Do solar panels work during a power outage?

Q: Do solar panels work during a power outage?

Not on their own. A solar system installed without a battery stops producing during an outage, even on a sunny day, so it cannot feed power onto lines that utility crews expect to be dead. To keep power in an outage you need a battery system that runs your home as its own small 'energy island' while the grid is down, usually for the circuits you choose.

Updated October 25, 2026. Every answer lists the sources we read it from. If we couldn't back an answer, we left the question out.

EnergySage gives two reasons a battery-free system shuts off. Solar output changes minute by minute, which the grid smooths out but your home's wiring and appliances could not handle alone. And the main one: line-worker safety. Solar inverters keep checking that the grid is up and shut the panels' output down when they cannot detect it.

Home batteries usually cannot run a whole house, so installers ask which circuits to back up and put them on a critical loads panel. A smart electric panel lets you change that later.

Run your own numbers: Home battery backup guide · Home battery sizer

Sources

EnergySage: Resiliency benefits of solar batteries

All 8 questions on home solar · Every question we answer

Home battery backupBatteries for outages, sized and priced.

Estimates only. Your actual costs depend on your utility's rate plan, how and when you charge or use power, and local prices. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. See our disclaimer.

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