I think the SI will keep operating into poor PF loads, "honey badger" as you say. Don't know if they have adjustable correction levels.
Why can't you put some PV panels in series? You could pick up a used Sunny Boy, maybe 5kW or 3.5kW (check tables for which support "backup"), and system should be good with some or all PV on them.
Yes the SI keep running, but don't keep the frequency fixed at 60 Hz, they let it oscillate. So I guess they're like the honey badger after being bitten by the cobra, they get a little drowsy.
Sorry I can't stop laughing.
My system in these conditions may be similar to the grid example with solar, as SMA explains here:
https://my.sma-service.com/s/article/Low-Power-Factor-with-Solar-in-Operation?language=en_US
My pair of SI inverters is the 'grid', my load is the A/C unit that's relatively big and not a great PF. It all works fine if the SI is the only source (discharging the battery). The PF seen by the SI is something it is programmed to handle, and the SI is also providing significant active power. Now we add the solar (microinverters) and they provide 1.0 PF to the system and they offset all the required active power. There is only out of phase reactive power left and the SI sees maybe an unusual high PF? Or at least the PF at other points in the system could be off too. Somehow this causes the SI frequency control to become unstable. The microinverters turn off because they see grid frequency instability, even with their grid frequency range opened to 57 - 62.5Hz.
I don't care how unusual or aggressive or whatever the Enphase anti-islanding might be, the SIs are a honey badger, they should be keeping the frequency the same, even if the PF they see or the resulting voltage is wacky, they should still be able to decide they want 60.0hz. I'd love to discuss or be educated by the SMA experts who
sprechen sie deutsch but they don't care, and they don't care to make their inverters have robust control. Somehow, apparently, the Sol-Ark or other inverters handle this allegedly.
I'd rather keep the main GT array with micros (avoid hvdc on the house, keep the array as is for a utility contract with 9yr remaining not supposed to expand it, not all exactly the same orientation and minor variable shading ). An array on garage roof has 3 micros, and 3x3 series panel strings ~120v DC Midnite Classic charging a second battery bank, and have a plan to put AFCI and rapid shutdown on it, one day.... The third array is the DC solar trailer panel rack, sitting on the ground with micros, and that could be converted to a string inverter, that could make sense. I'm not opposed to SMA SB string inverters, I should start watching for a good deal.
On the garage array and the lithium battery it charges, once that battery is full, relay controlled microinverters discharge that battery (effectively directly inverting the solar DC power immediately), so that adds more AC coupled behind the SIs. Another option would be to use DCDC converters between that lithium bank and the main FLA bank, so the SIs are doing the inverting, and then they are putting out both active and reactive power, and maybe not as bad PF to deal with.
I have a pretty low cost bar to get things under, since I've done pretty well with collecting parts (DC solar trailer, basically free old micros). I really shouldn't be complaining, I got a honey badger inverter setup for pretty low cost, this is only an issue on half a dozen days in the summer, with my current loads.