Grid Resilience

Grid resilience refers to the ability of the electric power grid to withstand, adapt to, and quickly recover from disruptions — including severe weather events, equipment failures, cyberattacks, and demand spikes. Distributed solar energy and battery storage are increasingly recognized as tools for improving grid resilience at both the local and system-wide level.

When thousands of homes have their own solar panels and batteries, the overall grid becomes more resilient because it is less dependent on a small number of large, centralized power plants and long-distance transmission lines. During a grid outage, homes with solar-plus-storage can operate independently (in island mode), reducing strain on utility emergency resources. At the grid level, distributed solar reduces peak demand on transmission infrastructure and provides locally generated power close to where it is consumed. Utilities and regulators are increasingly designing programs that leverage residential batteries for grid support — such as virtual power plant (VPP) programs where homeowners allow their batteries to be discharged during grid emergencies in exchange for compensation. For homeowners, the personal resilience benefit is straightforward: solar-plus-storage keeps your lights on when the grid goes down.