My Solar Panels DIDN'T Work in a Blackout, Why?

In true dark, cold winter fashion a lot of Scotland was left without power after storm Arwen.  Many with Solar Panels also soon realised they too were left with not even power from them to work any appliance, but why?

How they work

Solar Panels extract energy from sunlight and transfer this into power around a home through a battery. The battery also relies on the energy provided by the panels to work.The system installed is designed for the size of space available for installation and the occupancy of the property – this can be greatly reduced if installed on an existing building.

Why they didn’t work

During Storm Arwen and in the aftermath we only had seven hours of daylight with very heavy cloud cover and a low sun.  The unfortunate outcome was the Solar Panels don’t function efficiently in these conditions. If the battery doesn’t get enough power from the solar Panels; the system as a whole can fail.

When installing Solar Panels with limited roof space, speak to the supplier and look at alternative spaces to utilise to maximise the panels you are installing.