Do solar panels work if electricity goes out?

Many residential solar power systems don’t work when the electricity goes out—unless they have a battery backup or they’re isolated from the broader electrical grid. That might seem unfair, especially if it’s a sunny day and you have perfectly good solar panels right there on the roof.

Will solar power go out if the power goes out?

Probably not. If you have solar and the power goes out, your power will go out, too—unless you have a backup system. This is because U.S. electrical code requires rapid shutdown of a solar system to protect emergency workers and prevent dangerous backfeed current from passing onto distribution lines.

Do solar panels have power during a power outage?

This is to prevent electricity from being fed back into the grid while utility workers are trying to repair the system. Therefore, even if you have solar panels installed, you won’t have power during an outage if you have a typical grid-tied setup. To address the issue of power outages, some homeowners opt for hybrid solar systems.

Can a solar system work without a battery?

First, it must by law automatically shut off for worker safety. Secondly, a solar array without batteries cannot function during an outage because the excess energy has nowhere to go. And thirdly, all solar systems are equipped with an inverter.

Should you use a solar battery during a power outage?

For true peace of mind during a power outage, you can’t beat a solar battery system. There is nothing quite like the feeling of being the only house on the block with the lights on after the grid goes down—although the more altruistic among us would prefer that all our neighbors had the same luxury.

Will a grid-tied solar system still have power during a power outage?

One of the biggest misconceptions we hear most often is that a home with a grid-tied solar system (without battery backup) will continue having power during a utility power outage. This stems from a misunderstanding of how grid-tied installations work.