Solar, batteries & backup power—explained for life in Vallarta.
Make sense of solar and backup power in Puerto Vallarta.
Plain-English guides for American, Canadian and European residents — from your recibo de luz to battery backup and installer quotes. Independent, sourced, and honest about what we don’t know.
Where do you want to start?
Lower my electricity costs
Read your CFE bill, understand DAC, and see when rooftop solar may make sense.
Prepare for outages
Work out what you need to power and what a battery or backup system can realistically do.
Understand my options
Grid-tied, hybrid, off-grid, condos and rentals — the choices explained.
Featured guides
Solar Guides
Solar Panels in Puerto Vallarta: A Homeowner’s Starting Guide
When rooftop solar may make sense in Puerto Vallarta, how to read your bill and roof, grid-tied vs hybrid vs off-grid, and what a quote should include.
Battery & Backup Guides
Will Solar Panels Work During a Power Outage?
Why most grid-tied solar systems shut off when CFE power fails, what a backup-capable design needs, and why panels or a battery alone don’t guarantee backup.
Solar Guides
Can You Install Solar on a Condo or Rental in Puerto Vallarta?
Roof rights, condominium administration approval, metering, structural checks and removable alternatives — with an English/Spanish question checklist.
Solar is not the same as backup
Solar panels generate energy when the sun shines. Backup means keeping power on when CFE fails. A standard grid-tied solar system shuts down during an outage — backup needs a battery, a capable inverter and safe isolation from the grid.
Why solar usually stops in an outageHow we research
We rely on official CFE and CNE information for rules, manufacturer documentation for equipment, and we omit figures we can’t verify. Every guide lists its sources and dates.
Read our editorial policyOur area
We focus on Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco) and nearby Bahía de Banderas communities in Nayarit — Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Punta de Mita. Where rules or services differ between the two states, we say so. Questions or corrections? Contact us.