Solar Alone Won't Keep Your Lights On in an Outage — Here's What Actually Does

Here's something that surprises almost every homeowner I talk to: if the grid goes down and you have solar panels but no battery, your panels shut off too. By design. So before the next Nor'easter knocks out power on the South Shore, let's talk about what actually keeps your lights on.

Will Solar Work During a Power Outage?

By itself, no. For safety, grid-tied solar automatically shuts down during an outage so it can't send power back into lines that utility crews may be working on. That means panels alone won't power your home in a blackout. To keep power during an outage, you need a battery with backup capability.

How Battery Backup Actually Works

A home battery stores the energy your panels make. When the grid goes down, the battery isolates your home from the grid so it's safe, and powers your house from stored energy — and your panels can keep charging the battery during daylight. That combination is what lets you ride out an outage, sometimes indefinitely if the sun keeps the battery topped up.

What Will a Battery Power, and for How Long?

That depends on how you size it. Two common approaches:

• Essentials backup: fridge, internet, some lights, medical devices, a few outlets — a single battery can run these for many hours, often through a typical South Shore outage.
• Whole-home backup: heat pumps, well pumps, larger loads — usually needs multiple batteries.

I size the battery to your actual outage needs, not a one-size pitch. Coastal towns like Marshfield, Scituate, and Cohasset see more storm outages, so backup priority is higher here than inland.

Get Paid Between Outages: ConnectedSolutions

Here's the part that makes a battery easier to justify: through ConnectedSolutions (or the Hingham HMLP equivalent), your utility pays you for letting it draw on your battery during peak summer demand events. You're earning money on capacity you weren't using, and the battery is still there protecting you when a storm hits.

Is the Enphase Battery Worth It in New England?

For a lot of South Shore homes, yes — especially if you've lost power in past storms or run well water, heat pumps, or medical equipment. Enphase batteries pair cleanly with Enphase microinverter systems and qualify for ConnectedSolutions. Whether it pays off for you depends on your outage history and what you need to keep running, which I'll walk through honestly. You can also read more about Enphase vs. SolarEdge inverters, learn what size solar system do I need, or find out about adding a battery to an existing solar system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will solar work during a power outage?

By itself, no. Grid-tied solar automatically shuts off during an outage for safety. To keep power during a blackout you need a battery with backup capability, which lets your home run on stored energy while panels recharge it.

Do I need a battery for backup power?

Yes. Panels alone shut down in an outage. A battery is what isolates your home and powers it from stored energy, and your panels can recharge the battery during daylight. Read more about solar battery backup in New England.

How long will a solar battery last in an outage?

It depends on sizing and what you're running. An essentials setup can run a fridge, internet, lights, and key devices for many hours, and panels recharging during the day can extend that significantly.

Is the Enphase battery worth it in New England?

For many South Shore homes, yes, especially with a history of storm outages or critical loads like well pumps or medical equipment. Enphase batteries pair with Enphase microinverter systems and qualify for ConnectedSolutions payments.

Does ConnectedSolutions pay me for my battery?

Yes. ConnectedSolutions pays you for letting your utility draw on your battery during peak summer demand events, while the battery still provides outage protection the rest of the year.