Unlike solar-only systems, with your Sunnova SunSafe® solar + battery storage or Sunnova +SunSafe add-on battery storage you will continue producing and storing solar energy to power your most needed lights and appliances when you experience a power outage. Any excess solar energy produced goes to the battery and will be used when the system is not producing enough solar energy, such as at night.1
How Your Solar System + Battery Storage Work During A Power Outage
The amount of backup energy you’ll have is limited and varies depending on numerous factors:
- How much power your solar system is producing
- How much energy is stored in the battery
- What you are powering during the outage
The larger the power consumption, the less time your backup power supply will last so we recommend avoiding high consumption appliances for long periods of time. See the below chart for more information.
How Long Will Your Battery Last in An Outage?
We developed a smart tool for you to determine how long the battery will last during a power outage based on what you want to power in your home.1
Check Out The Tool
Additional Tips for Using Sunnova SunSafe During an Outage
Monitor your solar production and home energy use.
Similar to watching your car’s fuel gauge to see how many miles are left in the tank, you should be aware of how much solar energy you are producing and storing. It is important to monitor your production and consumption to understand your energy usage and how much excess energy is sent to the battery for later use.
Some battery technologies offered by Sunnova provide a mobile application for you to track key data, such as solar production and battery charge.
During the day, make sure you are producing more than what your home is consuming.
If you are consuming as much energy as your solar system is producing, the battery will not charge. We recommend reducing your energy consumption until the battery reaches a charge of at least 20%. In addition, if you try to consume more than your system is producing, your solar system and battery could shut down.
Be conscious of how much power you are consuming from the battery at once.
Do not try to pull more than the continuous power rating for your battery. Use the links below to view your battery’s specific continuous power rating.
- Generac PWRcell™ - https://www.generac.com/all-products/clean-energy/pwrcell
- Tesla Powerwall™ - https://www.tesla.com/powerwall
If your solar system and battery shut down, reduce your overall consumption.
If your solar system and battery abruptly shut off, reduce your energy consumption by turning off as many non-essential appliances as possible until your system turns back on (may take 5-10 minutes).
Your battery should always remain on.
Never turn off the battery. If you want to save the battery’s energy, turn off some of the appliances consuming energy within your home.
For more information on how your battery operates during an outage, download our informational brochure.
If you need assistance with your solar system or battery during a power outage, please contact Sunnova by calling 866.SUNNOVA or emailing customerservice@sunnova.com. Remember, only Sunnova or Sunnova-approved dealers can perform any maintenance or repairs on your system to ensure your warranty remains in effect.
1. The amount of power available from the battery during a power outage is limited, depending on the loads connected, customer usage and battery configuration (i.e. batteries in certain areas may be set up to provide you with the best economic benefit, which may affect the amount of back-up power available). Solar systems and/or batteries may require repairs after weather events and such repairs may be delayed due to forces outside of our control. No assurances can be given that the solar system or the battery will always work. You should never rely upon either of these to power life support or other medical devices.
