Eric Wesoff 06 20 09, 6:47 PM

• 3
• Email
  • Recipient's Email Your Email Send me a copy

  • Thank you!
    Your article has been sent.

  • Error
    There was a problem sending your article.

• Share

Microinverter Update: Fire! Plus a New Player and Enphase Volumes

Microinverters have the potential to alter the solar panel installation landscape – providing better energy harvest, better monitoring, and easing installation labor while reducing costs.

This is a topic we’ve covered in detail in Solar Inverter Innovation 2009 and in The Coming Disruption in the Inverter Market.

We’ve learned of another startup in this busy sector, Larankelo, and are adding it to our list.  Larankelo was founded by Dr. Rajan Kapur, formerly in custom chip design at AT&T Bell Labs. The founder has filed some IP around module-mounted AC inverters, interconnects, mounting, and gateways noted here. We’re trying to find out more and are awaiting a response from the Dr. Kapur.  My understanding is that they have had difficulty getting funded and are dormant as a firm.

Microinverter Startups

• Accurate Solar

• Array Converter

• Azuray

• Enecsys

• Enphase

• GreenRay Solar

• Larankelo

• Petra Solar

• Solar Bridge

• Sympagis

On that same list is SolarBridge, formerly known as SmartSpark. I spoke with the firm recently and they talked a lot about the inherent reliability of their microinverter design, which dispensed with potentially failure-prone electrolytic capacitors.

When you spend all of your time talking about reliability you need to be careful. Especially when your previous discontinued product, a battery equalizer designed to extend the life of rechargeable batteries, is undergoing a recall for causing a fire.

“The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of SmartSpark battery equalizers because of a fire hazard. No injuries were reported."

No word on whether there were electrolytic capacitors in that product. We're awaiting a response from the company.

Enphase has been stating in press releases that it has shipped 10,000 microinverter units. In actuality, it's considerably more than that. Stay tuned for an upcoming press release from the firm with a new total on what's been shipped out the door. Enphase recently announced a manufacturing agreement with Flextronics.

We reported in-depth on new inverter architectures in the May edition of the Greentech Innovations Report.