{"id":5570,"date":"2026-10-23T12:55:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T10:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solquality.es\/what-happens-to-solar-panels-in-a-blackout-and-how-the-backup-box-works\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T11:39:06","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T10:39:06","slug":"what-happens-to-solar-panels-in-a-blackout-and-how-the-backup-box-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/what-happens-to-solar-panels-in-a-blackout-and-how-the-backup-box-works\/","title":{"rendered":"What happens to solar panels in a blackout and how the backup box works"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On 28 April 2025, shortly after 12:30 pm, Spain and Portugal were left without electricity. The sun was shining across almost the entire peninsula and, even so, thousands of homes with solar panels on the roof were left just as much in the dark as their neighbours. That day many people discovered something nobody had explained to them: a standard solar installation does not work during a blackout.<\/p>\n<p>It is not a fault or a defect in your installation. It is a mandatory safety measure, and there is a solution. In this article we explain why it happens, why having batteries is not enough on its own and how the <strong>backup box<\/strong> works: the device that keeps your home powered when the grid goes down.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In short:<\/strong> in a blackout, grid-connected solar panels switch off automatically, even if the sun is shining. To keep the lights on you need three things: a <strong>hybrid inverter with a backup function<\/strong>, a <strong>battery<\/strong> and a system that disconnects your home from the grid and keeps it running in <strong>island mode<\/strong>. That system is the backup box, which can be a separate device or come built into the inverter itself.<\/p>\n<h2>Why solar panels stop working in a blackout<\/h2>\n<p>The panels keep receiving sunlight, but the inverter disconnects as soon as it stops detecting the grid. It does so for two reasons.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Safety: anti-islanding protection.<\/strong> If your installation kept feeding electricity into a grid that is down, it would energise cables that the distribution company&#8217;s technicians assume are disconnected while they repair the fault. To prevent this, grid connection regulations require all self-consumption inverters to shut down when the grid fails. It is called anti-islanding protection and it cannot be disabled.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Operation: the inverter needs a reference.<\/strong> A grid-tied inverter does not generate its own electrical waveform: it copies the voltage and frequency of the grid and synchronises with it. Without that reference it does not know what to deliver, so it stops.<\/p>\n<p>The result is the same in both cases: without the grid there is no production, no matter how many panels you have or how sunny it is. When the supply returns, the inverter reconnects by itself after a few minutes.<\/p>\n<h2>What if I have batteries? Why that is not enough<\/h2>\n<p>It is the most common misunderstanding. A battery stores energy, but it does not decide whether your home can use it during a blackout. There are three different situations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Virtual battery.<\/strong> It is not a battery: it is a credit on your bill for the surplus you export to the grid. In a blackout it does not give you a single watt.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical battery without a backup function.<\/strong> Many installations with a battery are designed only to save money: they store daytime energy to use at night. If the inverter has no backup output, when the grid goes down everything switches off, battery included.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical battery with backup.<\/strong> The inverter is able to create its own electrical grid and there is a device that isolates the home from the public grid. It is the only configuration that gives you power in a blackout.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What makes the difference between the second and third situations is the backup function, which in many systems comes as a separate device: the backup box. If you want to know more about battery capacity, lifespan or types, see our <a href=\"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/frequently-asked-questions-about-solar-batteries\/\">solar battery FAQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What a backup box is and how it works<\/h2>\n<p>A backup box is an automatic transfer switch installed between the grid, the inverter and your home&#8217;s consumer unit. Its job is to physically separate your home from the public grid when there is a blackout, so that the inverter can power it without sending electricity out to the street. This way anti-islanding protection is respected and, at the same time, you still have power.<\/p>\n<p>Each manufacturer gives it a different name (Backup Box, Backup Interface, Gateway, EPS or UPS output). In some systems it is an external box that is bought and installed separately; in the latest hybrid inverters it comes built into the unit itself. This is the case with the Deye and Growatt hybrid inverters we install at SolQuality: they include their own backup output and do not need an additional box. The function is always the same.<\/p>\n<p>This is what happens, step by step, when the power goes out:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>The grid goes down.<\/strong> The backup system detects the loss of voltage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The circuit to the grid opens.<\/strong> Your home, or the part you have chosen to back up, is electrically isolated from the outside.