It all depends if you have solar batteries and how much solar you have stored in your batteries at the time of the power outage.
Many solar customers assume that if the sun is shining they will still have electricity when there is a power outage. Unfortunately, this only applies if you have some way of storing the electricity (with a battery).
In the event of a power cut/blackout, a typical grid-tied system has a special automatic shut-off in order to prevent that extra energy from being sent over possibly-damaged power lines. It’s a safety feature intended to protect the line workers who go out to fix things when they break. And yes, this means solar panels alone will not work during a power outage.
When you add a battery backup to your solar PV system, your lights stay on even when your neighbors are out. There are many benefits of a back up battery but one major benefit is that you will still have back up power for your ‘essential loads’ like fridge, some lights and some charging for mobile phone and laptop. The amount of solar power you have available for your essential loads, depends on how much battery storage you have at the time of the power outage.
Every household is different. We aim to save you the maximum amount possible – this depends on a few factors:
– your current & future power consumption needs (kWh),
– when you mainly use your power (day time or evenings),
– how many solar panels we can fit on your roof,
– if your budget allows for battery storage.
For a customised quote and advice on how much you could save on your power bill, get in touch with our team.
In our opinion, the short answer is no. Your solar is worth more being stored and used from a battery then it is sending it back to the power grid.
Let us explain: Solar buy-back rates across New Zealand typically ranges from 8c – 18c per kWh, compared to electricity rates of around 30c per kWh.
With those numbers, we always recommend our customers consider battery storage to maximise on their investment. That way you’re using your own stored solar energy instead of exporting it and buying power back in when you need it.
Installing a solar system to power your home or business and going completely off the grid (off grid) means you do not have a connection to the local power network. It’s a good option for people where the cost to connect to the local network is excessive or you simply want to be independent of the grid and reduce your ongoing living expenses (power bills).
This option can be more costly as you will require a battery system so the power generated by the solar panels during the day can be stored and then used when the sun isn’t shining. For this reason, the battery storage is generally larger than grid connected scenarios, to provide enough power in case of long periods of no sunshine. We encourage our customers to purchase a back-up inverter generator.
Yes. Depending on your local power network, disconnecting from the grid is free, however there are costs to reconnect, so it’s important this is factored in when making this decision.
The key difference between on grid and off grid, is the connection to the local power network. When you’re on grid and have insufficient solar power available, your home will be powered from the grid and charged on your power bill from your electricity retailer. When you’re off grid and don’t have sufficient solar power (generated from the solar panels or stored in batteries), your home will have no power unless you have a back-up inverter generator.
Depending on the complexity of your solar system we can generally provide a quote within 1-3 days.
For grid connected solar quotes, we need a copy of your power bill – preferably a winter and summer bill, or an electricity consumption data report (you can ask your electricity retailer for it).
For all solar quotes, we will ask for information about the appliances (loads) you want to power and details about your home/roof.
For some quotes, a site assessment may be required first.
For standard installations i.e. easy access to the roof, single storey, corrugated iron roof – the installation will take between 1-2 days to have your solar system all up and running.
An Electrical inspection is required and will typically be completed within two weeks of the installation date.