Power outages are certainly inconvenient. While they aren’t as prevalent in some parts of the world as others, when you do experience a power outage, everything comes to a standstill. Whether it was work, meeting, or entertainment, whatever is going on at that moment comes to a grinding halt. You could use a generator and make those power outage blues go away, but we have a better solution: using your solar energy system and solar panels to generate electricity as you go and keep the home powered. Its certainly cost-effective; solar panels won’t consume expensive fuel to generate electricity.

Lets look at how you can use solar panels during a power outage and generate electricity for consumption and keep the party or work going. Because with a good solar energy system, not only will you have enough energy saved for such an outage, but it will keep on generating more energy as the outage progresses. We will also look at the best solar panel in UAE and the top solar company in UAE.

Which systems will work during an outage?

Using solar panels during a power outage to keep your home powered up requires you to have either a hybrid or off-grid solar energy system. However, considering that off-grid solar energy systems are designed to completely replace the grid, which would mean that you won’t be affected by a power outage in the first place. Which means, that during a power outage, the only system that can help you out is a hybrid solar energy system.

Why won’t On-Grid solar energy systems work?

As the name implies, on-grid solar energy systems work in tandem with the grid power, supplementing any excesses in consumption or drop in the flow of grid power. Since the system requires a grid connection to work, in the event of a blackout or a power outage, an on-grid system won’t be able to supply the power generated from solar energy, and as such, is pretty much useless during a power outage.

How to use solar panels during a power outage?

Using your solar panels from your hybrid solar energy system to power your home during a power outage will save you a lot of money on fuel and will ensure that anything necessary that needs to be done can be done on solar energy alone. Follow these steps to use solar panels during a power outage.

i. Ensure panels are working and connected

For your first step, make sure that your panels are in the correct orientation and operating properly. The input from the solar panels goes to the battery through a charge controller, which regulates the flow of electricity throughout this passageway. The battery then connects to the inverter, which converts your direct current (DC) generated from the solar panels into alternating current (AC) that can be used by your household appliances, phones, and whatnot. Ensure all of these are in order.

ii. Switch off the main circuit breaker

The second step will have you switching off the main circuit breaker. This is done if your hybrid solar energy system has net metering enabled, which is when excess energy is fed into the grid for credit with your local electricity distribution company. When you switch off the main circuit breaker, you prevent the electricity from flowing back into the grid, otherwise which could seriously injure utility workers who might be working on the grid to restore the power. Since net metering is enabled on most hybrid energy systems, the system might automatically initiate the flow of current to the grid, so, to ensure that does not happen, you switch off the main circuit breaker.

iii. Prioritise energy usage

Once the main circuit breaker is out and the solar inverter is on, the solar panels will begin supplying electricity. Now, the crucial thing to keep in mind here is that you will then need to prioritise your energy usage. If you have devices that need to be turned on all the time, like some medical devices, you will need to plug out the rest that might start draining the battery. By prioritizing your energy usage, you will ensure that the solar panels keep you powered till the grid kicks back in.

iv. Keep an eye on the usage

Keep monitoring the system, especially the battery and your usage to ensure that any power-draining or power-hungry devices are not connected to the solar panels. You will need to essentially pace the solar panels and connect only the most crucial things to the energy source. Solar energy equipment geared for reliability with Beacon Energy Beacon Energy understands energy reliability and the need for uninterrupted access to energy. The top solar company in UAE, Beacon Energy has a range of solar panels in UAE from world-class manufacturers like CanadianSolar, designed to give you access to the best type of renewable energy, that will not only ensure energy reliability for you, but will also keep the planet clean for our next generations. Check out Beacon Energy for the best solar batteries in UAE and more.