Finding Hope During COVID-19 with Solar

With the chaos that has ensued as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, it may be hard to find the light at the end of this seemingly long, dark tunnel. However, it’s only fitting that as a solar company, we can tell you there is light brought to the world’s future by the potential of solar in light of this outbreak.

While everyone is busy stocking up on toilet paper, those who have solar panels on their homes are ready to rock and roll, come what may. We aren’t saying that solar will solve all prepping needs or handle all emergency issues, but it has its place in emergency preparation.

As a company that believes self-sufficiency is not only ethical to promote during this time but also fulfills a need, we would like to remind you solar and backup power is as surefire as the sun rising the next morning, as it always does.

Solar’s Role Helping with COVID-19

While there have not been many extended power outages in America since the enforcement of social distancing, it is a rising concern. Increased electricity use, from people staying home, has caused extra strain on the electricity grid, making the grid less reliable than it normally is.

Utility officials across the United States are assuring Americans that the virus will not impact the grid nearly as much as a natural disaster would. However, the strain on electricity grids is often felt more during the warmer months, which are just around the corner. While utility companies are doing everything they can to prepare for the worst, prepared customers with solar-powered homes are even better off.

In the past, solar homes with battery backup enjoy greater security. These homeowners often don’t notice or know about an outage until they talk to their neighbors, look outside, or hear about it on the news.

Today is no different. While the chance of an extreme power outage is low, homeowners prepared with solar have peace of mind and are well-prepared for the impending summer months – months in which we are not sure that the Pandemic will have passed.

Solar During Power Outages: The Role of Electricity

Power outages often only last a couple of minutes at the most. However, there are times when outages last for several hours. In extreme cases, they may even last several days. While preparing for an outage right now may seem like an unnecessary precaution, having solar and battery backup comes in handy.

We rely on electricity a lot more than we would like to think. During the pandemic, this is becoming even more clear secure power sources are something we take for granted.

In today’s society, people use electricity for most of their daily activities. Just reading this blog post took some power from a phone, computer, or tablet that eventually will need to recharge. Cooking, heating, cooling, cleaning, medical devices, entertainment, and work are often reliant on secure power sources.

Medical Devices and Power Outages

Life and death are not in the balance for most during an outage. However, it could be for those who rely on in-home medical devices.

Keeping Food Safe

While most of the devices we use are items people could go without, some would be more painful to forego than others. Fridges and freezers are among these devices. While they will keep their temperature for several hours after a power outage, the food will start to spoil after this point.

Staying on the Clock

Another stress-inducer during a power outage is the internet. When the power goes out, the connection to the internet does too. This Makes working or taking classes from home hard or impossible to do, regardless of how well universities and organizations prepare.

How Solar Plus Battery Backup Combats the Un-Secure Grid

While solar panels turn sunlight into electricity and power a home, battery backup makes it usable during an emergency. Because of the way solar panels work, battery backup is integral.  

Solar panels absorb light wavelengths from the sun, which add motility to the electrons in the solar panels to generate an electrical current. However, during extreme weather or at night, the solar panels don’t have any light to absorb. 

Battery backup, however, stores excess solar-generated power during the day for use when it is needed most. This makes it quite different from the finite coal-based power sources upon which most homeowners rely. Because many utilities offer net metering programs, homeowners connected to the grid, may not see the need for battery backup. However, during an outage, battery backup is very much so a need. 

Homes connected to the grid don’t have to worry about power when the sun isn’t out. However, during a power outage, grid-tide systems are mandated to shut down, which means stored-power is the only option. 

Why Battery Backup is Popular

There are several backup options on the market. However, battery backup is the only residential storage option that can store the excess energy produced by solar panels, which makes this option a better fit for homeowners who already have solar. 

The Importance of Low-Maintainance Power 

While battery backup makes sense for solar homes because of how it charges, it is also one of the easiest to maintain. Which means that when it is needed, it is ready, because the sun is an infinite power source.

The Fuel Type

Another reason why this backup option is popular is that its power source is the sun. Generators are a go-to for emergency prep. The problem is that they need fuel to run.

In a dire situation, this is not a commodity that can be easily implemented. The sun, however, is consistently there every day and doesn’t cost more when the demand is high, unlike most utility companies.

Why Solar is an Essential Asset for Homeowners in the Future

At Go Solar Group, we believe that while the circumstances may seem bleak, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and the source of this light is the sun and the technologies we’ve developed to leverage it. COVID-19 will come to an end, and we will find a new normal – and with our understanding of solar power’s importance intact.

For businesses, the new normal may mean putting into place procedures that protect them, their customers, and employees during similar situations in the future. It may mean that measures are put in place, so more people have the option of working remotely. However, businesses can benefit from solar solutions just as much as, if not more, than homeowners.

The question for homeowners is whether that new normal for them includes the security and savings of solar. Like most desirable commodities, everybody wants solar, but not everybody qualifies for it.

Solar Savings

Solar has the potential of saving homeowners thousands on their electricity bills. These savings increase when customers pair their solar investment with energy-saving products such as LED lights, ENERGY STAR rated appliances, and smart thermostats. 

Security Regardless of What Happens Next

In the past, prepping has been seen as going overboard, but that doesn’t need to be the case. Prepping can also mean investing in security and hope both for the present and the future. Because a solar array can generate power with nothing more than the sun, it makes sense to add it to your emergency preparation toolkit.