Installing solar power means generating your own FREE electricity and reducing power bills, but will it make you exempt from black-outs?
Unfortunately, most standard grid-connected solar power systems will shut down during power outages and grid failures. When your solar power system shuts down due to these reasons, your household will stop running off electricity, and you’ll experience a black-out.
Many people would think that this is a downfall in grid-connected solar power systems however it is a mandatory safety requirement to prevent your solar power system sending electricity to a damaged grid and risking those who are working on fixing the issues or power-lines.
This safety requirement is referred to as the anti-islanding feature of a solar inverter, and it will automatically switch your solar power system back on, once the grid is back up and running.
Are there solar power systems with black-out protection?
Off-grid solar power systems are completely disconnected from the grid and are not affected by grid power outages. However, this also means that when an off-grid solar power system has not generated enough electricity, it does not have the grid to rely on as a second source of power.
For this reason, those with off-grid solar power systems are usually rural with large blocks of land, to accommodate for a solar power system and battery storage big enough to cover electricity needs with a surplus to store.
Can grid-connected solar power systems have black-out protection?
As mentioned prior, a standard grid-connected solar power system will shutdown during grid failure. However, some hybrid solar power systems with battery storage can isolate from the grid when detecting voltage drops or grid issues. Once isolated, the hybrid solar power system will rely on its surplus solar power which is stored in the battery. Solar power system setups with the added features of battery storage and black-out protection are expensive in comparison to a standard solar power system, so are usually only recommended if black-outs are a common occurrence in your area.
