Late on June 29, 2012, a derecho swept across Maryland almost without warning, dropping trees onto BGE and Pepco lines from Baltimore through the Washington suburbs and cutting power to homes across the region: just as a punishing heat wave took hold. For days, families in Annapolis, Silver Spring, and Bethesda had no air conditioning while the thermometer sat in the upper 90s. Maryland runs on the PJM regional grid, but PJM only coordinates the high-voltage backbone; when straight-line winds snap the local pole feeding your street, the regional grid can’t cool a single room for you. Backup can. If you’re comparing Maryland solar quotes, it’s worth knowing a grid-tied rooftop array won’t help either: it shuts off with the grid.
Four months later, Sandy hit the same wires
The derecho wasn’t 2012’s only major outage. When Superstorm Sandy came ashore in late October that year, it knocked out power to about 300,000 BGE customers, with the heaviest damage in Anne Arundel County (52,000 customers), Baltimore County (49,000), and Harford County (42,000). Pepco, serving the D.C. suburbs, reported roughly 17,000 more customers dark. Between the two storms, BGE alone dealt with two major restoration efforts in a single year: the June event pairing wind damage with a heat wave, the October event pairing wind and flooding with falling temperatures. BGE brought in more than 4,100 employees, contractors, and out-of-state linemen, including crews from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas, to get Sandy’s damage cleared.
In a Maryland summer, the danger is the heat; in a nor’easter, it’s the cold and the flooding
The pattern repeats across seasons: fast summer storms and tropical remnants tracking up the Chesapeake knock out power across BGE territory around Baltimore, Pepco around the D.C. line, and Potomac Edison to the west, while autumn nor’easters and the occasional hurricane remnant like Sandy bring wind, rain, and coastal flooding on the Eastern Shore served by Delmarva Power. What makes a Maryland outage dangerous depends on when it hits: a July blackout without AC is a heat-safety problem for older residents and anyone with health conditions, while an October or winter outage brings cold and, near the water, flooding that can strand a home for days. Our Virginia and Delaware guides cover the same coastal storm pattern next door.
Why your panels can’t cool the house
It catches homeowners off guard: a rooftop system stops producing the moment the grid goes down. Anti-islanding protection forces it to, so line workers aren’t exposed to power your array is pushing back onto dead wires. So on the blazing afternoon after a derecho, or the cold night after a nor’easter, your panels sit idle while the house goes without power. Only a battery lets you run your own power through the outage.
HomePower 3000 (panels included): current price at Jackery
How long each Jackery runs a Maryland home’s essentials
Size against energy per day, not the wattage on the label.
| Load | Typical draw | Energy per day |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge/freezer | ~150W running (cycling) | ~1,200Wh |
| Wi-Fi router | ~10W | ~240Wh |
| LED lights (ten bulbs) | ~50W | ~300Wh (6 hrs) |
| Phone and laptop charging | ~20 to 60W | ~150 to 250Wh |
| Box fan (summer derecho aftermath) | ~60 to 100W | ~500 to 800Wh |
| Sump pump (Eastern Shore flooding) | ~800 to 1,300W while running | ~500 to 1,000Wh |
| Window AC (July heat wave outage) | ~900 to 1,200W running | ~4,000 to 6,000Wh |
| Space heater (fall nor’easter) | 1,500W | Not recommended |
Fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones come to roughly 1,900Wh a day. Add a window AC after a July derecho, or a sump pump during Sandy-style coastal flooding, and the day runs closer to 5,000 to 6,000Wh.
HomePower 3000. At 3,072Wh it covers fridge, Wi-Fi, lights, and phones for one to two days per charge, plus whatever a clear day puts back through the included panels. It is 120V only and not expandable.
HomePower 3600 Plus. 3,584Wh and 3,600W, expandable to 21kWh, which gives enough stored energy for a multi-day outage like Sandy’s, even with a sump pump or fans running.
Solar Generator 5000 Plus. 5,040Wh, 7,200W, 120V and 240V, expandable to 60kWh: the only one of the three that runs central AC through a July heat-wave outage.
| Unit | Capacity / output | Best for in Maryland | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomePower 3000 | 3,072Wh · 3,600W · panels included | Essentials for 1 to 2 days of a derecho or nor'easter | Check the price |
| HomePower 3600 Plus | 3,584Wh · 3,600W · to 21kWh | A multi-day outage like Superstorm Sandy, sump pump on a transfer switch | Check the price |
| Solar Generator 5000 Plus | 5,040Wh · 7,200W · 120V/240V · to 60kWh | Central AC through a July heat-wave outage like the 2012 derecho | Check the price |
Solar Generator 5000 Plus (7,200W, 120V/240V): specs and price at Jackery
What those storms showed about gas generators
After 2012’s back-to-back storms, plenty of households bought gas generators, then found them loud, thirsty for fuel that ran short during the post-storm rush on gas stations, and unsafe to run near a shut-up house in the heat or during flooding. A Jackery LiFePO4 station avoids those problems: it is sealed and zero-emission, can be used indoors, and runs quietly at around 30 decibels. A gas generator still costs less up front for whole-house power.
Solar generator vs gas generator for a Maryland outage
- Indoor safety and carbon monoxide. A battery station vents nothing and runs in a utility room with the house sealed. A gas generator sits outside, well clear of windows and any flooding.
- Noise. About 30 decibels versus 60 to 90: a real difference on a quiet, powerless block.
- Warning time. A nor’easter or tropical storm gives days of forecast notice: charge the battery then. A gas generator still needs fuel bought before the pre-storm rush empties the stations.
- Cold starting. Push a button, or fight a pull cord after a fall nor’easter.
- Maintenance. Oil, carburetor, and monthly test runs for gas. A monthly top-up for the battery.
- What gas still does better. A very long outage with no sun, and whole-house 240V at a lower upfront cost.
Set-up checklist before the next storm
- Charge to full when a tropical storm watch or derecho-producing squall line is forecast. Both of 2012’s storms were visible on radar or in forecasts hours to days ahead.
- Keep it indoors, away from flood-prone basements on the Eastern Shore. A closet or utility room on a higher floor.
- Map which outlets and which loads. Fridge, sump pump, AC, router, one lamp per room. Tape the list to the unit.
- Buy extension cords rated for the load. A short 12-gauge cord for the fridge and AC runs.
- Test the sump pump and AC on the battery once, before hurricane season or the first nor’easter.
- Keep the panels accessible. Store them where you can set them up quickly, clear of storm debris.
- Pair the HomePower 3600 Plus with a transfer switch for hardwired circuits like a sump pump. Licensed electrician only.
- Keep a battery-powered CO alarm regardless. A gas generator run too close to a window, even a neighbor’s, can still put CO in the house.
Prices change often, so compare current prices before deciding.
Current prices across the Jackery range
Keep reading: Maryland solar incentives & costs · How to keep the lights on in a Virginia outage · Do Delaware homes need solar battery backup? · Solar generator vs gas generator