Do solar panels work during a power outage.
Do solar panels work in power outages.
The answer depends upon what type of solar system they decide to purchase or lease.
The answer is yes if you have a battery backup or an inverter.
Just in late 2019 over a million california residents were left without power due to mandated utility power shutoffs.
Home solar battery vs generators for power outages 2020.
In this article we ll take a closer look at these solutions and understand how they can help you retain power during a blackout.
If you have a typical grid tied solar energy system your solar power will not work during a power outage.
All grid tied solar systems are installed with an automatic shutoff switch which turns off your solar system in a power outage.
If you have solar panels installed on your roof or property they will continue to generate electricity during power outages as they do every day because the panels still absorb sunlight and solar energy.
When the power goes out your solar array shuts down for technical and safety reasons mentioned below.
Unfortunately this is not true for most solar systems at this time unless you have a battery back up system or have a special solar inverter that is designed to provide limited power for limited amounts of time.
Due to safety and technical reasons solar panels will not keep your power on during a blackout.
This is done as a safety precaution to protect you your neighbors and the utility employees from any live wires that may be touched.
See how solar battery storage keeps your solar systems working during an outage with reliable renewable solar power and why we need clean energy now more than ever.
However this does not make solar energy any less of an investment on your home.
While it may seem frustrating to generate your own power from the sun and yet still lose it during a blackout the reason is because your solar energy system is tied to the grid unless you have an off grid system which most people do not.
The only way around this is to use solar battery storage.