Important update for Queensland microinverter installers
On October 1 2015, grid-connect PV inverter requirements in Queensland changed.
If you are installing systems larger than 2kVA in the Ergon territory or 3kVA in the Energex area and the systems don’t have zero export control enabled then you will need to comply with these changes. (note the changes don’t apply to systems installed on Ergon SWER or Isolated systems)
For the systems outlined above, Ergon and Energex will now only accept new connection applications that incorporate inverters that have “Reactive Power Control” (RPC) capability. Reactive power control capability means that the inverters are able to be set to operate at a 0.9 (or lower) power factor.
Unfortunately there are no microinverters approved by the CEC that have this functionality, so it is not currently possible to lodge any new connection applications for microinverter installations in Queensland where RPC is required.
On a more positive note, the new Enphase Energy S-Series microinverters being launched in Australia this week do have RPC capability and we expect to have stock of these micros available next month. If you would like us to send you pricing and technical information on the new Enphase S-Series microinverter range click here or give our office a call on 1300 55 44 67. It will not be possible to lodge a new system connection application with Ergon or Energex until the S-Series inverters are listed on the CEC approved inverter list, which we expect to happen in early November.
Any connection applications you have submitted with Ergon or Energex up to September 30 2015 will be assessed and approved with the existing non-RPC inverters you nominated and you will have the usual 2-3 months to install these.
Important: If you are quoting on new microinverter installations in Queensland that require inverters with reactive power control do not use pricing that you may have for the Enphase Energy M215 or M250 or the APS YC500 microinverters as you will not be able to install these.
We do expect other microinverter manufacturers to launch RPC compliant products in 2016 so keep in touch with us if you are interested in these.
In summary:
New inverter reactive power control requirements that apply to most new installations are now in place in Queensland
There are currently no microinverters that meet these requirements
The new Enphase Energy S-series micros that do comply will be available in November
Pricing and technical information on the Enphase S-Series is available – contact us for details
If connection applications were lodged prior to 1 October you will be able to install these with the non-RPC inverters you nominated in the application
If you are quoting on new microinverter systems in Queensland that require RPC functionally be sure to use the new Enphase S-Series pricing only as these are the only microinverters that will be accepted by Ergon and Energex
If you have any questions with regards to the requirements for micro invert installations in Queensland give our office a call on 1300 55 44 67.