What Should You Do with Your Solar System During a Bushfire?

Bushfires tear through Victoria as we welcome in 2026.

Summer had a slow start but it is certainly hard to miss now. Authorities in Victoria have warned people that if they are going to evacuate, they should switch everything off in the main switchboard and shut down their solar, including any battery system.

When the distribution authorities shut down the power for the whole district, they’re trying to make everyone safe and prevent any possibility of a fire being started by power lines. So firefighters can address a building fire with confidence that there’s no power on.

However, some households rely on their battery system to run fire pumps, internet and security measures. It is important that you consider your particular situation. Nobody should need to put themselves in danger if they’re responding to an emergency, but that could mean turning the mains off and leaving outside lights on to guide those who are trying to put out a blaze or seek shelter.

What If You Aren’t Evacuating?

You may want to disconnect your battery system from a potentially unstable grid during an emergency. However, you’ll be denying the grid support it could well need from your solar. If you have standard grid-connected solar, then your system will shut itself down if the authorities turn off the power. 

In any event, keep your consumption under control and bear in mind the grid might become the backup generator you need on day two or three of an extended emergency.

Solar’s Impact During Extreme Weather

During the extreme weather across the state, there was an exceptionally high demand on the National Electricity Market. When you include the output from behind the meter solar, we have seen the 1st, 3rd and 4th highest demand days on record, during the January 7th to 10th heatwave.

Encouragingly, rooftop solar managed to carry a heavy share of the load through this period of intense demand, helping the grid sail through without the issued it used to suffer through hot summer days.

Most importantly, look after yourselves and your homes during this period of unpredictable weather.

If you would like to speak with our staff about how to best protect your system from extreme weather or other unpredictable circumstances, please feel free to give us a call.