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.
DC’s bid to block Trump’s National Guard deployment hits basic legal snag: Can’t sue itself
Spanberger ripped after taking credit for billions in investments secured under GOP predecessor: ‘Pathetic’
He’s Out! Disgraced Lawyer Michael Avenatti Moves to Hollywood Halfway House to Finish Prison Sentence
Five ways Mullin is already pushing DHS in a new direction
Trump blasts CNN and New York Times for reporting on a ‘fake ten point plan’
Michigan woman arrested for allegedly starving, torturing disabled sister-in-law she locked in basement
South Carolina pastor, wife arrested after alleged sexual, physical abuse of foster children
Dem lawmaker calls for TSA to bring back shoes-off airport security policy
Former Fort Bragg employee charged with leaking classified military information to journalist
Wisconsin couple allegedly starved six children for years, forcing them to eat mold, bugs and dog food
Trump seeks to wipe away entire New York civil fraud judgement
Acting AG Todd Blanche Says DOJ Has Over 8,000 Fraud Cases Underway, And It’s the Tip of the Iceberg
Missouri Incumbents Voted Out a Week After Ignoring Public Pressure on Data Center
Suspect in Iryna Zarutska Killing Declared ‘Incapable to Proceed’ in Murder Trial
BREAKING: FBI Arrests Ex-SOCOM Employee Over Leak to Media 48 Hours After Trump Said Justice Was Coming for Leakers – DEVELOPING
“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.
