How To Use Solar Panels During An Outage

There’s no doubt that power outages are major inconveniences. Scrambling for flashlights, transferring refrigerated food and medication to coolers and wishing for the return of your HVAC system are all part of the panic that can set in. Solar energy can help mitigate some of the most painful aspects of grid power going down, at least when the solar panels are paired with a battery. Let’s cover what you can expect from solar panels during a grid outage. 

On-Grid Vs. Off-Grid Power

The majority of individuals using solar panels use the electricity generated by their panels as a supplement to grid power, helping to potentially reduce their electric bills. Residential solar power systems acting as a supplemental source of electricity are referred to as on-grid solar systems, while solar systems functioning independently of the grid are referred to as  “off-grid”. Most systems are on-grid by default, and that’s not a bad thing. You can rely on the grid in most cases, with the exception of power outages. 

“Going off the grid” is possible, but you have to live in an area where there is no grid connection available. That’s rather tough, considering most residential properties are tied to grid power. That being said, when the grid goes down, you’ll get a taste of what it’s like to rely on your solar panels when you have a battery paired with them.

Battery Backup Systems Keep Your Home Going

Having a battery backup system is a crucial part of using solar power when the panels aren’t producing electricity. When solar panels aren’t generating power, such as during the overnight hours, the battery backup system can kick in and help power portions of your home. It’s important to note that the battery backup cannot power your entire home, but it can keep a few protected loads with circuits of up to 20 amps or less running during a power outage. This means that your HVAC system and hot water heater won’t be powered using the battery backup system.

The Pink Energy battery backup system which Pink Energy recommends, comes with four separate settings to best fit your home’s unique electricity needs. If you’ve been making use of Clean Backup Mode, your battery backup may have enough electricity to keep 3-6 protected loads in your home running. These protected loads could be your refrigerator, oven, computers or other items you deem necessary in the event of an outage. 

Go Solar For Peace Of Mind During Power Outages

Although solar panels won’t bring your entire home back up when there’s a grid power outage, they may provide enough power to keep portions of your home going for a limited time when combined with a battery backup system. That alone is a great incentive for going solar! And with Pink Energy’s premium, American-made solar panels, you’ll have powerhouses of solar energy production on your side to help keep what you need powered up. Your local Pink Energy experts can help get you up to speed on our simple solar panel installation process. Contact us today for a free quote to go solar!