Grid-tied systems do not work during a power outage, and PV systems in off-grid and hybrid systems can work normally. You need to determine whether the conditions for the solar panels to generate electricity can be met at this time, such as sufficient light, the integrity of the equipment and the normal circuit system.

1. Off-grid solar system

As the name suggests, an off-grid solar system is one that powers your equipment when there is no grid connection or when the grid fails. Therefore, in the event of a power outage, the solar panels in an off-grid solar system are sufficiently illuminated that a portion of the DC power is stored directly in the solar battery, and a portion of the DC power is converted by a converter into AC power for your equipment.

2. Grid-tied solar system

Grid-tied solar system will be automatically disconnected by the grid-connected inverter in order to protect the safety of maintenance personnel during power outage. The solar energy absorbed and converted by the solar panels cannot be supplied to the loads through the inverter after the inverter is disconnected, which results in the solar system not working normally.

3. Hybrid solar system

Hybrid solar system is a combination of off-grid solar system and grid-tied solar system. In the event of a power outage, although the output power of the inverter in the circuit will be minimized for a short period of time, it can be switched to the working state of the off-grid solar system, i.e., the solar panels can store the converted solar energy into the solar battery, which in turn will supply power to your equipment.

Summary

Combining the characteristics of the above three solar energy systems, the solar panels in both hybrid and off-grid solar energy systems can work normally during a power outage, while grid-connected solar energy systems can’t work normally during a power outage.