Enphase m215 vs m250

[josefontao]

Hello everyone.
So what is the difference between these two Microinverters? When should you go with one vs the other?
It seems that the price difference is about $20

[sensij]

Have you looked at the Enphase webpage? It is pretty clear there. M215 is generally good for panels up to 270 W, M250 is good from up to 300 W. Your specific location and installation orientation matters a little bit too, but the general rule of thumb they advertise works for most.

[thejq]

FWIW, the Enphase recommended values are counting on that the PV panel rarely operates at its maximum power output. But if it does, clipping will happen. For example, according to their spec of 96.5% efficiency, with 300W input DC W, the output should be around 289.5 AC W, but will be clipped to 250W with m250. The exact lo$$ due to clipping is hard to quantify without actually first installing it. But PVWatt or SAM might give you an rough estimate with some uncertainty. Depending on your utility plan, the cost of clipping vs cost of better HW might also vary. For example, if you're on the SDG&E EV-TOU2 plan, clipping at peak production will cost you $0.49/KWh. But if you're tiered and expect 90% coverage, it might only worth $0.16/KWh. Since Enphase doesn't have higher rated inverters, if you want to install higher rated panels and clipping is important to you, Enphase may not be the right setup. Have you researched SolarEdge to see if it works better?