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 defends Pentagon chief as Massie targets him: ‘Hegseth should be praised, not impeached’
Reporter’s Notebook: House leadership up for grabs as GOP reckons with devastating losses
Trump says deportation push hasn’t put ‘same pressure’ on farm workers, hotel staff: ‘Not even close’
Red counties with data center projects swung away from GOP in midterms, analysis finds
Trump DOJ shores up anti-abortion groups’ support amid bid to salvage $1.8 billion Planned Parenthood lawsuit
Official Who Waged War on DEI Out at DOJ
NTSB recovers cockpit voice recorder from Learjet crash site in Florida
Iran Accused of Hacking French Supermarket Refrigerators in Latest Cyber Attacks: ‘Unprecedented’
Watch: Liam Neeson Unable to Hide His Disgust When He Learns How Netflix Is Butchering ‘Narnia’
Cry-Bullies: Hilarity Breaks Out When Anti-Semites Bullying Jewish Shop Owners Realize They Themselves Are About to Get Bullied
DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin Floats Deal to Give Citizenship to Illegal Aliens Protected by Obama’s DACA
WATCH: Russell Brand’s Father Reacts to His Son Being Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
South Carolina dad left sleeping 6-year-old in line for Pokémon cards at Target: police
Mamdani Begins Making Moves to Leave His Mark on 2028 Presidential Election: Report
Dana White takes questions at podium during White House briefing with Trump
“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.
