Will my solar panels work during load-shedding?

Only if you have a hybrid or off-grid inverter with batteries. A grid-tied inverter shuts down within a second of losing the grid, regardless of how much sun is falling on the panels. This is a safety requirement, not a fault, and it is the single most misunderstood thing about solar.

Why does an on-grid inverter switch off when the power goes?

It has to synchronise to the grid's waveform to produce usable AC, and feeding a dead line would endanger anyone working on it. So it disconnects. Without a battery and a hybrid inverter there is nothing for it to synchronise against.

Can I add a battery to my existing solar system?

Only if the inverter is a hybrid. A plain on-grid inverter has no battery port and no changeover capability, so adding storage means replacing the inverter. That is why the decision is best made before purchase, not after the first summer.

19:00

The power just went off. What happens next?

It depends entirely on which of three systems you bought, and the difference is not subtle. One of them leaves you sitting in the dark with fifteen panels on your roof. If nobody explained that before selling you a system, this page is the conversation you should have had.

Same outage, three systems

On-grid only

Panels and a grid-tied inverter

19:00Grid fails. Sun is low but still producing.
19:00 +1sThe inverter detects grid loss and disconnects. Output drops to zero.
19:01House is dark. The panels are generating nothing usable.
22:00Still nothing. The system will restart when the grid returns.

You are in the dark, with panels on the roof.

Hybrid + battery

Hybrid inverter, modest battery bank

19:00Grid fails.
19:00 +20msInverter switches to battery. Lights flicker at most.
19:01Lights, fans, fridge, router and TV all running normally.
22:00Bank down to roughly half. Recharges from panels tomorrow.

Most households never notice the outage happened.

Off-grid

No grid connection at all

19:00Grid fails somewhere. Irrelevant here.
19:01Running from battery, as it has been since sunset.
22:00Bank depleting on schedule.
Next dayIf it is cloudy for a week, this is the system that runs out.

Nothing changes, because there was nothing to lose.

What a modest battery bank actually runs

This is where expectations and physics part company. A bank that runs lights and fans all evening will run an air conditioner for under an hour. Deciding what goes on backup is a real decision, and we make it with you rather than for you.

Typical household loads and how long a modest battery bank sustains them
Load	Draw	On a modest bank
8 LED lights	80 W	All evening, easily
4 ceiling fans	300 W	All evening
Refrigerator	150 W average	All evening and overnight
Router and TV	150 W	All evening
Water pump (1 hp)	750 W running, far more to start	Short bursts only
1 ton air conditioner	1,200 W	Under an hour on a modest bank

The water pump line is the one that catches people out: its starting surge is several times its running draw, and an inverter sized on running figures trips every time it kicks in.

What people ask us afterwards

Will my solar panels work during load-shedding?: Only if you have a hybrid or off-grid inverter with batteries. A grid-tied inverter shuts down within a second of losing the grid, regardless of how much sun is falling on the panels. This is a safety requirement, not a fault, and it is the single most misunderstood thing about solar.
Why does an on-grid inverter switch off when the power goes?: It has to synchronise to the grid's waveform to produce usable AC, and feeding a dead line would endanger anyone working on it. So it disconnects. Without a battery and a hybrid inverter there is nothing for it to synchronise against.
Can I add a battery to my existing solar system?: Only if the inverter is a hybrid. A plain on-grid inverter has no battery port and no changeover capability, so adding storage means replacing the inverter. That is why the decision is best made before purchase, not after the first summer.