Will solar keep my lights on in a hurricane?

Not by itself. This surprises a lot of people. A solar system that is tied to the grid shuts off when the grid goes down. That is a safety feature, so the power from your roof does not flow back onto lines that crews are working on.

What does keep the lights on

A battery, installed with the right equipment to separate your house from the grid when the power fails. With that setup, your home runs on the battery, and the panels recharge it while the sun is out.

What a battery can run

Think essentials: the fridge, lights, internet and a few outlets. Whether it can also run the AC or other big loads depends on the size of the battery and which circuits you put on it. We go through that with you before you buy anything, so nothing about it is a surprise during a storm.

What about the panels in the wind?

Panels are installed to Florida wind-load requirements, and the install goes through permits and inspection. The roof under the panels matters just as much, which is why we check it first.

Questions to ask any installer

• Will my system work in an outage, or only if I add a battery?
• Which parts of my house will the battery run, and for how long?
• How are the panels mounted, and to what wind rating?
• What shape is my roof in?

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