News: Microelectronics
12 January 2026
Enphase Energy starts shipping IQ9 Commercial Microinverters in USA
Enphase Energy Inc of Fremont, CA, USA (which supplies microinverter-based solar and battery systems) has begun production shipments of its IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverter across the USA in late December. The product is manufactured in the USA to support domestic content requirements and Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) compliance for eligible commercial solar projects. This is Enphase’s first microinverter powered by gallium nitride (GaN) technology and designed for three-phase 480Y/277 V (wye) grid configurations, without using external transformers.
The IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverter is said to help simplify system design, lower installation and balance of system costs, and improve system efficiency for 480V commercial projects. It uses GaN technology in the power conversion stage instead of silicon, enabling greater performance, enhanced reliability, and what is claimed to be industry-leading efficiency of up to 97.5%. Its compact, high-performance design can manage a continuous DC current of 16A and deliver up to 427VA of peak output power, supporting high-power solar panels up to 600W.
“We have carefully vetted the Enphase IQ9N-3P Microinverter and are excited to install it on many commercial projects over the next several years,” comments Jon Wedel, co-owner & VP of commercial at Colorado-based employee-owned cooperative Namaste Solar. “Because of the new 480V solution, we can pursue many more straightforward applications and install these systems more efficiently. The US manufacturing and domestic content qualification makes navigating the current market much easier while delivering a top-quality, dependable solution for our client base.”
The new microinverter meets rigorous grid compliance standards, including UL 1741-SB and IEEE 1547-2018, and features rapid shutdown, phase balancing, voltage/frequency ride-through, and loss-of-phase detection for grid safety and system reliability. Enphase commercial systems are designed to support UL 3141, a system-level standard for safe, coordinated control of power flow. It is enabled through Enphase Power Control software and does not require external protection hardware. This helps to simplify commercial interconnection and supports no-export or export-limited operation across all phases.
IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverters can be deployed on small systems (less than 100kW) or large systems (hundreds of kW) and can start small and scale over time without major redesign. Enphase says that its microinverter technology enables optimized energy production at the panel level under shading and uneven roof conditions, making the product suitable for commercial rooftops with HVAC obstructions, skylights, and multi-tenant layouts.
Enphase microinverter systems can also help to reduce long-term operational costs for asset owners by minimizing single points of failure in the installation, providing easy replacement support, and improving fleet visibility with per-panel monitoring via the Enphase App. Additionally, by converting direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) at each panel, Enphase microinverter systems avoid the long high-voltage DC runs found in traditional centralized (string) designs, offering an all-AC architecture on the roof for added safety.
“GaN technology and three-phase support make the IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverter a strong fit for modern commercial rooftops,” comments Drew Collom, co-founder of Quality Solar. “With production in the United States and domestic content alignment, we can design more efficient systems, meet federal sourcing requirements, and scale projects over time without costly redesigns.”
To function properly, the IQ9 Commercial Microinverters must be connected to the IQ Gateway Commercial Pro, which serves as the communication and control hub for Enphase commercial systems. The IQ Gateway Commercial Pro Cellular Kit adds a 4G LTE Cat 4 modem that enables dual-SIM connectivity with automatic failover to help keep the system online for real-time monitoring, energy management, remote firmware updates, and advanced grid features such as export limiting. Setup is said to be simple through the Enphase Installer App.
“The IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverter brings Enphase’s panel-level architecture to the 480V commercial market with a simpler, more efficient design powered by GaN,” says Aaron Gordon, senior VP & general manager of the systems business unit at Enphase Energy. “By manufacturing this product in the United States, we’re helping commercial projects meet domestic content requirements while delivering the reliability, flexibility, and long-term value Enphase is known for.”
IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverters designated with a ‘DOM’ suffix are made with domestic content in US manufacturing facilities. This helps solar projects to meet key federal sourcing requirements and may qualify for current domestic content bonus tax credits. This should allow these commercial microinverters to comply with the current Buy America Act and Build America, Buy America Act, enabling the products to be used in federal infrastructure projects.
The IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverter is backed by a 25-year limited warranty, while the IQ Gateway Commercial Pro comes with a 15-year limited warranty.
In addition, certain Enphase microinverters and battery systems may be deemed ‘FEOC compliant’ for purposes of 26 U.S.C. Section 7701(a)(51) using IRS Notice 2025-08 for rooftop solar and distributed BESS.
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