Skip to main content
Sunrun
  • Contact Us 833-394-3384
  • Get a Quote
  • Plans & Services
      • Overview
      • Monthly Solar Lease
      • Full Amount Solar Lease
      • Monthly Solar Loan
      • Purchase Solar System
  • Why Sunrun
      • Overview
      • Our Vision
      • Our Guarantee
      • Our Customers
      • Virtual Consultation
  • Solar Storage
      • Overview
      • Tesla Powerwall
      • LG Chem
  • Plans & Services
      • Overview
      • Monthly Solar Lease
      • Full Amount Solar Lease
      • Monthly Solar Loan
      • Purchase Solar System
  • Solar Storage
      • Overview
      • LG Chem
      • Tesla Powerwall
  • Why Sunrun
      • Overview
      • Our Vision
      • Our Guarantee
      • Our Customers
      • Virtual Consultation
  • Solar by state
  • Solar FAQs
  • Solar Education
  • Cost of solar
  • Contact us
  • Sign in
  • Get started
Go solar for as little as 0% down Get started.
Go solar for as little as 0% down Get started

Will Solar Panels Work During a Power Outage?

How does Sunrun Brightbox home solar storage batteries work

Solar panels alone won’t work during a power outage—but when paired with solar battery storage, they can. 

See how solar battery storage keeps your solar systems working during an outage with reliable, renewable solar power, and why we need clean energy now more than ever.

Why Do I Need a Solar Battery During a Power Outage?

Currently, the electric grid will shut down during extreme weather conditions or if consumer demand overloads the system. This power outage would include your solar panel system. Utilities can also shut down if they think the grid will become overloaded.

One of the reasons for a shutdown is to protect utility technicians who are sent to fix damaged power lines. The other reason is that your solar panel system is connected to the grid via a solar inverter (or “grid-tied solar”). The inverter runs to a smart meter that records the amount of energy you use, and also the excess solar energy that is sent back to the utility. So if the grid shuts down, so will your solar panels.1

(As a reminder, don’t forget about net metering. If you have net metering plans in your state you can save even more by selling your excess energy back to your local utility company.2 Your solar company should be able to walk you through this, if it’s available.)

The only way for your solar panels to continue generating power during a blackout is solar battery storage. Today, more and more utility companies are seeing the importance of solar storage and are finding ways to incorporate more renewable energy into their infrastructure.3

Choose and control your home energy

Go solar for $0 down
See if you qualify

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
Do you own your home?
What is your average monthly electric bill?
By clicking above, I authorize Sunrun to call me and send pre-recorded messages and text messages to me about Sunrun products and services at the telephone number I entered above, using an autodialer, even if I am on a national or state “Do Not Call” list. Message and data rates may apply. Maximum 10 texts per month. Consent for calls & texts is optional. You can opt out anytime. You also agree to our Terms of Service.

Thanks so much! We'll call you shortly.

Sorry, we are not taking new customers in your area yet

 

Refer a Friend. Get $1000

Power Through Blackouts with a Solar Battery

Power through blackouts with a clean, reliable solar battery like Brightbox and take control of your energy storage. By diverting the excess solar energy your panels create to your battery and backup panel, you can power essential appliances and the most important rooms in your home. 

While a generator sometimes offers a temporary solution in the face of a blackout, it runs on dirty fossil fuels, can be disruptive and at worst dangerous.4 Brightbox makes energy independence safe, simple and hassle-free. You also have the freedom to choose what and how much you want to backup in case of an outage.

Brightbox is more than just solar battery storage—it’s a holistic service that puts the power in your hands. Our Solar Guarantee comes with 24/7 monitoring and maintenance so you won’t be left in the dark.   

Power Outages are Increasing at an Alarming Rate

The United States leads all developed nations in power outages and blackouts,5 affecting millions of people6 in the path of severe storms, wildfires, and heat waves. On the East Coast, high winds at 60 mph winds cut power to more than 1 million customers and toppled 4,000 power lines. On the West Coast, a raging fire in California forced utility companies to shut off electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes.7

Power companies are now preemptively shutting down the utility grid because they anticipate a blackout. For example, news outlets up and down California are reporting that utilities are planning on voluntarily shutting down power. If wildfires, heat waves or customer demand is too much for the grid to handle, utilities want the authority to turn off the power that feeds our homes.8

Battery Storage Can Rescue the Grid

Grid power is failing,9 and not just in California. In some places our power grid is over 100 years old.10 If we don’t start using renewable energies like solar energy or wind now, blackouts and outages could cause catastrophic damage.11

But there is a solution. If utilities build new infrastructure to support sustainable energies and solar-powered battery storage,12  we can get closer to making blackouts a thing of the past. Sunrun’s Brightbox™ home solar battery storage service is here to help make it happen.

