For PG&E Corp. customers, the prospect of the California utility shutting off power to prevent wildfires is an irritating inconvenience. For solar companies, it’s free advertising.
Companies that sell home solar arrays paired with batteries are using PG&E’s preemptive blackouts as part of their sales pitch. California’s largest utility cut power last month to about 60,000 customers during a windstorm and warned Nov. 6 that it might need to do so again. Homes and businesses across nine counties may lose electricity Nov. 8.
“We have been promoting that benefit,” said Barry Cinnamon, chief executive officer of Cinnamon Energy Systems, a ...