Even though solar panels let you produce electricity from renewable sources, the majority of solar-powered homes in this city are still wired into the electric grid. Even though they typically rely on solar energy for their electricity, most homes will go dark during power outages as a result.
Can Solar Power Be Used During Power Outage
Unfortunately, because the majority of solar energy systems are considered grid-tied solar systems, they cannot be used on their own during power outages. So that your home continues to function as it should, backup plans are required. That being said, off-grid solar systems can work during a power outage, but these systems are costly.
What Happens When There Is No Power To Solar Panels
Homes with solar installations are made to shut down whenever the power goes out unless you have an off-grid solar system. These safeguards line workers by preventing solar energy from being fed back into the wires that initially caused the outage.
Put it this way in your mind. Let’s assume that a natural disaster led to downed power lines being the cause of the power outage. When utility workers attempt to repair the downed power lines for the rest of the neighborhood, they risk getting hurt due to the live voltage if your solar energy is still flowing into those wires.
Even though dealing with a power outage after investing in a solar system is certainly inconvenient, the last thing you want is to hurt a utility worker who is merely trying to do their job while aiding the community. Thus, solar panels turn off when there is a blackout to protect the grid and workers.
How To Use Solar Panels During A Power Outage
Despite a power outage, you can still use your solar panel. A typical off-grid solar system and a storage system like a battery are the two main methods used to accomplish this.
The Off-Grid Solar Panel System
You will need enough batteries for the off-grid solar panel system in order to store enough electricity to power you through cloudy days and the night. Due to this, an off-grid solar panel system is regarded as being significantly more expensive than a grid-tied solar panel system.
The off-grid solar panel system is frequently thought of as a small investment for business owners and homeowners alike. Additionally, since your solar system must be depilated to release the stored energy, you won’t be able to use electricity from the main grid when your solar panels aren’t producing enough electricity or energy.
However, the off-grid solar panel system will provide you with total energy independence. This means that whenever the power grid is down, you will be using your solar panel system.
The off-grid solar panel system is typically regarded as a great choice for use in buildings situated in remote locations where the grind-tied solar panel system is unavailable. Installing an off-grid solar panel system as a person with a remote cabin will be a great investment for you.
The Battery-Backed Solar Panel System
Using a grid-tied solar panel system will be a great option if you want to use solar panels to save some money. You might also think about installing a system that will help you store energy so that you have backup power to use in the event that the grid goes down.
The best thing about using this system is that it is much more cost-effective because it uses fewer batteries than an off-grid solar panel system does.
You will only need to install one or two batteries when using this system, which will help you store the extra energy your solar panel will produce but not use. This means that you won’t have to risk endangering the utility workers’ safety as they attempt to fix the electricity grid issue in order to draw enough power from your batteries.
It’s important to be aware of the battery-backed solar panel system’s drawbacks even if they seem ideal for you. Solar batteries are still expensive for the majority of businesses and homes even though they are becoming more widespread. Additionally, they might significantly increase the cost of a solar panel system. A 9. as a general guideline8 kWh battery tends to go for approximately $15,000 along with the installation cost before incentives.
Powering Through Blackout With a Solar Battery
A battery-backed solar panel system will provide you with a clean and dependable way to power through a power outage if you can afford one. This is a great way to have total control over your energy storage. When your solar panel produces more electricity than you need, you can store it in your battery for use during a blackout to power your electrical devices and run your home or place of business.
Generators frequently use dirty fossil fuels even though they can be dependable sources or provide a temporary fix during a power outage. You will be increasing the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere rather than reducing your carbon footprint.
Since solar panels use sunlight to generate electricity and don’t release any greenhouse gases, they help reduce carbon footprint more than generators because they don’t. A solar panel will also give you the option of storing enough electricity for use in the event of a power outage.
Final Thoughts
Even if you are connected to a solar panel system, losing power during a blackout is annoying, but the automatic shut-off of the solar panels is necessary to keep our utility workers safe and healthy while working to bring the grid back online. Solar batteries are the best backup option in a perfect world because they can smoothly power your entire home during a blackout.