How your solar energy system responds when it gets dark, storms, or when a grid outage occurs depends on whether you have Tesla Powerwall or similar backup battery installed alongside your system or if your home is still connected to the grid.
If you have Tesla Powerwall backup, your Tesla Powerwall will charge during the day, when the solar panels generate a surplus of energy that is then stored in the backup battery. When it storms or gets dark, Tesla Powerwall discharges this surplus energy, and your home continues to run like clockwork. If you have Tesla Powerwall, you have no need to be connected to the grid, so you’ll still have power for as long as your backup battery has charge in the event of severe storms or grid outages.
If you don’t have Tesla Powerwall backup with your solar energy system, your home will revert to energy from the grid when it gets dark, or during severe weather that prevents solar panels from experiencing direct sunlight. Because you will not have a backup, your home will still be connected to the grid and thus will be vulnerable to grid outages.
If your home has Tesla Powerwall without solar panels, the backup battery will store energy during times of the day when energy rates are at their lowest, giving you a surplus. During grid outages, Tesla Powerwall will discharge seamlessly — in a fraction of a second — without disturbing any of your appliances or other items in your home that need electricity. You’ll have backup power for as long as Tesla Powerwall remains charged.