Enphase vs SolarEdge, Measured: Output per kW on 257 Los Angeles Roofs
On 174 Enphase and 83 SolarEdge home systems in the Los Angeles area, measured over the same years (2023–2025), the two platforms produced almost the same electricity per kW of panels: a median 1,380 kWh per kW a year for Enphase and 1,403 for SolarEdge. Enphase came out 1.7% lower, and 4.5% lower among systems of the same age, but none of these gaps is statistically clear: they are smaller than the usual differences between individual roofs. Below: the comparison by year, by system age and area, month by month, and what that means when you choose.
Output per kW: same years, same age, same area
Median kWh per kW of panels a year; n = complete system-years.
| Comparison | Year | Enphase | SolarEdge | Enphase vs SolarEdge | p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All systems | 2023 | 1,381 (n=72) | 1,416 (n=75) | -2.5% | 0.39 |
| 2024 | 1,368 (n=142) | 1,396 (n=75) | -2.0% | 0.32 | |
| 2025 | 1,390 (n=137) | 1,410 (n=68) | -1.4% | 0.54 | |
| Started 2020–2022 (same age) | 2023 | 1,381 (n=70) | 1,437 (n=48) | -3.9% | 0.12 |
| 2024 | 1,350 (n=68) | 1,428 (n=45) | -5.4% | 0.19 | |
| 2025 | 1,357 (n=58) | 1,427 (n=41) | -4.9% | 0.11 | |
| San Fernando Valley & Burbank | 2023 | 1,379 (n=28) | 1,413 (n=42) | -2.4% | 0.53 |
| 2024 | 1,367 (n=47) | 1,403 (n=42) | -2.6% | 0.39 | |
| 2025 | 1,381 (n=57) | 1,424 (n=37) | -3.0% | 0.29 | |
| Same age and same area | 2023 | 1,377 (n=27) | 1,422 (n=22) | -3.2% | 0.60 |
| 2024 | 1,328 (n=27) | 1,429 (n=20) | -7.0% | 0.32 | |
| 2025 | 1,361 (n=23) | 1,446 (n=18) | -5.9% | 0.12 | |
| *Permutation test of the difference in medians: the share of random splits of the same systems that produce a gap at least this large. Above 0.05 means the difference is within chance. | |||||
Across all systems the gap was -2.5% in 2023, -2.0% in 2024 and -1.4% in 2025. Restricting to systems that started in 2020–2022 — the years both platforms were installed in numbers — widened it to -4.5% on each system’s median year, still within chance (p = 0.13). Within the San Fernando Valley alone it was -1.4%.
A regression on all 569 system-years, which accounts for the calendar year, the year each system started and the area, puts Enphase at -1.9% versus SolarEdge, with a 95% range from -5.6% to +1.8%. The range includes zero: on these roofs the data cannot tell the two platforms apart.
Month by month
Median kWh per kW in each month, same years 2023–2025.
Enphase stayed within 4% of SolarEdge in every month, and came out ahead in January and June. That matters for one common explanation. Many Enphase systems pair panels with smaller microinverters — a median of 1.33 watts of panels per watt of inverter here, against 1.04 for SolarEdge — so on a bright summer noon the microinverters cap the peak. If that cost real energy, Enphase would fall further behind in May–August than in winter. It did not (99.5% of SolarEdge in May–August vs 98.9% in November–February).
| DC/AC ratio | Systems | kWh per kW a year (median) | Share of the year made in May–August |
|---|---|---|---|
| under 1.20 | 15 | 1,385 | 43.1% |
| 1.20–1.29 | 64 | 1,377 | 42.5% |
| 1.30–1.39 | 88 | 1,383 | 42.8% |
| 1.40 and over (few systems) | 7 | 1,257 | 45.0% |
| Each system’s median complete year, 2023–2025. Rank correlation of DC/AC with output: -0.13 (p = 0.09); with the May–August share: +0.07 (p = 0.36). | |||
Ratios between 1.20 and 1.39, where most systems sit, produced the same per kW. The few systems above 1.40 came out lower, a signal worth watching rather than a finding.
