As energy bills across the country rise and utility companies warn of shortages during peak demand times this summer,
High summer temperatures and drought could cause electricity shortages and blackouts across an increasing number of states this summer, according to NERC’s Summer Reliability Assessment.
NERC expects much of the United States will have adequate resources and electricity on hand this summer, but several markets are at risk of energy emergencies, with the Upper Midwest and mid-South along the Mississippi River at the highest risk.
To avoid overwhelming the electricity grid during times of peak demand for power, utilities may induce rolling outages. Concerns about rolling blackouts and rising prices have many homeowners and businesses looking to produce their own power with solar-plus-battery-storage systems.
Technological and manufacturing advances have reduced costs for solar panels and batteries in the last decade, making solar-plus-battery-storage systems more popular. A solar-plus-battery-storage system can allow a homeowner to produce their own energy independent of the larger grid and provide peace of mind considering the growing frequency of electricity outages.
A 2019 Pew Charitable Trust survey found that 6 percent of Americans had already installed solar panels and that another 46 percent were considering it. The share of homeowners considering getting solar panels is up from 40 percent in 2016 and has especially increased among those living in the South Atlantic states ranging from Delaware to Florida.
According to the Pew survey, homeowners point to a variety of reasons for considering solar panels. A large majority of homeowners who have already installed or have given serious thought to installing solar panels say they want to help the environment (87 percent). And almost all (96 percent) say they want to save money on utility bills.