Residential Solar Panels in Hungary and Czech Republic Fail During Power Outages

Around 350,000 residential photovoltaic systems are installed on family homes in Hungary, with a similar number in the Czech Republic. These systems rely on an inverter that converts the DC output of the panels to usable AC and synchronises with the utility grid. When a grid outage occurs, the inverter loses the voltage and frequency signal it needs to operate and automatically disconnects, preventing the panels from supplying electricity to the household. Only a small minority of installations equipped with hybrid inverters, batteries and a physical isolation device can continue to feed power during an outage. Consequently, the majority of homes cannot use the solar electricity they generate while the grid is down, even though the panels may still be producing energy.