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.
RFK Jr. Blasts Canada’s ‘Abhorrent’ Assisted Suicide Laws: US Can’t Be ‘Moral Society’ by Embracing Them
Transgender Arrested for Allegedly Kidnapping Child and Taking Him Overseas for Gender Surgery
Trump: US doesn’t know who ‘the leader is in Iran’
20,000 teddy bear display on National Mall: ‘Bring Ukrainian children’ home
Guatemalan man charged with child porn possession released by Fairfax County despite ICE detainer, DHS says
Noncitizen ex-Kansas mayor pleads guilty to illegally voting multiple times
Mamdani Throws His Support Behind Arrested NYC Councilman
With Racism Increasingly Hard to Find, the SPLC Filled a Need the Media and Dems Couldn’t Live Without
Several shoppers caught in crossfire, wounded as shooting erupts inside busy Louisiana mall: police
Sex offender accused of 6 sex assaults in one day as crime surge rocks affluent valley
Defeated Virginia Republicans regroup for last chance fight to save House majority
DOJ charges 2 Chinese nationals who allegedly ran overseas cryptocurrency scam center targeting Americans
Lindsey Graham expects Trump’s Iran blockade to go ‘global’
Google engineer stole AI secrets for China, Senate hears in explosive testimony
Pat Fallon launches bid for House Oversight Committee chairman as James Comer’s term limit nears
“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.
