Author: Lacy Cook — Installing solar panels on your home or business plays an essential role in improving the environment, benefitting your neighborhood, and freeing you from energy dependence. However, in Washington DC, solar installations do even more than provide green energy; they can also boost your home security and help you prepare in case of an emergency.
What Security Issues Do Homeowners Face?
Many people take energy for granted. They turn on their lights and expect them to work. If the power flickers, they usually expect to go no more than a couple of hours without electricity. However, the energy grid is vulnerable. In emergency situations or other unexpected events, a home or building could be without power for multiple days.
At that point, food spoilage and other financial losses become more prevalent. And for those who rely on electricity for important elements such as medical devices, or heating and cooling during extreme weather, a lengthy outage can quickly become problematic. In the DC area, the most common threats to the grid include:
Weather Events
DC is prone to severe thunderstorms and nor’easters, and now more than ever, hurricanes and other extreme weather events are becoming more common. Not all of the local infrastructure has been updated to manage these intense events, potentially leading to lengthy outages.
Aging Infrastructure
Many regions wait until a problem occurs to address aging infrastructure. As a result, infrastructure failure is a growing problem across the United States. While DC has begun initiatives to modernize its grid, this effort is not yet complete.
Cyber Threats
Now more than ever, a new risk endangers the grid: cyberattacks. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, an international regulatory authority, recently said that power grids in America are increasingly vulnerable to these types of threats.
How Solar Power Helps With Home Security
The above challenges are just a few of the potential risks that DC residents should keep in mind. Uprise takes these possibilities seriously, and we can help you safeguard your home or operations with solar power. Clean energy can address these threats while benefiting the environment and your community! Our solar installations are tough thanks to durable racking systems and Tier 1 solar panels, built to withstand weather such as hurricane-strength winds or snow. Take another look at those challenges when your home or business is powered with solar:
Weather
If your home is equipped with solar panels plus a battery, the state of the electrical grid won’t impact your electricity access as much. You may not even notice that the grid is experiencing problems due to weather. (And remember, even if it’s cloudy, solar radiation can still reach your solar panels to provide electricity.)
Infrastructure
Solar panels plus batteries provide buildings with their own infrastructure separate from the grid. If there’s ever an issue with your panels, we can help get them back in working order quickly. You won’t have to wait for whenever utility company repair crews get around to the task.
Cyberattacks
Similar to the threats above, solar plus a battery provides you with your own power system in the event of a cyberattack. This way, your home can remain self-sufficient.
It’s important to note that by law, solar arrays must be wired to turn off in case of a power outage. This is called rapid shutdown. All of the equipment Uprise installs includes this feature, so your solar panels won’t put electric workers in danger. However, when a solar system includes a battery, the home can continue to run off stored clean power during an emergency. Your home will disconnect from the grid. But you can use the renewable energy stored in the battery, essentially becoming your own microgrid.
Be Prepared for Emergencies with Solar
By leveraging the power of solar energy, you can achieve self-sufficiency, keeping your lights on even when the grid goes down.
The Uprise team is always ready to help our customers get the most from their panels. Our experts can help you explore your options, and help you to see the best results over the lifetime of your panels by keeping your system in good repair for you. Contact Uprise to improve your home security and boost your resilience to unexpected challenges.