Infineon GaN technology powers next-generation IQ9 solar microinverters from Enphase Energy
Infineon has announced that the company provides its gallium nitride (GaN) technology for the next-generation of solar microinverters from Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH), a global energy technology company and the world’s leading supplier of microinverter-based solar and battery systems. Infineon’s CoolGaN bi-directional switch (BDS) technology enables enhancements in power output, energy efficiency, and system reliability for Enphase’s IQ9 Series Microinverters. For the new IQ9N-3P Commercial Microinverter, this helps simplify design complexity and lower installation and balance of system costs.
By replacing two or four unidirectional switches with a single bi-directional switch, this allows power flow in both directions, allowing significant cost savings to be achieved while enabling the design of smaller, more efficient power devices. The BDS technology has demonstrated a significant reduction in power loss, outperforming conventional silicon switches by 68% and GaN unidirectional switches by 42%. Bi-directional switch technology based on GaN is a crucial component in a wide range of applications, including renewable energies PV and wind, energy storage systems (ESS), electric vehicle (EV) motor drives, on-board chargers, and AI servers that benefit from increased efficiency, density, and reliability.
The partnership reinforces both companies’ commitment to address the rapidly growing solar energy market. Globally, solar PV generation produced approximately 7% of total global electricity in 2024. The world is set to add more than 5500 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy capacity between 2024 and 2030 – almost three times the increase seen between 2017 and 2023. Solar PV alone is forecast to account for 80% of the growth in global renewable capacity by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) .
By achieving higher power output and efficiency, Enphase’s new microinverters can now service not only the residential solar market, but also a much larger portion of the commercial market. This expansion into new markets underscores the versatility and capabilities of Infineon’s GaN technology and its potential to drive growth and innovation in the renewable energy industry.
