OwlCapability table
| Capability | Enphase | SolarEdge |
|---|---|---|
| Daily production history | Yes | Yes, backfilled from the SolarEdge cloud |
| Weather-modelled expected production and performance ratio | Yes | Yes |
| Production-guarantee shortfall math | Yes | Yes, identical method |
| Claim-of-record | Enphase cloud figure | SolarEdge cloud figure |
| Live intraday site power | Yes | No |
| Per-panel watts | Yes (per microinverter) | No |
| Hourly per-inverter power | Not applicable (one microinverter per panel) | Yes |
| Optimizer status (which have stopped reporting) | Not applicable | Yes |
| Array orientation | Fitted from per-panel data | Estimated from roof imagery; you can enter your own |
| Canopy shading (LiDAR) and roof imagery | Yes | Yes |
| OwlWatt Iris local collector | Yes | No |
Why each difference exists
Live intraday and per-panel watts: Enphase only
SolarEdge's public API exposes no per-panel (per-optimizer) power on any service tier, and no intraday site power to third-party tools. Telemetry is available per inverter, meter and battery. SolarEdge's own app shows panel-level figures from its internal data, which is not offered to tools like OwlWatt. Enphase's API reports each microinverter, which is why per-panel watts and the live view are possible for Enphase.
Hourly per-inverter power and optimizer status: SolarEdge only
SolarEdge's API returns inverter power over time, and lists each optimizer with its serial number, parent inverter and whether it is active. OwlWatt uses those to draw one hourly power curve per inverter and to flag optimizers that have stopped reporting. It cannot see a panel that is reporting but producing less than its neighbours.
Orientation: fitted on Enphase, estimated on SolarEdge
With per-panel power, OwlWatt can fit each array's azimuth and tilt to the measured output. Without it, orientation on SolarEdge is estimated from roof imagery. If you know your real azimuth and tilt, you can enter them and that value is used instead.
The Iris collector: Enphase only
The OwlWatt Iris reads an Enphase IQ Gateway on your own network. It supports Enphase systems only. SolarEdge systems connect through the SolarEdge cloud with no hardware.
Guarantee math: identical
The shortfall calculation does not change with the brand. Guaranteed production, weather-modelled expectation and the vendor-cloud production figure go in, and the gap in kWh and dollars comes out. For both brands the vendor's own cloud is the claim-of-record, because it is the record the system's own monitoring produces. Details at /methodology.
Tesla and other brands
Tesla support is on the roadmap: see OwlWatt and Tesla Solar. Tesla-installed systems that use Enphase or SolarEdge inverters are supported today.
Connect either brand
Both connect from your inverter vendor's cloud account, with a free 30-day trial. Enphase owners can also add an OwlWatt Iris.
Start with OwlWatt · SolarEdge on OwlWatt · Enphase vs SolarEdge warranties
Common Questions
Why can't OwlWatt show per-panel watts on SolarEdge?
SolarEdge's public API returns power per inverter, meter and battery, not per optimizer, on every service tier. The per-panel view in SolarEdge's own app is not available to third-party tools. OwlWatt can see whether each optimizer is reporting, not what it produced.
Is the guarantee calculation different for SolarEdge?
No. The math is identical. The difference is only where the production figure comes from: Enphase's cloud for Enphase systems, SolarEdge's cloud for SolarEdge systems. In both cases the vendor's cloud is the claim-of-record.
Can I use an OwlWatt Iris with a SolarEdge system?
Not today. The Iris local collector supports Enphase systems only.
Which is better, Enphase or SolarEdge?
OwlWatt takes no position and earns nothing from either brand. This page describes what OwlWatt can and cannot show for each, not which inverter to buy.