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The inverter switches to island mode.<\/strong> It stops copying the grid waveform and starts generating its own, with the battery as support.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Power returns to your backed-up circuits.<\/strong> Depending on the equipment, the switchover takes from a few milliseconds to a few seconds.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The panels keep producing.<\/strong> During the day they power the house and recharge the battery; at night the battery runs things on its own.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The grid comes back.<\/strong> The system detects it, the inverter resynchronises and the home reconnects without you having to do anything.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The <strong>switchover time<\/strong> is the difference you notice most at home, and it varies a lot from one system to another. In systems with an external box it can take seconds: with Huawei&#8217;s Backup Box, for example, the manufacturer states less than 3 seconds, enough for the lights to go off for a moment and the router to restart. In hybrid inverters with built-in backup, such as the Deye and Growatt units we work with, the data sheets mention 10 to 20 milliseconds depending on the model: most appliances do not even notice.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, a home backup system is no substitute for a professional UPS. If you have equipment that cannot tolerate even a micro-outage, such as a server or medical equipment, check before sizing the installation.<\/p>\n<h2>Backup for essential loads or for the whole house<\/h2>\n<p>Not all backup systems offer the same. Before asking for a quote it is worth knowing which option suits your home.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Option<\/th>\n<th>What it powers in a blackout<\/th>\n<th>What it needs<\/th>\n<th>Who it is for<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Emergency socket<\/td>\n<td>One or more dedicated sockets, and in some models only while the sun is shining<\/td>\n<td>An inverter that includes it; some models work without a battery<\/td>\n<td>Those who only want to charge phones or keep the router or a fridge running<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Essential loads backup<\/td>\n<td>A sub-panel with the circuits you choose: fridge, lighting, router, water pump, garage door<\/td>\n<td>Hybrid inverter with backup (built-in or with an external box), battery and separating those circuits in the consumer unit<\/td>\n<td>Most homes: it is the option with the best balance between cost and usefulness<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Whole-home backup<\/td>\n<td>All the circuits in the house<\/td>\n<td>Inverter and battery with enough power for consumption peaks, and a backup sized for the main supply<\/td>\n<td>Villas with high consumption, remote working, medical equipment or areas with frequent outages<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The <strong>backup power<\/strong> is the limit that causes the most surprises, and it depends on the type of system. External boxes usually have their own cap: Huawei&#8217;s single-phase Backup Box, to continue with the example, delivers a maximum of 5,000 VA, and the version for three-phase installations 3,300 VA on a single phase. In hybrid inverters with built-in backup, the backup output works at the inverter&#8217;s rated power: a 6, 8 or 10 kW unit can sustain practically the same consumption in a blackout as on a normal day, provided the battery and the panels keep up.<\/p>\n<p>If your home has a three-phase supply, which is common in villas with air conditioning or a pool, ask specifically about this point: some systems only back up one phase. The three-phase hybrid inverters we install provide backup on all three phases and accept unbalanced loads between them, which is what happens in any real home.<\/p>\n<h2>What you can power in a blackout and how long the battery lasts<\/h2>\n<p>Autonomy depends on two numbers: the capacity of your battery and what you connect. To give you an idea, these are approximate consumption figures for a home&#8217;s essential loads.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Load<\/th>\n<th>Approximate consumption per day<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Efficient fridge-freezer<\/td>\n<td>1.2 kWh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>LED lighting (5 hours)<\/td>\n<td>0.5 kWh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Television, laptop and chargers (4 hours)<\/td>\n<td>0.6 kWh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Router and home automation<\/td>\n<td>0.25 kWh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Total essential loads<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Around 2.5 kWh<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>With those loads, a 5.1 kWh battery, which leaves around 4.6 kWh usable, lasts almost two days without a single hour of sun. A 16 kWh battery, with about 14.4 kWh usable, exceeds five days. And since in Andalusia and Murcia the panels recharge the battery almost every day, in practice you can keep the essentials running indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p>Things change when the big consumers come in. An <a href=\"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/installation-of-an-air-source-heat-pump\/\">air-source heat pump<\/a> or an <a href=\"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/can-you-run-air-conditioning-on-solar-panels\/\">air conditioner<\/a> drawing 1.5 kW for four hours adds up to 6 kWh: on its own it uses more than twice as much as everything above. The same goes for the oven, the ceramic hob, the electric water heater, the pool pump or the electric car charger.<\/p>\n<p>Two tips to get the most out of it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Set a backup reserve.