Do Solar Panels Work During a Power Outage?
Why most rooftop solar panels shut off when the grid goes down in Florida, and what it takes to keep your house running on solar during an outage.
Home battery backup on Florida's Gulf Coast
Keep your house running when the power goes out.
We're a SunVena Authorized Dealer bringing whole-home batteries and solar panels to homeowners in Pinellas, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Book a free visit and we'll size a system from your own electric bill.
- Free in-home assessment with no obligation
- SunVena Authorized Dealer
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What we offer
Battery backup and solar for your home
Most homeowners call us about outages. Some want a battery on its own, and some want solar panels to keep it charged.
Whole-home battery backup
A battery that takes over the moment the grid goes down and keeps the house running until it comes back.
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Solar panels + battery
Panels make power on sunny days and keep the battery charged, even when the grid is out for days.
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Free in-home assessment
We look at your panel and your electric bill and size a system around how your home uses power.
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Storm season
Hurricane season runs June through November.
The last few seasons hit this stretch of coast hard. The morning after Hurricane Milton came ashore in October 2024, about 73% of Pinellas County's electric accounts were out, along with close to 83% in Manatee and 66% in Charlotte, according to the Florida Public Service Commission's outage reports.
A home battery covers the short outages and the long ones. The lights stay on through a passing thunderstorm, and a week without power doesn't mean throwing out a fridge full of food.
During an outage
What a battery keeps running
How much you can run, and for how long, comes down to the size of the battery and what you turn on.
Fridge and freezer
Food stays cold through a long outage instead of going in the trash.
AC or fans
Central AC draws a lot of power. If you want it covered, we size the battery for it.
Lights
The rooms you use after dark stay lit.
Wi-Fi and phones
Your router stays up, so you can follow the storm and reach family.
Medical devices
CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators and other equipment that can't lose power.
Kitchen outlets
The coffee maker and the microwave still work in the morning.
Battery or generator
Why homeowners pick a battery over a portable generator
- It switches on by itself. Nobody has to go out in the rain to pull a cord.
- It's silent and burns no fuel, so there's no gas to store or hunt down after a storm.
- There's no exhaust, which means no carbon monoxide from it in or around the house.
- Once the power is back, it recharges from the grid, or from your solar panels if you have them.
How it works
Three steps to a system sized for your home
Book a time
Leave your name and number, then pick a day and time for the visit. The assessment is free.
We come to your home
We look at your electrical panel and where the equipment would go, and we ask what you want running when the power is out.
A system sized from your bill
Your electric bill shows how much power the house uses each month, and that's what we size the system from.
Service areas
Where we work
We work in three counties along the Gulf Coast, from the Pinellas peninsula down to Charlotte Harbor.
Pinellas County
Duke Energy Florida serves almost every home on the peninsula. The morning after Hurricane Milton, about 73% of the county's electric accounts were out.
Manatee County
FPL serves most homes, with Peace River Electric Cooperative in parts of the east county. Milton left close to 83% of accounts without power.
Charlotte County
Ian made landfall near Punta Gorda in 2022 and cut power to 98% of the county. FPL serves more than 99% of homes.
From the blog
Battery and solar answers for Florida homeowners
Home Battery vs. Whole House Generator in Florida
How a home battery compares with a whole house standby generator or a portable generator when the power goes out in Florida.
How Long Will a Home Battery Run My House?
What decides how long a home battery lasts in an outage, how to read it off your electric bill, and why AC changes the answer in Florida.
Questions
Home battery questions
Do I need solar panels to get a battery?
No. A battery can charge from the grid and sit ready for the next outage. If you have solar panels, or add them later, the battery can also recharge from the sun while the grid is down.
How long will a battery run my house?
That depends on the size of the battery and what you run on it. A fridge, lights and Wi-Fi draw far less than central AC. Your electric bill shows what your home uses, which is why we size the system from it.
What happens when the power goes out?
A battery set up for backup senses the outage and moves your home over to battery power on its own. When the grid comes back, it switches back and starts recharging.
Do solar panels keep working during a power outage?
Not by themselves. Grid-tied solar panels are built to shut off when the grid goes down so they don't send power onto lines that crews are repairing. With a battery in the system, the house can keep running on stored power and the panels can recharge the battery during the day.
Is the in-home assessment free?
Yes. The visit is free and you're under no obligation to buy anything.
Book your free in-home assessment
We work with homeowners across Pinellas, Manatee and Charlotte counties.