Are Solar Power and Batteries the Solution to Grid Disaster?

Could solar power and batteries be the solution to the grid disaster? The recent massive texas grid failure has only but jolted us back to the realities of incompetencies of electrical girds in case of emergencies or difficult situations. The grid failure has resulted in a total blackout, many homes without clean water, millions of dollars of damages to homes and businesses. The extreme weather condition demands an increase in power usage in which the aging electric grid fails to meet up with. As a result, pipes burst, pipeline freeze, as the state resources were not prepared to adapt to the extreme weather conditions. How does one plan for the future to prevent the ext energy disaster? Read on as borg energy India private limited, an India-based company offering solar and wind power solutions take an inside look into how solar power can be of help during grid disaster. 

Solar and storage for resiliency

There have been records of solar-powered houses that stayed on during the disaster and become a place of rescue for those who are victims of power outages. Communities and homeowners are moving towards a smarter, more silent power supply. 

Solar with a storage solution is a powerful tool that can be easily adapted, at an affordable cost to continue operating during a power outage. These Photovoltaic technologies become the go-to for emergency power when major disasters struck. Solar power coupled with the batteries provides backup power that keeps household lights on which is an effective resiliency measure required. Solar and storage are the future of energy infrastructure especially for places that are more prone to climate-induced weather events. 

Sustainable grid solar delivery during outages

Many power outages happen for a reason: increased demand for electricity usage. This can be during the hot summer months where people have to put on the airconditioning system or the extreme winter time when the heating system has to run as in the case of texas. When there is excess demand for power, the utility service either shut it off to prevent catastrophic events from occurring or the power grid shutdown. 

However, if you unto a standard grid-tied solar panel, it means you will also be experiencing power failure when there is a power outage. Utility workers are working on the lines to fix the issues and a working solar system somewhere is not safe for them. Hence, all grid-tied solar systems are automatically programmed to turn off when the grid breaks down. 

This means going off-grid can be your best bet to ensure you still have energy up and running even when everyone and everything around you is in total darkness. Although it gives you energy independence, it always comes with heavy price tags.

Homeowners and businesses are also looking into microgrids as cost-effective options that can play a major role in the power supply when the main grids fail. Borg Energy India experts believe it will not only help provide resiliency but can also eliminate the problem with an overburdened grid that is the major cause of power outages in the first place. Its high-time utilities and micro-grids co-exist in order to prevent disaster or help in disaster relief. 

How long can a battery survive during grid shutdown?

There are different batteries in the market from varying manufacturers. Some batteries provide stronger backup than others with the powerful one’s capacities varying from 10 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 13.5 kWh. An average homeowner will draw  750 to 1,000 W which means the 10 kilowatt is likely to run for 10-12 hours. Although, it might not support an average usage during prolonged days of power outages, yet it is reliable for disaster response.