In many cases, yes. What decides it is the hybrid inverter you choose, also called a multi-mode inverter.

Here’s how it works. When the grid drops, a multi-mode inverter switches to off-grid mode and grid-forms, meaning it generates its own clean AC signal for your home. Your existing solar inverter has no way of knowing this isn’t the real grid, so it typically keeps running, or restarts on its own. That’s why you can often keep the solar inverter you’ve already got and still get blackout power, without replacing it.

There’s a catch. With no grid to export excess power into, the battery eventually approaches full charge, and something needs to stop your solar inverter overproducing at that point. The hybrid inverter handles it through frequency shifting, sometimes called frequency curtailment, where it nudges the AC frequency slightly out of range to signal your solar inverter to throttle down. Not every hybrid and solar inverter combination supports this cleanly, so get compatibility confirmed before you commit.

If you’re starting fresh, or replacing your inverter anyway, an integrated hybrid inverter gives you everything in one unit and is the simpler path to full blackout protection.