Data Sheet

Table Of Contents

Planning for an IQ Microinverter System

Installing IQ Microinverters with Frame Mount Bracket

You can use the Enphase Frame Mount to attach the Enphase Microinverters directly to module frames. This

may be the ideal solution for rail-less racking solutions, whether residential or commercial. When using the

Enphase Frame Mount product, you can support the Q Cable to keep it off the roof by clipping it to the

module frames using the same module edge wire clips that work with PV cable and USE-2 cable.

Installing the Power Line Filter (Q-LCF-064-1P)

The IQ Microinverter system uses a new generation of Power Line Communication (PLC), making device

detection and communication between the IQ Micros and IQ Envoy the fastest and most robust yet. For

advanced functionality and Home Energy Systems that use the Enphase IQ Battery, the IQ Envoy will not

only monitor the generation and storage devices, but also control them. Best practices described in this

document around IQ Envoy location and electrical connection within the system provide the best approach

for ensuring strong and lasting PLC performance. In the rare instances where local conditions on the

electrical system have noise levels that interfere with the PLC, optional single-phase line communication

filtering that isolates the Enphase Home Energy System equipment from the noise source and/or rest of the

electrical system at the site, is now available.

The single-phase line communication filter (Q-LCF-064-1P) provides line-to-line filtering specifically for IQ

systems, but is not required for most systems and should not be specified in every design of residential

systems. When needed, the line filter provides a reliable means to mitigate issues with site electrical noise

should they arise and interfere with communications. To minimize the cost of adding line filtering to a system,

it makes sense to design the system so that a filter can be retrofitted into the system later with ease. Simply

locate the IQ Envoy and the IQ Microinverter circuits off a common sub panel. The IQ Combiner, IQ

Combiner+ and IQ Combiner 3 are perfect for that purpose. If designing a system with a Q Aggregator, we

recommend landing the Q Aggregator output circuit in a sub panel alongside the IQ Envoy so it does not

have to later be moved to the array side of a line filter, should that be added.

The single-phase line communication filter may also be used to separate communication domains of sites

that have multiple Envoys, or sites where a neighbor’s home also has an Enphase Microinverter system.

The PLC signals used for communicating between the IQ Envoy and the IQ Microinverters is fundamentally

different from the PLC signals used with previous generation Enphase Microinverter systems. The IQ Micros

use line-to-line communications, where previous generation Enphase Microinverter systems use line to

neutral communications. For this reason, the IQ systems are not compatible with previous generation

Enphase Microinverter systems. Enphase will continue to provide microinverter and Envoy products that are

compatible with legacy systems, and line filtering may be used to isolate an Enphase IQ Microinverter

System from a previous generation Enphase Microinverter systems.