<\/strong> Most systems let you always keep a percentage of the battery, for example 20% or 30%, that is only used if there is a blackout. Without that reserve, an outage at seven in the morning can catch you with an empty battery.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Decide in advance what you will switch off.<\/strong> During a long blackout, using the big consumers only in the middle of the day, when the panels are producing, multiplies your autonomy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to add backup to your solar installation<\/h2>\n<p>What needs to be done depends on your starting point.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you are going to install solar panels now.<\/strong> This is the cheapest time to include backup: you just need to choose a hybrid inverter with a backup output and the battery from the start, and leave the consumer unit prepared. Even if you do not want a battery yet, ask for a hybrid inverter so you can add one later without changing equipment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you already have panels with a hybrid inverter.<\/strong> Normally it is enough to add the battery and activate the backup: with the inverter&#8217;s built-in output, if it has one, or with the same manufacturer&#8217;s backup box. The compatibility of the exact model must be checked.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you already have panels with a conventional inverter and no battery.<\/strong> There are two routes: replacing the inverter with a hybrid one with backup, or adding an AC-coupled battery with its own backup system. Which one makes more sense depends on the age of the inverter and the installed power.<\/p>\n<p>In all three cases there is work that goes unseen and makes the difference: reorganising the consumer unit to separate the circuits you want to back up, sizing the backup power according to your actual consumption and legalising the modification. It is not a box you simply plug in: it must be designed and installed by an authorised installer.<\/p>\n<p>At SolQuality we design every <a href=\"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/solar-panels\/\">solar panel installation<\/a> with how you are going to use it in mind, including when the grid fails. If you want to know whether your current installation supports backup, or you prefer to include it from day one, <a href=\"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/contact\/\">write to us<\/a> and we will look into it with no obligation. We work throughout Andalusia and the Region of Murcia, with offices in Marbella and Murcia.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions about solar panels and blackouts<\/h2>\n<h3>Do solar panels work when the power goes out?<\/h3>\n<p>No, unless the installation has a backup system. Grid-connected inverters switch off automatically in a blackout for safety reasons, even if the sun is shining.<\/p>\n<h3>Is it legal to keep using my panels during a blackout?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, as long as your home is isolated from the grid for the duration of the outage. That is precisely what the backup box guarantees. What is not allowed is feeding electricity into a grid that is down.<\/p>\n<h3>Can you have backup without batteries?<\/h3>\n<p>Some inverters include an emergency socket that works without a battery while the sun is shining. It is a limited aid: the power varies with every cloud and at night there is nothing. For stable backup you need a battery.<\/p>\n<h3>Is a virtual battery any use in a blackout?<\/h3>\n<p>No. A virtual battery is a discount on your bill for your surplus, not a device that stores energy at home.<\/p>\n<h3>What happens if the battery runs out during the blackout?<\/h3>\n<p>The system shuts down until the grid returns or the sun comes out. Many units include black start: when the panels start producing again, the system restarts by itself and begins recharging the battery.<\/p>\n<h3>Is the switch to backup mode instantaneous?<\/h3>\n<p>It depends on the system. With an external backup box it can take a few seconds, enough for the lights to flicker and the router to restart. With a hybrid inverter with built-in backup, the switchover takes milliseconds and most appliances do not notice it.<\/p>\n<h3>Do I have to buy a separate backup box?<\/h3>\n<p>Not always. Many current hybrid inverters, including the Deye and Growatt units we install at SolQuality, already include the backup function. What is needed in every case is the battery and adapting the consumer unit for the circuits you want to keep running.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I use an air-source heat pump or air conditioning with the backup?<\/h3>\n<p>It depends on your system&#8217;s backup power and the battery capacity. It is technically possible with properly sized equipment, but it greatly reduces autonomy. The usual approach is to leave them out of the essential loads or use them only during sunny hours.<\/p>\n<p>You will find more answers in our <a href=\"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/frequently-asked-questions-about-solar-panels\/\">frequently asked questions about solar panels<\/a> and, if you already have an installation, in our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/solquality.es\/en\/how-to-clean-solar-panels-dust-calima\/\">cleaning solar panels<\/a> affected by dust and calima.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If the power goes out, your solar panels switch off too, even if the sun is shining. We explain why and how the backup box keeps your home powered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-energy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Solar panels in a blackout: what happens and what a backup box is<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why do your solar panels switch off when the power goes out? 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