A very popular question is; do solar panels work during a power outage?
The answer to this question is usually, no. For safety, there are various measures in place that turn off your system during a power outage. However, there are various ways that you can tap into the power accumulated by your solar panels during a power outage.
This article explains why and how solar panels are turned off during power outages, and how you can use solar batteries during a power outage.
Will Solar Panels Work During a Power Outage?
To answer this question simply then, no.
However, unless you set your solar panels to stay on safety, they are typically manufactured to turn off automatically when a power outage occurs. This means that you will have no access to power, just like the other buildings in your area.
Why Don’t solar Panels Work During a Power Outage?
In the first instance, it can seem quite confusing as to why a business cannot run its solar panels during a power outage.
In fact, a solar panel system is manufactured to switch off during a power outage. This is because there are more than likely power grid engineers working on the grid quite nearby. If this is in fact correct, there may be a high risk of the engineers being electrocuted because of the power being generated by your business’s solar panels. And the risk of this goes up tremendously depending on how many other businesses and of course homes are using solar panels to generate electricity.
In actual fact, a solar panel system is designed to switch off in the event of a power cut. That’s because there are likely to be engineers working on the grid nearby. If that’s the case, then there’s a real risk of electrocution because of the electricity generated. That’s particularly true if there are lots of people with solar panels in the neighborhood. So, when the power goes out, your solar panels’ inverter will automatically switch off.
How Can Solar Panels be made to Work During a Power Outage?
It can be possible to make solar panels work during a power outage, but they need to be set up to allow them to do so. They will work as long as:
The panels are not connected to the main grid. If your business is sole a sole property that is not connected to the national grid, then your building will draw the power as normal, no matter how the power is being generated, solar, wind, or generator . .
You have a solar battery. Most solar panels in these modern times come with a battery solar battery installed. A solar battery stores the power generated by the solar panels. A solar battery that is correctly configured will power your business premises for a short time.
There are however a few things to consider first though:
- Solar batteries are not islanding as a standard. You will need to request on installation that you want your battery set up to make this possible.
- Solar batteries aren’t huge. generally, most solar batteries store between 3-7kWh.
- Solar batteries have a maximum power output. Most batteries have a continuous output of around 5,000W.
Further Information
If you require further information in relation to solar panels and how they operate during a power outage, please contact one of our team who will be happy to assist you.
