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PowerPair: Solar + Battery Explained

David EdwardsJanuary 15, 2025 3 min read

PowerPair: Solar + Battery Explained

You've seen the solar panels on rooftops around NC. Maybe you've considered them yourself. But here's the part most solar companies gloss over: standard grid-tied solar shuts off during an outage.

Yes, really. By law (IEEE 1547), grid-tied inverters must disconnect when they detect an outage. It's a safety measure to protect utility workers. But it means the $30,000 system on your roof is useless exactly when you need it most.

The Missing Piece: Battery Storage

Battery backup changes the equation entirely:

  • During normal operation: Solar charges the battery, and excess goes to the grid (you get credits).
  • During an outage: The system islands — disconnects from the grid and runs your home from stored solar energy.
  • At night: The battery provides power until the sun comes back and recharges it.

This is what we call PowerPair — solar production paired with battery autonomy.

What Can a Battery Actually Run?

A typical home battery (10-15 kWh) can run:

| Appliance | Wattage | Hours on 10kWh | |-----------|---------|-----------------| | Refrigerator | 150W | 60+ hours | | Wi-Fi Router | 15W | 600+ hours | | LED Lights (10) | 100W | 100 hours | | Phone Charging | 20W | 500 charges | | CPAP Machine | 50W | 200 hours |

The key is load management — you don't run everything at once. Prioritize essentials, and a single battery can keep your home functional for days.

Do You Need Rooftop Solar?

Not necessarily. Portable solar panels (100W-400W) paired with a portable power station (500Wh-2kWh) give you a smaller-scale version of the same concept — with zero installation.

For NC homeowners who:

  • Rent their home
  • Have tree-shaded roofs
  • Want storm backup without a $30K commitment

...portable solar + battery is the practical answer.

The Honest Take

We sell both: portable power products and full residential solar consultations. Here's when we recommend each:

Portable power is right if you want emergency backup, spend time outdoors, or just want to reduce dependence for under $500.

Full solar + battery is right if you own your home, have good roof exposure, and want to offset 80-100% of your electric bill while having whole-home outage protection.

We'll never push one over the other. That's the adviser approach — not the sales approach.

Have questions? Talk to an adviser — it's free, no commitment, and we'll give you a straight answer.