Maximizing Your Solar Energy During a Power Outage

You’ve gotten yourself some solar panels from a reputable Florida solar energy company, which means less money spent on electricity, lower costs for your home, and generating your own electricity that you can even sell back to the utility company. However, even with solar panels, you may still be affected by a power outage.

To put it simply, you can’t rely on solar panels alone to help when a power outage occurs. They can only provide power in an outage when you use them with solar battery storage or an inverter system.

Keep reading as we explain how you can maximize your solar energy in the event of a power outage.

Tips to Maximize Your Solar Energy During a Power Outage

Realistically, you’ll never be immune from a blackout. Your solar panels can store energy and can continue to supply you with power even during an outage, but only if they are off-grid. On-grid panels are another issue entirely.

Why Do Solar Panels Not Work in Power Outages?

When your solar panels harness the sunlight to generate electricity, the power passes through an inverter. This power is used for your home, and if there’s excess power generated, it will be transferred to the grid system.

When the grid system is out, your solar system has to be shut as well. This is because any excess power transferring to the grid during this time is extremely dangerous as technicians are likely to be fixing the power lines. To keep these utility technicians safe, the entire system has to be disconnected and shut down. 

This is why your grid-tied solar panels will also be automatically disconnected, leaving your home with no power.

The only way you can use your solar panels to generate electricity during an outage is with solar battery storage.

Solar Battery

A solar battery will divert your excess solar energy to a backup panel. This means that you’ll have a backup system of power available to you when you need it.

Getting a solar battery will often require installing the backup power separately to store that extra energy. Make sure to be careful about the installation. If you have everything set up correctly, you will be able to draw power without harming any utility workers repairing the system.

A solar battery system can be costly, and you’d still have to use the energy generated sparingly. For example, you should only pick a few necessary items to run during an outage, such as refrigerators or medical devices.

Inverter System

Inverter systems on the market are made to disconnect your system from the grid during an outage and still provide power. However, it’s crucial to note that the inverter only works when the sun is up, and the power it generates is only sufficient for something minor like powering up a fridge or charging up your phone. Overall, inverters are cheaper than a battery system.

Conclusion

Power outages are increasing nowadays. You might already have noticed this, or maybe you’ve just had one outage and aren’t keen on having to deal with another one. Either way, a power outage can be problematic if you can’t use your solar panels, but rest assured that there are ways to power your home, even in the case of a blackout. 

Prepare yourself for an outage by considering how you might use your energy and whether these backup options might work for you.