Do Solar Panel Systems Work During a Blackout? Here’s What You Need to Know

Solar panels capture sunlight and generate electricity from it. This electricity then powers your home during the day and, in turn, saves you a lot of money. In fact, this can save you so much that your system could pay for itself over time. But now the question is: do solar panel systems work during a blackout?

Well, you might think that this question has a simple yes or no answer. However, it's more complicated than this and depends on your installation. Generally, though, these systems won't work during blackouts.

In this post, we'll look at why they won't and what you can do to use your solar panels during a blackout

Why Solar Panels Won’t Work in a Blackout

To understand why your solar panels won't work during a blackout, let's first recap how they work. When using solar panels, you'll generate electricity by using sunlight. You'll then use this electricity to power your home. However, unless you're using an off-grid system, any excess electricity is pushed back into the grid. And this is where the problem comes in.

Safety of Power Line Technicians

The first concern this creates is that, during a blackout, technicians might work on the grid lines and infrastructure to fix a problem. They'll do this on the assumption that there is no current in the lines. However, when your solar system pushes electricity into the grid, their assumption will be wrong. As such, they'll be exposed to a significant risk of injuries or death.

Prevention of Further Infrastructure Damage

Besides causing a serious safety risk to workers, pushing additional electricity into the grid during a blackout can lead to damage to the grid hardware when the blackout stops. For this reason, your solar panels won't work during a blackout in order to protect the grid infrastructure.

How to Use Solar Panels in a Blackout

Now, we know, you might have noticed some homes with solar systems that have lights on when there's a blackout. And this is definitely possible. You just need the right installation with the right hardware.

Solar Batteries

The first thing you'll need is solar batteries. Typically, these solar batteries store any excess electricity that your solar panels generate throughout the day. Then, during the evening, when there's no sunlight, these batteries provide electricity to power your lights and appliances. However, these batteries can also be helpful during a blackout and can provide electricity from your solar system when the grid is off.

Blackout Protection

To use your batteries during a blackout, they'll need to have blackout protection, and you'll need to use a hybrid inverter. This will automatically switch your solar system to battery power when the grid goes off, and thus allow you to use any stored electricity during a blackout.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this post helped illustrate why your solar system will typically not work during a blackout and what you need to do to make sure that it does. If you have any more questions about solar systems or the best installation for you, get in touch with your local qualified solar installer.

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