Do Solar Panels Work During a Power Outage?

Is your solar-powered home sitting in the dark during a power outage? If you’re not expecting it, it can be a frustrating experience.

In this guide, we'll explain exactly why your system shuts off during a blackout and show you how to use battery backup solutions to keep your lights on when the grid fails.

What happens to home solar panels when the power’s out?

When the power goes out, a solar panel system, via its solar inverter, automatically shuts down to keep electricity from feeding back into the larger grid. This requirement protects your solar equipment and the people working to restore power.

Solar battery backup is one way to make sure you have power during an outage. Backup batteries can safely disconnect your home from the grid, allowing your solar panels to continue generating clean energy through an outage.

What are your options?

Solar battery storage can keep your lights on. (It also allows you to store energy to use at night, and, where available, join a virtual power plant or avoid costly grid energy during peak hours.)  

You can opt to put only essential devices and systems (medical devices, lights, chargers, router/internet, a refrigerator) on battery power. Or, you could back up all of your home with battery power, which will necessitate a larger, more expensive battery bank.

A 2022 study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory showed that solar and storage was a reliable way to power the average home’s essentials, even through a lengthy outage.

Here's how one planning software estimates different choices for different solar and storage systems will play out in practice.

Estimated runtimes based on backing up a refrigerator, WiFi, phone chargers, television, microwave, lighting, and two laptops. Actual results will vary depending on size of solar system and usage habits.

A company like Palmetto can help you determine what level of battery storage, if any, is right for you.

A gas generator may be the more affordable choice compared to battery storage. However, a gas generator is only useful during a power outage whereas a battery can be useful in multiple ways outside of an outage. A solar battery system is silent and clean, while a generator may have greater capacity overall. Except in a few cases, a generator won’t keep your solar panels working during an outage.

Solar generators are typically small and portable batteries and panels that can be good for powering a few devices, although there are large solar generator systems (which are no longer very portable) with more power capacity. These systems won’t keep your solar panels up and running during an outage either.

Getting solar batteries for a power outage

Solar backup batteries are key to getting the most out of your solar panels. Not only can they provide backup power in an outage, they can open access to VPPs and greater energy savings, where local policies allow.

But those benefits come with a cost.

Purchasing a backup battery remains an option, but for those looking to skip the upfront cost, battery leases, like the Palmetto Energy Backup Plan, open up those benefits for zero money down and predictable monthly costs. 

To see how a battery can unlock the full benefits of your solar panels and make your home more resilient, reach out for a quote today.

Frequently asked questions

Why don’t my solar panels work during a power outage?

Solar panels without a backup battery can’t safely separate from the grid, so they shut down to protect your solar equipment and the workers repairing any damaged powerlines.

How much does a home battery storage system cost?

Residential batteries can cost from $10,000 to $20,000 or more depending on the battery’s size and the local cost of hardware, labor, permitting, and more. With a battery lease, you can skip the upfront purchase and installation cost for predictable monthly payments.

What is a home battery lease?

Home battery leases, like the Palmetto Backup Energy Plan, offer battery backup without the upfront cost. For predictable monthly payments, battery leases offer the benefits of battery storage along with maintenance and monitoring.

Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only. Palmetto does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors.