Europe’s rooftop solar markets are set to welcome a new PV technology this month as Q CELLS launches its Enphase Energy-powered AC module (ACM) across the continent.
In 2020, Q CELLS, a total energy solutions provider specializing in solar cell and module technology, energy storage, energy retail and solar project development, partnered with Enphase Energy, a global energy technology company and supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems, to bring ultra-efficient AC modules to the U.S. solar market.
The latest iteration of this partnership is the Q.PEAK DUO ML-G9+/AC module, which combines Q CELLS’ Q.ANTUM DUO zero-gap technology with Enphase Energy’s seventh-generation IQ micro-inverter technology to reach a module efficiency of up to 20.6% and a power output of up to 385 Wp.
These performance values are made possible due to Q CELLS’ Q.ANTUM DUO monocrystalline half-cell technology, combined with state-of-the-art circuitry and 12 busbar design. The Q.PEAK DUO ML-G9+/AC module is also one of the first modules in the industry to be awarded certification under the new Quality Controlled PV (QCPV) program from TÜV Rheinland.
On the rearside is the Enphase Energy IQ Microinverter, which dramatically simplifies the solar installation process and provides a complete, on-the-roof AC solution. This means that there is no high direct-current (DC) electricity on the rooftop, creating a safer solution for homeowners. In directly converting solar energy into AC electricity at the module, the Enphase IQ7+ Microinverter ushers in greater efficiencies to help deliver an overall lower LCOE for the end customer.
“The continuous aim of Q CELLS is to deliver to our customers innovative solar technology solutions that provide not only excellent cost-savings, but also the peace-of-mind that their investment in PV will be a long-term, low-maintenance one,” says Dr. Daniel Jeong, Q CELLS’ CTO. “This ACM partnership with Enphase Energy is exciting for precisely those reasons. It demonstrates how two global leading technology providers can collaborate to meet the needs of the residential markets.”
The Q CELLS AC module, based on Enphase IQ micro-inverters, also feature rapid-shutdown capabilities in the event of a rooftop hazard such as a fire, and work seamlessly with the full suite of Enphase IQ accessory products, including the lighter two-wire Enphase Q Cable, the Enphase IQ Combiner 3 with pre-installed Enphase IQ Gateway and the Enphase IQ Battery energy storage system. Solar installers who select the Q.PEAK DUO ML-G9+/AC can monitor their solar fleets remotely using the cloud-based Enphase App monitoring system.
“We are proud to launch the Q.PEAK DUO ML-G9+/AC module into Europe, which is now primed to embrace the benefits of module-level improvements in efficiency and performance that other regions, such as the U.S. and Australia, have already enjoyed,” Jeong concludes.
