Are you wondering whether solar panels will work in a power cut? It’s a good question, and with strain on the National Grid worsening, worries surrounding power cuts are well-founded.
Do solar panels work in a power cut?
The answer to this question depends on whether your solar PV system has a back-up power function. Without this, your solar planes will not continue to work during a power cut. This is because your solar panels and battery are still connected to the main grid and when a power cut is detected, for safety reasons the solar inverters will automatically switch off when a power cut is detected. This is to protect engineers against electrocution when working to resolve the power cut. If solar panels and batteries continue to operate during a power cut, the energy generated poses an electrocution risk to these engineers working on the National Grid - because as we mentioned earlier, everything is connected.
However, if your solar PV system has a back-up power function, you’ll be one of the lucky ones! Your solar PV system will continue to work during a power cut using this function. But, how does this work? Well, solar batteries with back-up power have a relay (aka a switch) which will automatically disconnect your electricity supply from the grid when a power cut is detected. This is called islanding. This relay is installed between your main fuse board and the incoming electricity supply. You'll have power for your home so you can continue to use your electronic devices with no trouble. Some systems provide an almost seamless transition from grid power to solar back-up power so you may not even notice that there has been a power cut. This feature is called UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). Clever isn’t it?
Will my solar panels continue to charge the battery during a power cut?
Again this depends on the type of back-up power system you have fitted. Some lower cost batteries will automatically discharge any stored energy when a power cut is detected. This is because the battery inverter is usually smaller than the solar inverter, which could cause the battery to overload if there is energy left in the solar inverter. However, if the battery inverter is larger than the solar inverter, energy can continue to flow into the battery until it is fully charged.
How long does back-up power last?
Once again, this all depends on the size of your system's inverter within the battery. The battery needs to hold enough power for your everyday use while keeping some energy in reserve in case another power cut occurs. The larger the capacity of the battery in kW, the more energy you can reserve for power cut back-up and the longer your back-up power system will provide your home energy. On average, power cuts across the UK typically only last 30-50 mins, pretty much always under an hour. The average back-up power function on solar PV systems will usually last you much longer than this.
Solar PV & battery storage installers, Leeds
For more information on all things solar, get in touch with your local solar PV installers, for Leeds home and business owners, that us - DP Electrical Specialists.
