries, you might want to start with the following article titled, 7 Considerations for Choosing a Solar Battery.
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Which System is Right for Your Home?
With an Enphase system, you need to purchase the battery separately from the system. Comparing a system with a battery and one without is a touch like comparing apples to oranges, but we’ll do our best to ignore that now.
Choose Enphase if You Want…
- A solar-only system with a focus on safety and flexibility.
- The ability to monitor your energy usage with built-in consumption tracking.
- A 25-year warranty, for peace of mind and long-term performance.
- A scalable system that allows you to add panels over time without compatibility issues.
Choose Tesla Powerwall 3 if You Want…
- A combined solar-plus-battery solution that’s affordable and easy to install.
- Backup power for outages and increased energy independence.
- Lower upfront costs compared to a full Enphase system with battery storage.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about the benefits of solar batteries, you might want to start with the following article titled, 7 Benefits of Adding a Battery to Your Solar System.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does the Tesla Powerwall 3’s warranty compare to Enphase’s warranty?
A: Tesla has a 10-year warranty on the Powerwall 3. This is shorter than Enphase’s 25-year warranty on microinverters. If you’re focused on a long-term solar-only solution, Enphase’s warranty offers more peace of mind. However, Tesla’s 10-year coverage is still competitive in the battery market.
Q: Can I use Enphase microinverters with a Tesla Powerwall?
A: Yes, you can use Enphase microinverters with the Tesla Powerwall, but they won’t integrate as seamlessly as a Powerwall 3 with its built-in inverter. Enphase’s microinverters will handle converting solar generation, and the Tesla Powerwall will handle battery storage. However, using both will add some complexity to your setup and definitely increase costs.
Q: Which works best for a single-phase or three-phase setup?
A: The Tesla Powerwall 3 is single-phase only, meaning it can back up one phase during an outage. Enphase microinverters work well with both single-phase and three-phase systems, providing more flexibility. You can install either type of system on either type of site.
Q: How much wall space does the Tesla Powerwall 3 need compared to Enphase?
A: The Tesla Powerwall 3 requires wall space, especially if you plan to add multiple units. Each Powerwall 3 unit is bulky, so space can add up if you need more than one. Enphase’s microinverters are mounted on the roof with the panels, so they don’t take up wall space.
Q: What happens to my solar power during a power outage?
A: With Enphase microinverters alone, your solar system will not produce energy during a power outage, unless you have a backup battery system. The Tesla Powerwall 3, however, can provide backup power in an outage, even if the grid goes down. This makes it a valuable choice if you live in an area with frequent outages or if you want energy independence.
Q: Does using microinverters or the Powerwall 3 increase the resale value of my home?
A: Solar systems, in general, can increase the resale value of a home. Homes with microinverters may be even more appealing to buyers due to the added reliability, efficiency, and monitoring features. A system with Enphase microinverters and a 25-year warranty can be an attractive long-term selling point, while a Powerwall system is only warranted for 10 years.
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Cutting It Shine: Which System Will You Choose?
- Enphase microinverters are ideal if you want a reliable, scalable, solar-only setup.
- Tesla Powerwall 3 is a strong choice if you want a combined solar-plus-battery solution that’s cost-effective and efficient.
At Penrith Solar Centre, we know the value of solar products. We wouldn’t carry them if they didn’t offer value to customers. By understanding the differences between these two options, we’ll work together to help you find a system that fits your unique energy needs and goals.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about your energy needs, you might want to check out the following article titled, How Much Solar Do You Need?
