Islanding

The act of a power system continuing to operate and supply power to a local area after the surrounding utility grid has disconnected. In residential microgrids, intentional islanding is the core resilience feature — when the utility grid fails, the system islands automatically and continues powering the property. Anti-islanding is a safety requirement in grid-tied systems: inverters must detect grid failure and disconnect from the utility to prevent backfeeding live power onto de-energized utility lines, protecting utility workers. Microgrid-grade systems handle both: safe disconnection from the grid and immediate transition to island operation.