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.
Alaska runner hospitalized after using bear spray to fight off brown bear on Alaska trail
Nevada man funneled 140 guns to violent Mexican drug cartels, including powerful ‘military-style’ rifles: DOJ
Judge Keeps Major Biden Admin Gun Rule On Ice
Fauci refuses Senate appearance after invoking Fifth Amendment more than 100 times in COVID probe
America Found A Rare Metal It Desperately Needs. Red Tape Could Keep It In The Ground For Ages
Trump backs Republican challenger to oust Letitia James amid ongoing mortgage fraud feud
Watch: It’s Been Banned a Million Times, But Now the Video That Exposed How ‘Queerness’ and Pedophilia Go Hand-in-Hand Is Online for Good
Bernie-backed California House candidate called DEI a ‘social justice-driven duty,’ embraced activist role
Advocate reveals freed Marine vet’s physical, mental torment in Russian prison as 5 Americans remain held
Report: Hollywood Stars Rethinking Getting Involved in Politics, Expert Says Voters ‘Tired of Celebrities Telling Them How to Think’
Court filings reveal Kyrsten Sinema had sex multiple times with married bodyguard while serving as senator
Justice Thomas reveals this elite institution is ‘off limits’ to him: ‘That’s the world we’re in’
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is a slog for the uninitiated
Military Identifies 2 Soldiers Killed in Texas Helicopter Crash Earlier This Week
Shooting Rocks University Campus as School Prepares for Classes to Resume
“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.
