My home office is 100 percent solar-powered right now

So … I lost power in my home office a few hours ago, and apparently will not be connected to the grid for several more. My local power supplier had a power interruption this morning.

No problem. We flipped a switch at our breaker box and voila!!! I am now connected directly to my rooftop solar array and my computer, modem, printer,and desk lamp are completely powered by my solar array right now. We are currently generating enough to also power our refrigerator and a few other items.

Solar Saves the Day

Since having a rooftop solar energy array installed a few years ago, this is the first time we accessed the option to directly power our home via solar. Up until this point, the energy our solar array generated supplied the electric grid, and we pulled juice from the grid at night when our array doesn't generate any electricity. People have asked if we had the option to do this, and I didn't know the answer.

True, an single office operation's electricity draw pales in comparison to a metal fab shop's, with lasers ablaze, presses pounding, and welding guns sparking. Plus, you would be right to point out, my work writing and editing articles isnt' exactly as critical as manufacturing metal components and assemblies for customers expecting immediate delivery. Still ...

I recall visiting the Newark, N.J. In-Bev Anheuser-Busch beer-brewing plant in 2012 right after the company had installed a solar array that provided 10 percent of its electricity. The plant was in the process of installing a second array to supply another 10 percent.

The plant was within sight of the World Trade Center and had witnessed its tragic fall--and also had experienced a complete power shortage for awhile. When asked the question, "Could you power some of your lines with solar power directly if you lost power again?" the answer was, "Yes. We could power two lines and keep them operational."

Could metal fabricators power mission-critical operations in a power interruption via solar energy?