Today in America, it seems like everyone has a story of how their lives have been upended by extreme weather.
It’s personal for all of us. Recently, shortly after my mom had gotten out of the hospital, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she lives, were hit by an ice storm.
The trees around their house snapped like toothpicks under the weight of the ice. The local fire chief told one news station “In all my years of doing this, it was more trees down than I’ve ever seen.” Sheared-off trees blocked roads, crashed into homes, and toppled power lines, leaving thousands without power for days as temperatures plummeted into the 20s.
My mom and stepdad had done the basic pre-storm prep, but a lot of things were beyond their control. They couldn’t get a propane delivery to top off the tank that feeds into their generator before the storm, due to high demand.
When the power went out, they ran their backup generator sparingly, just enough to keep the food in the freezer from going bad and their phones charged. Neighbors came over to fill water jugs while the power was up. My brother and some neighbors cleared the downed trees from the driveway, and everyone waited for the power to come back on.
Over the 4 ½ days they were without power, the fuel level in the propane tank fell from 35% to 15%. Finally, after days of increasingly frantic calls, a delivery truck got to them. So, while some of the stress associated with the risk of running out of fuel was alleviated, the generator was still noisy, stinky and expensive. At the end of the day, they paid $300-$400 for the fuel they sparingly used for those days while the power was out.
Stories of extreme weather impacting us are, unfortunately, becoming increasingly common. Extreme weather is on the rise all across the country, and one way it affects all of us is through more widespread and longer power outages.
It’s not surprising. Our nation’s electric system wasn’t built to withstand the kinds of weather we’re seeing today. Across America, and especially in rural areas, electricity is transmitted and distributed through above-ground transformers, transmission wires and utility poles. That leaves the system exposed to falling trees, high winds, heavy rain, ice, lightning and extreme heat. Even in areas where power lines are buried, flooding can lead to loss of power.
The U.S. experienced roughly twice as many weather-related power outages from 2014-2023 as it did from 2000-2009.
As extreme weather events become more common and lead to more power outages all across America, an increasing share of Americans are installing backup energy systems to protect themselves and their families.
Some are installing home generators powered by fossil fuels, such as gas or propane. But, gas and propane have their downsides. When the delivery truck couldn’t get to my parent’s house because of the downed trees, they had to ration fuel. Gasoline-powered generators have similar problems since accessing a gas station in times of crisis can be complicated by some of the same factors that caused the power outages in the first place. In addition to having to worry about fuel, there are safety risks associated with generators and concerns around noise and pollution.
So, an increasing number of Americans are turning to other options. In the first half of 2024, more than a third of homeowners who bought solar panels through the online marketplace Energy Sage, also purchased a battery back-up system.
Adding solar panels to your home reduces your environmental impact — and can lower or even eliminate your electric bill.
A home energy-storage system allows you to save the electricity from your solar panels for when you need it. Energy storage systems can provide backup power during outages. They can even allow people to live “off the grid,” relying entirely on clean energy they produce themselves.
Putting solar panels and energy storage systems on your home requires an investment, but often that investment is recouped over the life of the system. And adding an energy storage system can also give you the peace of mind knowing that you have energy independence in case of electric system outages.
Homeowners thinking about adding solar and storage to their home may be able to take advantage of the Residential Clean Energy Tax Credit, which can cover 30% off the cost of adding solar or battery storage technology to your home.
