NEWS

Solar panels useless during power outage in Spain

During a major power outage in Spain, many families with solar panels still found themselves without power. Why? Most systems are “on-grid”: they only work when the public grid is active. In case of power cuts, they switch off automatically to protect technicians working on the grid.

Without batteries or a special inverter operating in “island mode”, you cannot use your own solar power at such a time. Battery back-up systems are possible, but more expensive and complex.

The blackout shows that many people are insufficiently informed about these limitations. Those who really want to be independent should invest in a system with storage and autonomous operation.

Popular inverters in Spain:

SMA Sunny Boy 5.0 (€1200) - German sturdiness
Huawei SUN2000-5KTL (€1300) - Smart with battery support
Fronius Primo 5.0-1 (€1400) - Durable and reliable
GoodWe GW5000D-NS (€900) - Budget-friendly
Enphase IQ7+ (€150 each) - Ideal in case of shade
Home batteries:

Tesla Powerwall 2 (13.5 kWh): €8000-10,000
LG Chem RESU10H (9.8 kWh): €7000
BYD B-Box Premium (10.2 kWh): €7500
Sungrow SBR096 (9.6 kWh): €6500
Pylontech US2000C (2.4 kWh): €1000 per module
Prices are indicative and depend on installation and subsidies.