Our hearts go out to the people near Perry, FL and Cedar Key where Hurricane Helene landed as a Category 4 storm. We’re no strangers to hurricanes here in Southwest Florida, of course, so we know what they are going through. Apparently, as many as 1 million people were without utility power after the storm.
We had impacts here in Southwest Florida, and all along the Gulf coast of Florida, albeit very minor in comparison to the area directly hit. I was actively tracking the performance of our systems, particularly those with battery backup. I am very pleased with the outcome. Many clients had repeated grid failures, and some had extended outages that were mitigated with battery backup power.
Example of Battery Backup During Hurricane Helene
Below is the monitoring data from a client on Sanibel, who incidentally never lost power after Hurricane Ian, either. This is what a typical customer would expect in a situation like we faced as Hurricane Helene passed by.
Here is what happened yesterday when we experienced the highest winds and greatest impacts:
As we passed through midnight and got into the morning hours today, the grid power remained off until 7:02 am, representing a power outage of over 12 hours. This would have been an uncomfortable time for the homeowners, as the home would not have had air conditioning, and household lighting would not be available. However, they were able to live their normal lifestyle due to the battery backup capability, which was designed to offer indefinite power for extended outages.
The battery capacity went as low as 55%, meaning that 45% of the battery capacity was used overnight. As the sun came up, grid power was restored, but had it not been restored, the solar panels would have charged the batteries back to 100% during the day while powering the house simultaneously. In this case, the grid will power the home while the solar panels charge the batteries as fast as possible in case there is another outage experienced.
Seamless Power
This all happened seamlessly, without intervention by the homeowner. The peace of mind gained from a system like this is invaluable. We got very lucky this time around, but had the outage been longer, this homeowner would have been in a great position to continue the cleanup effort while experiencing the luxury of full power. Moreover, there is no messy and dangerous fuel to deal with, and no maintenance before, during, or after the storm that would be needed for a traditional generator.
In most cases, power is transferred without delay, and everything is powered within milliseconds. Homeowners may not even be aware initially that they are “off-grid!” The monitoring app will trigger alerts for extended outages so people can manage their power usage if necessary, especially for smaller systems that are designed for partial home backup.
Success Stories
Stories of success are pouring in already. Since Hurricane Ian, we have installed more battery backup systems than in all years combined in our company history. We have many new battery backup owners, some with new solar energy systems and some with existing solar panels that we retrofitted for battery backup.
This was a test run for the next big storm that makes a more direct hit here. We already have some amazing success stories from Hurricane Ian, and even dating back to Hurricane Irma. Back then, we only had a handful of clients with battery backup. The battery frenzy technically started in 2018 after Hurricane Irma, but didn’t really take off until 2023. Part of that was undoubtedly Hurricane Ian, but there was also a revolution in battery technology and cost as Enphase released the IQ Battery 5P. How the Tesla Powerwall 3 is further upping the ante in the battery market.
The key to success with battery backup systems revolves around consumer education. What batteries can and can’t realistically do is important to understand. We design systems after close consultation with clients to ascertain their expectations. Our battery backup customers are among our best informed, which helps to align expectations with results. Knowing what to expect after a storm provides the best outcomes.
Near-Term Future of Battery Backup
Hurricane Helene will set off a new wave of battery backup inquiries, and for good reason. The frequency of storms is creating consternation for homeowners, and that needs to be mitigated. Installing a robust and resilient energy production, storage, and delivery system is one way to provide the peace of mind that Southwest Florida residents crave.
Since we have hundreds of existing solar panel installations, we expect a lot of battery add-ons to be done in 2025, just like 2024. And a higher percentage of new systems will incorporate battery backup. We will probably see existing battery owners increase their system size as well. Battery retrofits and capacity improvements are eligible for the 30% Federal Tax Credit, so the climate is good, no pun intended, for installing batteries now.
