When the grid goes down, solar panels on their own go down with it. A backup battery keeps your home running.

The Northern Rivers knows outages. In March 2025, ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred left tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the region without power, some for days, mostly from fallen trees and branches. The 2022 floods cut power to many homes too. A battery set up for backup means the fridge, lights, water pump and internet keep going.

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Why solar alone switches off in a blackout

A standard grid-connected solar system is designed to shut down when the grid fails. It’s a safety rule, so your panels don’t push power into lines that crews are working on. Without a battery set up for backup, a sunny blackout day still means no power.

What a backup battery does

When the grid drops out, a backup-capable battery system separates your home from the grid and runs it from the battery. During the day, your solar can keep recharging the battery, which matters in a long outage.

A typical install from us backs up the whole home, running all circuits, unless you ask us to leave some out. People often choose to leave out big loads like an EV charger or a pool pump, so the battery lasts longer. We agree exactly what stays on at the site visit.

Two numbers that matter

Battery size (kWh) decides how long you can run. Inverter output (kW) decides how much you can run at once. Running the oven, kettle, air-conditioner and dryer together can exceed what the system can supply, even with a full battery. We size both from your bills and how you want to live in an outage. See battery sizing from your power bills.

Planning for Northern Rivers conditions

• Flood-prone properties. We talk through where water has reached on your property and place the battery and inverter as high as is practical and compliant.
• Storms and long outages. We set the system up so the battery keeps a sensible reserve, and so your solar can recharge it during a multi-day outage.
• Hinterland homes on tank water. If your water pump is on a backed-up circuit, you keep water during an outage. We check that on the site visit.
• Medical equipment. If someone at home relies on it, tell us so we can plan around it, and keep your retailer’s life support registration in place.

Which batteries can do it?

We install Sigenergy (premium), the GoodWe ESA all-in-one (mid-tier), and Sungrow, Solax and Tesla batteries. Backup capability and how quickly each switches over depend on the model and the extra hardware fitted. We’ll tell you what to expect for yours. See how to choose a battery brand.

Already have solar? Backup can be part of adding a battery to existing solar. The battery rebate steps down on 1 January 2027: see battery rebate step-down. More: solar and battery installation across the Northern Rivers. Fully off the grid? See off-grid solar and batteries.

Why locals choose us for blackout backup

• Our own in-house team designs every system and does every install. 25 years in solar and large commercial electrical work.
• A face-to-face site visit before every install: compliant battery position, switchboard and RCBO check, no surprises on the day.
• We test the switch-over before we leave and show you how the backup works in the app.
• No subcontractors. We do the work ourselves, backed by a 25-year workmanship warranty on our installation work.

Blackout backup FAQs

Will my solar panels work in a blackout without a battery?

No. Standard grid-connected solar shuts down when the grid fails, for safety. You need a battery system set up for backup.

Does the whole house stay on?

With a typical install from us, yes: all circuits are backed up unless you ask us to leave some out, such as an EV charger. We confirm exactly what stays on at the site visit.

How long will my battery last in a blackout?

It depends on the battery size and what you run. In a long outage your solar can recharge it during the day. We size it from your bills and your backup needs.

Can I run the air-conditioner during a blackout?

Often, yes, but the inverter output limits how much can run at once. We plan for the appliances that matter to you.

Where will the battery go if my property floods?

We look at your property’s flood history on the site visit and place the battery and inverter as high as is practical, within the installation rules.

Can backup be added to a battery I already have?

Sometimes. Some batteries need extra backup hardware fitted. We check your model and tell you what’s possible.

Keep your power on next storm season

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