Comparable string inverters / microinverters to Hoymiles

[zanydroid]

I had a system installed this year that uses Hoymiles. I'm looking to expand it in the next 3 months or so (to get in under NEM2)

As part of my due diligence, I want to understand the tier list of different inverters, wrt price and capability.

What are the microinverters above and below Hoymiles in the tier list?

I also want to spec out string inverters for the expansion. What are the string inverters of comparable quality and price point vs Hoymiles? Where can I find a comprehensive tutorial on string inverters that covers Rapid Shutdown (for California requirements) as well as the specific NEC wiring methods for a DC system?

The thing I don't like so far about Hoymiles is that they seem to have less support for DIY and less forum experience. That seems somewhat acceptable for basic use cases, but it does feel kind of bad that I need to hustle in a poorly-understood way to get access to extra grid profiles or the zero export feature set. My understanding is that with some companies like Enphase you can just go through the training as a owner-builder and get certified.

 

[dennis301]

I'm considering a Hoymiles solution also for my new installation. 16 units to support 56 panels. The cost of the inverters will be about $4k including shipping, vs $10k for EnPhase IQ8s. What's you opinion, should I go for the cheaper solution or spend the addtl $5k, which is a lot for me.

 

[zanydroid]

I'm considering a Hoymiles solution also for my new installation. 16 units to support 56 panels. The cost of the inverters will be about $4k including shipping, vs $10k for EnPhase IQ8s. What's you opinion, should I go for the cheaper solution or spend the addtl $5k, which is a lot for me.

Yeah, that's a lot of money.

I'm still a bit of a noob with solar (I was heavily involved with a professionally installed HM system recently, doing my first DIY soon). The module level monitoring was acceptable and has been useful in debugging a few commissioning issues.

I asked a similar question on r/solar, got some interesting info from u/AYUPPO, and I put some of my poorly supported opinions in the replies

https://www.reddit.com/r/solar/comments/yhpdje

With regards to the info on that thread, I'm not 100% sold that M250s are a good comparison for Hoymiles. Hoymiles seems cheaper compared to the eBay prices I can find for M250s. Also, for efficiency considerations (1-2% difference), if you have the space for panels, you could just add more with the savings, or save it for investing in storage when it becomes more economical.

My understanding is that Hoymiles is decently well capitalized and has shipped a lot of microinverters already outside of the US (sorry I don't have solid sources for this). If they've been used in a good number of utility-scale installations, they're probably not too bad.

Personally I think the risk is on the extra labor to replace if they're less reliable, or if you think IQ8s are more future proof and can avoid the need to replace the microinverters. IQ8s have features that HM don't have, such as grid forming and battery-less backup power. Enphase might be easier to get support for esp if you want to try some bleeding edge new features (V2H, AC batteries, etc) that require the microinverters to be reconfigured. One scenario you could end up in is, the HM microinverters are able to last 15-20 years, but at some point they exit your market market and there is no more local support, either formal or on forums.

The NCsolar dealer person (sells HM) on this forum I believe has been playing with combining some combination of IQ8/HM/Enphase AC batteries to try to get the best of both worlds.

 

[ncsolarelectric]

I'm running two HM-350NTs next to 10 IQ8+s, and they greatly outperform the IQ8+s. I don't have any IQ8A's to compare them to but I've recorded up to 357W output, where the IQ8 max out at 300W on the same panels. I just sold 24 of the HMS-2000-4T-NA, and I can't wait until my customer installs them so I can see how well they work. Amazing product with a 475W peak output!

 

[svetz]

You might find this interesting: https://www.mcelectrical.com.au/hoymiles-microinverter-review/

 

[ncsolarelectric]

I'm considering a Hoymiles solution also for my new installation. 16 units to support 56 panels. The cost of the inverters will be about $4k including shipping, vs $10k for EnPhase IQ8s. What's you opinion, should I go for the cheaper solution or spend the addtl $5k, which is a lot for me.

I'm curious to know what you decided. Hoymiles has a line of Hybrid inverters coming out now.