Batteries Store Excess Power from Your Solar Panels

With Sunrun Brightbox™ you generate, store and manage renewable power from the sun, on your own terms. Brightbox allows you to store the electricity your solar panels produce during the day, and use it when you need it most.

Get connected with one of our expert Solar Advisors and receive a complimentary solar quote that is specific to your energy needs. We’re here to help you every step of the way.

Sunrun Team

Mar 30, 2020

Sources:

1. https://www.solarpowerrocks.com/solar-questions/solar-can-help-survive-p...

2. https://www.sunrun.com/go-solar-center/solar-terms/definition/net-energy...

3. https://www.wsj.com/articles/giant-batteries-supercharge-wind-and-solar-...

4. https://www.firstenergycorp.com/content/customer/help/outages/what_to_do...

5. https://www.npr.org/2016/08/22/490932307/aging-and-unstable-the-nations-...

6. https://www.ecmag.com/section/systems/367-million-affected-power-outages...

7. https://www.slideshare.net/switchoneaton/top-10-most-significant-power-o...

8. https://www.dailynews.com/2018/10/14/southern-california-edison-warns-it...

9. https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/the-smarter-grid/what-causes...

10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_grid 

11. https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90321&page=1

12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_mix

Recommended Articles

  • Best Solar Panels for Your Home and Budget

    Best Solar Panels for Your Home and Budget

    Finding the best solar panels for your home and budget can seem overwhelming. With so many...

  • How Expensive Are Solar Panels?

    How Expensive Are Solar Panels?

    Solar Panel Costs on The Decline  The cost of a residential solar system has decreased...

  • Why go solar now?

    Why go solar now?

    You’ve been thinking a lot about solar. Why wouldn’t you be? Seems like everyone is turning to...

  • How to get solar panels in four easy steps

    How to get solar panels in four easy steps

    A lot of people considering home solar worry that it might be hard to do, or complicated with a...

Where's Sunrun

Sunrun has hundreds of thousands customers powering their homes with renewable energy each month. Locate solar services in your state.

Plans & Services

Find the best home solar plan within your budget today. You can go solar and save for little to $0 down with Sunrun.

Brightbox Battery Storage

Brightbox™ Battery makes storing and managing clean affordable solar energy simple and easy.

Solar Panels

Solar power is yours for the making. Sunrun creates home solar panel systems that optimize for efficiency, durability, service, and value.

Sunrun News

From solar news to smart home energy saving tips, learn how solar is helping thousands save on rising energy costs.

Solar Education

Learn how to go solar simply with Sunrun’s solar education center, including articles, videos & FAQs.

Cost of Solar

As electricity rates are rising the cost of solar panels have never been lower. Switch to home solar and save with Sunrun.

Utilities

Find out more on how to lower your electric bill, how to read your electric bill once you go solar, and which green initiatives your utility is focused on today.

  • Sunrun States:
  • AZ
  • CA
  • CO
  • CT
  • DC
  • FL
  • HI
  • IL
  • MA
  • MD
  • NV
  • NH
  • NJ
  • NM
  • NY
  • PA
  • PR
  • RI
  • SC
  • TX
  • UT
  • VT
  • WI
  • Leadership
  • Contact
  • Investors
  • Careers
  • Home Builders

Go solar for as little as 0% down

See if you Qualify
See if you Qualify
+ Chat Now
Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

©2021 Sunrun. All rights reserved.

  • State Contractor License Information
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
Sunrun Logo Solar-Savings // solar-plans-and-services plans-services money // contact us Sun phone handshake airplane Pin Brief Case solar-installation solar-warranty home-solar-blog why-sunrun2 Grid solar-reviews sunrun-glyph icon-home icon-people icon-medal icon-panel icon-recycling Contact-Us-Icon user icon icon-lightbulb brightbox-battery Newspaper icon-certificate icon-medal icon-meter double-carets icon-headset Lower CO2 Bridge Foam Finger Lightning Phone Call (blue) Phone Call Send (blue) Send User (blue) User facebook instagram twitter youtube linkedin