Standard solar shuts off in an outage
Most grid-tied solar systems, without battery storage or a generator, shut off during an outage to protect utility workers. Your panels keep generating power — you just can't use it.
Section 1.0 — Overview · Solar System Installation
Solar designed for the whole home — including when the grid goes down.
Panel sizing, utility interconnection, and optional battery or generator integration — installed by C-10 licensed electricians who plan for grid-up, grid-down, and cloudy weeks alike.
Section 2.0 — The problem · 3 symptoms
Why this work matters.
Your panel may not have capacity
The NEC's 120% rule governs how much solar a panel can accept based on its main breaker and busbar ratings. Many older 100A and 150A panels can't take a solar backfeed without a panel upgrade — something we assess during planning, not after the inverter is mounted.
NEM 3.0 changed the math
California's net metering program substantially reduced the export rate for solar sold back to the grid in April 2023. Systems designed purely to maximize export may not pencil the same way under the new rules.
Section 3.0 — The solution
Our approach, in one paragraph.
We install solar with a whole-home perspective: how the array connects to your panel, whether it integrates with battery storage or a backup generator, and what happens to your power reliability in every scenario. We handle the full scope — site assessment, panel capacity evaluation, system design, permit filing, utility interconnection coordination with SCE or LADWP, installation, inspection, and utility program enrollment. We size systems to your actual consumption profile rather than to a production target, and we explain NEM 3.0 honestly even when it complicates the conversation. Battery storage changes the calculation by letting you use your own production rather than exporting it at reduced rates — and because we're authorized Generac, Kohler, and Briggs & Stratton dealers who have integrated solar with backup power since 2007, we can design solar, battery, and generator as one layered system rather than handing off to a separate contractor.
Section 5.0 — Peace of mind protocol · 5 steps
From first call to lifelong protection.
- 1
Free site assessment
A licensed electrician evaluates your roof and electrical setup, pulls 12 months of utility data, and reviews your goals — backup power, battery storage, a planned EV charger. We measure real consumption rather than estimate from panel count.
- 2
System design & panel capacity check
We design the array, inverter approach, and connection, and evaluate your panel's capacity under the NEC 120% rule. If a panel upgrade is required to accept the solar backfeed, we include it in the overall scope up front.
- 3
Permits & utility coordination
We file the city permit and coordinate the utility interconnection application with SCE or LADWP, including the enrollment paperwork for the applicable net metering program.
- 4
Install, inspect & interconnect
We install the array, inverter, and any battery or generator integration; ground and bond to current code; host the city inspection; and see the system through utility interconnection and program enrollment.
- 5
Ongoing protection
We stay your electricians for the life of the system. Because we also install backup generators and battery storage, we can layer in added resilience later without bringing in a separate contractor.
Section 6.0 — Questions · 5 entries
Questions worth answering.
Not without battery storage or a generator. Standard grid-tied solar systems shut off during outages to protect utility workers. If backup power during outages is a priority — and in California's PSPS territory it often is — we design the system with battery storage, a generator integration, or both.
NEM 3.0 significantly reduced the export rate for solar power sold back to the grid. Systems sized for maximum export under the old rate structure produce less financial return under the new one. We explain this honestly and recommend designs that emphasize self-consumption over export — which often means pairing solar with battery storage.
It depends on your panel's current capacity under the NEC 120% rule. Many older 100A and 150A panels can't accept a solar backfeed connection without a panel upgrade. We assess this during the site evaluation and include any required panel work in the overall system scope.
Yes. Battery storage significantly changes the financial and reliability profile of a solar system under NEM 3.0. We work with various battery storage products and integrate them with solar inverter systems and, where applicable, with backup generators for layered resilience.
We size based on your actual consumption profile — pulling 12 months of utility data and accounting for your HVAC load, any planned EV charger, and whether battery storage is part of the design. We don't use a panel-count estimate or a production-target formula. The goal is a system that performs for your household, not one that looks impressive on a proposal.
Section 7.0 — Related services 3 entries
What we typically pair with this.
01
Main Panel Upgrade
Main electrical panel upgrades to 200A and beyond — licensed, permitted, and utility-coordinated for homes in Santa Clarita and the San Fernando Valley.
View service
02
Backup Generator Installation
Whole-home standby generator installation by Generac, Kohler, and Briggs & Stratton authorized technicians — licensed, permitted, and code-compliant in Santa Clarita and Valley Glen, CA.
View service
03
EV Charger Installation
Level 2 EV charger installation sized for your vehicle and panel — dedicated circuit, permitting, and utility rebate coordination in Santa Clarita and Valley Glen, CA.
View service
Where we work
Where we provide solar system installation.
Santa Clarita & the SCV
Serving Santa Clarita, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Newhall, and surrounding communities.
View Santa Clarita →Valley Glen & the SFV
Serving Valley Glen, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Burbank, and Northridge.
View Valley Glen → Ready when the next outage isn't
Your "Peace of Mind" Assessment, on us.
We'll walk your property, evaluate your system, and give you a clear, plain-English plan — with a fixed quote you can take to the bank.
- Licensed C-10 contractor (#938027) — fully insured
- Permit handling, install, and inspection — done for you
- Clear, itemized quotes after a free on-site assessment
- Serving Santa Clarita & the San Fernando Valley
- A real human answers — not a queue