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.
Inside Trump’s intimate meeting with nation’s bravest soldiers during whirlwind Texas trip
AOC, Mamdani interaction caught on cam at 9/11 memorial sparks online fury
Breaking: Newly Declassified 9/11 Documents Reveal the Repeated Warnings Received by Clinton and Bush
The ‘Jumper’ Victims of 9/11 Deserve to Have Their Stories Heard: And Yet They’ve Been Erased by the Media
Attacks of 9/11 sent Rep. Eli Crane into the military and shaped the way he views the Iran war
Reporter’s Notebook: Countdown is on as Senate races to pass crypto, college sports bills
Court documents show groups inspiring ‘satanist’ teenager’s alleged plans to attack Christians
AOC’s ‘modern-day lynchings’ claim torn to shreds online as Black hanging case findings tell a different story
Mamdani greets America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani despite calls to skip 9/11 memorial
Flashback: How James Woods Encountered, Then Reported Multiple 9/11 Hijackers to the FBI
Trump Rejects Saudi Crown Prince’s Pleas for New U.S. Strikes in Middle East: Report
Trump admin’s fraud crackdown targets foreigners accused of infiltrating U.S. federal programs
Giuliani blasts Mamdani’s 9/11 toxic air blame as buried city records come to light
In pictures: Trump, Bush, and more pay their respects at 9/11 ceremonies across three sites on 25th anniversary
Lone holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy trial was only Black person on the jury, panelist reveals: report
“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.
