Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Environment
  •  

For Most California Homes, Solar Panels Won’t Help During Power Outages. Here’s Why.

  •  Chris Nichols 
Monday, October 14, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

In this photo taken Monday, May 7, 2018, solar panels are seen on the rooftop on a home in a new housing project in Sacramento, Calif.

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo

California is home to more solar power than any other state, with more than a million homes in the state generating electricity from the sun.

Yet most of those rooftop solar panels were of little help to homeowners during last week’s power outages, in which nearly 800,000 customers across 35 counties in northern and central California lost electricity after Pacific Gas & Electric cut service due to high fire risk.

The reason they were so ineffective is that most panels only work when the customer is connected to the power grid. They automatically shut off during outages, unless they’re connected to a solar battery storage system, which most customers don’t own.

Why do the panels shut off? Safety, according to industry officials. 

“It’s actually a requirement for our solar inverters that they do shut down,” said Audrey Lee, vice president of energy services for the national solar company Sunrun. “And that’s because in an outage, we wouldn’t want the power from the solar to flow back on the grid. If there was a utility employee working on that grid, that backflow power would be very dangerous for them.” 

Lee added that powering your home during an outage “really does come down to having the right equipment, having the battery to do that.” 

Here’s how battery-connected systems work during an outage: Solar energy powers the home during the day and any excess energy is used to charge the battery. The battery can then be used at night, or when the grid goes down, according to a USA Today article. 

Battery storage costs several thousand dollars on top of the cost of panels. SMUD has a resource that allows customers to estimate the costs of adding battery backup to a solar system.

Starting next year, a new law requires all new homes in California to have solar panels. Homebuyers will have the option of either paying for solar panels outright, leasing them, or entering a power purchase agreement with developers. 


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

 PG&E Shutoff

Chris Nichols

PolitiFact California Reporter

For the past dozen years, Chris Nichols has worked as a government and politics reporter at newspapers across California.  Read Full Bio 

 @christhejourno Email Chris Nichols

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Environment Stories

Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

‘Everyone loses’: Sacramento Valley struggles to survive unprecedented water cuts

May 23, 2022

Nina Riggio / CalMatters

California wants to force insurers to reward homeowners for fireproofing homes

May 26, 2022

Nina Riggio for CalMatters

Going electric: California car mandate would hit mechanics hard

May 24, 2022

Most Viewed

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

California coronavirus updates: The COVID surge may be larger than reported

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

Top California Democrats in a stalemate over gas rebates

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

California coronavirus updates: The COVID surge may be larger than reported

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

Top California Democrats in a stalemate over gas rebates

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.