Sunlight Backup with IQ8

ManualsBrandsEnphase ManualsSolar & Wind PowerMc4 DC Inputs, Micro-Inverter, 245W, 240Vac

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and other names are trademarks of Enphase Energy, Inc. Data subject to change.

LCSB-TB-0009-01-EN-US-12-23-2021

TECH BRIEF

Sunlight Backup with IQ8 and

Load Control enhancements

Sunlight Backup requires an Essential

Loads Solution

Load control is a mandatory component in any IQ8 Sunlight Backup system. This is a system

with grid forming IQ8 Microinverters on the roof, and an IQ System Controller 2. The system

does not have an IQ Battery but can remain powered during a grid outage using the IQ8

solar microinverters, if the sun is shining.

In any Sunlight Backup system Enphase requires installers to ensure that there is an

Essential Loads solution. An Essential Loads solution consists of:

• An o-the-shelf panel with a maximum of four pre-selected, essential load circuits that

are backed up by the system

• Two IQ Load Controllers - Each IQ Load Controller can enable ne-grained,

circuit-level control for 2x 240V loads or 4x 120V loads. The product is rated for

dedicated loads up to 36A resistive/25A inductive or branch circuits with multiple

loads up to 32A resistive/25A inductive.

Note: Each IQ Load Controller must be installed per instructions in its Quick Install Guide. Each IQ Load Controller

contains two contactors and a power supply. The input of the power supply must be connected to the backup loads

panels and the output is connected to the coil of both contactors via auxiliary contacts in the IQ System Controller 2.

This enables the system to control the loads connected to the IQ Load Controllers.

The Essential Loads solution provides homeowners and the Enphase System granular

control of all essential loads. Granular control ensures that one or more of the essential

loads can be shed, if required, to successfully form a microgrid when limited power

is available.

Summary of content (4 pages)

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T E C H B RIE F Sunlight Backup with IQ8 and Load Control enhancements Sunlight Backup requires an Essential Loads Solution Load control is a mandatory component in any IQ8 Sunlight Backup system. This is a system with grid forming IQ8 Microinverters on the roof, and an IQ System Controller 2. The system does not have an IQ Battery but can remain powered during a grid outage using the IQ8 solar microinverters, if the sun is shining.
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Load Control software enhancements with Gateway software 7.0 Gateway software 7.0 brings in support for IQ8-based systems and includes enhancements to the load control feature. These enhancements are only available when using IQ System Controller 2. When commissioning a gateway running software version 7.0 or higher with Installer app version 3.24.
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System restart timing and Load Control priority This section provides timing details and Load Control priorities for system designers. • When the system shuts down i.e., microgrid collapses, all the essential loads are powered off since there is no power in the system • If there is sunlight available, the system can take up to ~2 minutes to restart (also referred to as blackstart) and power on the loads.
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EVENT T I M E TA KE N ( HO U R S : M I N U T E S : S E C O N DS ) T I M E E L A P S E D S I N C E S Y S T E M S HU T DO W N ( HO U R S : M I N U T E S : S E C O N DS ) System shutdown/Microgrid collapse N/A 00:00:00 00:00:52 to 00:01:57 00:00:52 to 00:01:57 Load controlled by NC2 is powered on 00:00:22 00:01:14 to 00:02:19 Load controlled by NO1 is powered on 00:00:22 00:01:36 to 00:02:41 Load controlled by NO2 is powered on 00:00:22 00:01:58 to 00:03:03 System restart with highest priority