Californians have embraced rooftop solar panels more than anyone in the U.S., but many are learning the hard way the systems won’t keep the lights on during blackouts.
That’s because most panels are designed to supply power to the grid — not directly to houses. During the heat of the day, solar systems can crank out more juice than a home can handle. Conversely, they don’t produce power at all at night. So systems are tied into the grid, and the vast majority aren’t working this week as PG&E Corp. cuts power to much of Northern California to prevent wildfires.
The only way for most solar panels to work during a blackout is pairing them with batteries. That market is just starting to take off. Sunrun Inc., the largest U.S. rooftop solar company, said some of its customers are making it through the blackouts with batteries, but it’s a tiny group — countable in the hundreds.
Trump calls on House Republicans to vote to release Epstein files: ‘We have nothing to hide’
Trump reveals Maduro ‘would like to talk’ as military options remain on the table for Venezuela
Marco Rubio says Nicolás Maduro’s Cartel de los Soles to be designated a terrorist organization
The Speaker’s Lobby: Happy New Year as shutdown showdown draws to a close
‘RFK Legacy’ Doc Film by Oliver Stone Draws Nexus Between JFK’s and RFK’s Assassinations
US forces kill 3 narco-terrorists in Eastern Pacific lethal strike operation targeting drug networks
How Harvard’s psychological experiments may have lit fuse on Unabomber: expert
Scott Jennings Shreds Dems’ Shutdown Blame Game with Just One Question
Chicago homeowners demand answers, speak out at ‘property tax bonfire’
Houston thug charged with murder after 8 arrests shows ‘revolving door’ failures: GOP lawmaker
Op-Ed: Leftists Hailing Recent ‘Victories’ Are Delusional
Massie says Trump investigating Epstein ‘hoax’ a ‘last-ditch effort’ to stop release of files
OJ Simpson estate accepts Fred Goldman’s $58M wrongful death claim nearly 30 years later: report
Trailer Park Near Military Base Linked to Chinese Communist Party: The Base Commander Had No Clue
Socialist Wins Mayor’s Race After Ballot Dumps Over a Week After the Election
“It’s the perfect combination for getting through these shutdowns,” Sunrun Chairman Ed Fenster said in an interview. He expects battery sales to boom in the wake of the outages.
And no, trying to run appliances off the power in a Tesla Inc. electric car won’t work, at least without special equipment.
Story cited here.