How the two fleets differ
Age, size and location differ between the two fleets.
| Enphase | SolarEdge | |
|---|---|---|
| Systems with a complete year 2023–2025 | 174 | 83 |
| Complete system-years | 351 | 218 |
| Typical start year | 2023 | 2020 |
| Typical size, kW of panels | 7.2 | 6.6 |
| Panel-to-inverter ratio (DC/AC), median | 1.33 | 1.04 |
| Share in the San Fernando Valley & Burbank | 40% | 57% |
The SolarEdge systems are older (typical start 2020, against 2023 for Enphase) and more concentrated in the San Fernando Valley. Older panels have had more years to wear, which would favor the younger Enphase fleet; the same-age comparison removes that. Roof direction and shade are not recorded for either platform, so a share of any gap may come from the roofs rather than the electronics.
What it means if you are choosing
On output alone, these measurements do not favor either platform: the median roof on each made within a few percent of the other, while the middle half of roofs on a single platform spanned about 203 kWh per kW — roughly 9 times the gap between platforms. Choose on what differs: how each handles a shaded or multi-plane roof, the battery you may add, the warranty terms, and who will service it. Features, warranties and lab results are compared in Enphase vs SolarEdge: output, warranty and batteries; what an inverter does is explained in what does a solar inverter do.
Methodology
How the numbers were produced.
- Data source
- Monthly AC energy from SolarEdge inverters and daily AC energy from Enphase microinverters, from Cali Energy’s monitoring accounts. Monitoring readings, not utility meter readings.
- Systems
- 174 Enphase and 83 SolarEdge home systems with at least one complete year in 2023–2025. Excluded on both platforms: customers we service but did not install, systems expanded mid-period, and systems whose output does not match the recorded size. Enphase systems whose recorded size appears to be a default value rather than the real panel rating are left out.
- Complete year
- SolarEdge: production recorded in all 12 months. Enphase: all 12 months valid (no more than 3 days missing, total scaled to the full month; zero days, gap edges and back-filled runs removed). On both: years below 75% of the same system’s median are treated as downtime and left out.
- Unit
- kWh per kW of panels (DC nameplate) a year. Same calendar years on both platforms, so no weather adjustment is needed.
- Comparisons
- Medians by year; each system’s median year; permutation tests of the difference; a regression of kWh per kW on platform, calendar year, start year and area, with 95% ranges from 2,000 bootstrap resamples of systems.
- Sensitivity
- Counting Enphase’s missing days as lost output instead of scaling them moves its median by -2 kWh per kW.
- Limits
- Not a controlled experiment: the platforms sit on different roofs with different directions, shade and ages. Roof direction and shade are not recorded.
- Updates
- Recalculated when a calendar year closes.
Download the data
https://cali-energy.com/research/enphase-vs-solaredge-measured-output. Aggregated data are free to use under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page.Frequently asked questions
Does Enphase or SolarEdge produce more electricity?
On 257 Los Angeles-area home systems over the same years, they produced almost the same per kW of panels: a median 1,380 kWh per kW a year for Enphase and 1,403 for SolarEdge. The 1.7% gap is within chance.
Do microinverters produce more than optimizers in real life?
Not in these measurements. After accounting for year, system age and area, Enphase microinverter systems came out -1.9% versus SolarEdge optimizer systems, with a 95% range of -5.6% to +1.8%.
Do Enphase microinverters lose output by clipping in summer?
We found no sign of it in annual energy. Enphase made 99.5% of SolarEdge’s output in May–August and 98.9% in November–February; a clipping loss would show up as a bigger summer gap.
Which is more reliable, Enphase or SolarEdge?
Our production data do not answer that: repairs on the two platforms are recorded differently. What an inverter failure costs is measured in our inverter repair study.
Should I choose Enphase or SolarEdge for my roof?
Decide on roof layout and shade, battery plans, warranty and service. On output per kW, the two were within a few percent here.
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Prepared by Cali Energy, October 15, 2026. Figures describe systems in our monitoring fleet and are not a guarantee of what any specific roof will produce; orientation, tilt, shade, equipment and weather change results. Not engineering, financial or utility advice. See our Content Disclaimer.