For decades, Arizona homeowners have largely enjoyed something many parts of the country take for granted: a stable electrical grid with relatively few widespread outages. But as prolonged drought conditions, rising temperatures, and wildfire risks continue reshaping the Southwest, utilities across the western United States are being forced to adapt to ensure safety.
That includes Arizona Public Service (APS).
Recently, APS began implementing what are known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) during periods of elevated wildfire risk in certain parts of Arizona. These planned outages are intended to reduce the chance of utility infrastructure contributing to catastrophic wildfires during dangerous weather conditions.
While these temporary shutoffs can be inconvenient, they are ultimately part of a broader wildfire mitigation strategy designed to protect Arizona communities, preserve our forests, and reduce the risk of devastating fire events.
Important Links:
Arizona PSPS Information & Impacted Communities
APS PSP Map & Program Information
The shutoffs have already started. In April 2026, APS temporarily shut off power to thousands of customers in northern Arizona, marking one of the state’s first strategic PSPS outage events. There will likely be more, with communities in parts of Yavapai County, Gila County, Coconino County, and surrounding areas facing elevated PSPS risk as wildfire conditions worsen.
At the same time, as Arizona faces longer, hotter summers, increasing strain on the electrical grid, and growing wildfire mitigation efforts in forested communities, homeowners across the state should be asking one very important question:
“What happens if the power goes out at my home?”
For homeowners throughout The Valley and Arizona’s higher-risk forested communities alike — including Sedona, Prescott, Payson, Camp Verde, Globe, and surrounding areas where utilities may increasingly rely on preventative outages or emergency shutoffs during dangerous fire conditions — solar panels paired with battery storage are becoming one of the smartest ways to maintain comfort, reduce reliance on the grid, and keep critical systems powered during outages and peak demand events.
A Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, is a planned temporary outage initiated by a utility company during periods of extreme wildfire danger.
According to APS, these shutoffs may occur when conditions create an increased risk that electrical infrastructure could spark or contribute to a wildfire. These conditions include:
The PSPS approach is not unique to Arizona. Utilities across California and other western states have implemented similar wildfire prevention strategies in recent years as climate conditions continue changing across the region.
APS has publicly stated that these shutoffs are intended to help reduce wildfire risks and protect communities, infrastructure, and natural resources during dangerous weather events.
For homeowners in northern and central Arizona, this new strategy represents a meaningful shift in how grid reliability may look moving forward.
Arizona’s climate has always been dry, but years of prolonged drought, hotter summers, and changing weather patterns have increased wildfire concerns across many parts of the state. At the same time, the population has grown throughout the state, placing more people in harm's way.
Areas near forests, open desert vegetation, and rural terrain can become particularly vulnerable during periods of:
Northern Arizona communities like Sedona, Prescott, Payson, and Camp Verde sit near some of Arizona’s most beautiful forested and high-risk wildfire regions.
Utilities like APS now face a difficult balancing act:
Public Safety Power Shutoffs are one of the tools utilities may use to reduce those risks during extreme conditions.
Rather than viewing these outages as a failure of the grid, many experts view them as part of a proactive safety strategy intended to avoid much larger disasters.
APS has identified certain areas of Arizona as having elevated wildfire exposure or Public Safety Power Shutoff risk potential.
Many of these areas are located in:
Communities that may experience increased outage vulnerability during wildfire conditions or grid protection events can include:
While it is not guaranteed that these communities will experience a planned outage, they are generally located near forested or wildfire-prone areas where utilities may implement emergency operations, public safety power shutoffs, or other grid protection measures when risk is higher.
As a result, for homeowners in these communities, backup power is becoming less about convenience and more about resilience and preparedness.
When most people think about solar energy and battery systems, they think about reducing utility bills. But increasingly, Arizona homeowners are exploring batteries and solar panels for a different reason entirely: backup power.
Modern battery systems can certainly help to reduce your bill, but they also help homeowners maintain electricity to the home during an outage. Depending on system size and backup configuration, batteries may power the entire house, or only a select list of essential circuits, including:
For homeowners in wildfire-prone areas, batteries offer peace of mind as planned outages or other grid interruptions become a more regular part of Arizona living.
Read: Generators, Portable Batteries, and Home Batteries: Backup Power Compared
This is one of the biggest misconceptions in solar. A traditional grid-tied solar-only system does not continue operating during a utility outage.
Because solar panels are typically designed to send excess electricity back into the grid — often in exchange for utility bill credits where available — most systems are required to automatically shut down when the grid goes offline. This important safety feature helps protect utility workers who may be repairing nearby electrical infrastructure by preventing solar systems from backfeeding electricity onto power lines that crews expect to be de-energized.
To maintain power during an outage, solar panels must be paired with a battery storage system. Unlike solar panels, batteries are specifically designed to store energy at your home rather than send it back onto the electrical grid. Because there is no backfeeding risk, a properly configured battery system can continue operating even when the grid is offline.
For many homeowners, batteries are increasingly compelling as the missing piece that transforms solar from simply an energy-saving tool into a true resiliency and backup power system.
Backup power is only part of the battery story. Whether operating as a stand-alone system (without solar panels) or as part of a complete solar-and-battery ecosystem, batteries are also a powerful tool for managing modern Time-of-Use and demand-based utility rate plans.
In simple terms, a battery can:
This process — often called load shifting or energy arbitrage — allows homeowners to use lower-cost energy during the most expensive times of day. The result is reduced reliance on grid electricity, lower monthly utility bills, and added energy resilience during outages.
Read: How Stand Alone Batteries Help Arizona Homeowners Beat Peak Electricity Rates
However, there is an important distinction between battery-only systems and batteries paired with solar panels.
If a stand-alone battery system is depleted during an extended outage, recharging can become difficult because there is no solar production available to replenish the battery while the grid remains offline.
For this reason, we typically recommend pairing battery storage with solar panels whenever possible. Together, solar and batteries create a more complete energy ecosystem — allowing your home to continuously recharge the battery during daylight hours while also powering essential household loads. This creates a far more sustainable and resilient backup solution during prolonged outages while also maximizing long-term utility savings.
One of the biggest challenges with backup systems is timing.
Battery demand often increases during hotter summer months, after major outages, wildfire events, or utility announcements. In short, peak battery buying season is right around the corner.
Homeowners who plan ahead typically have more time to:
Waiting until after widespread outages occur can sometimes lead to:
For homeowners already considering solar or battery storage, now is an ideal time to begin evaluating what energy preparedness could look. Planning ahead gives homeowners the time to make informed, thoughtful decisions — rather than reacting during an emergency or after an outage has already happened.
As Arizona continues facing prolonged drought conditions, elevated wildfire risk, and evolving utility strategies, many homeowners are taking proactive steps to better prepare for whatever Mother Nature — or the grid — may bring.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs are likely part of a larger evolution happening across the western United States as warmer climate and droughts continue to persist.
As utilities work to reduce wildfire risks and modernize infrastructure, homeowners are increasingly exploring ways to improve energy independence and resiliency.
Solar and battery systems are no longer just about reducing utility bills. In Arizona, generating your own electricity from the state’s most abundant natural resource — sunshine — is an essential part of a broader strategy for comfort, safety, and preparedness.
For many homeowners, battery-backed solar systems can help:
As Arizona continues facing prolonged drought conditions and elevated wildfire risk, preparedness is increasingly important. Battery storage is quickly becoming one of the most important pieces of that equation.