EMP Protection
- Thread starter Jeff Soik
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schmism
Solar Addict
As I understand, no. The panels will get fried. Any connected electronic devices will get fried. so if your Inverter/SCC etc are plugged in and operating at the time, they are toast.
svetz
Works in theory! Practice? That's something else
I keep my solar panels in a lead lined vault to protect against EMP. Still not sure why my batteries aren't getting charged.
I keep my solar panels in a lead lined vault to protect against EMP. Still not sure why my batteries aren't getting charged.
Not enough acid?
I didn't see a fill hole in the solar panel for acid. That must be on the Performance model.
ArthurEld
Solar Wizard
I am planning to buy a Sol-Ark 12K but I don't plan to buy the EMP option.
I've got enough to think about without throwing that in the mix.
I've got enough to think about without throwing that in the mix.
You can purchase a EMP Shield device and install it on your main breaker box. It will protect up to 200 ft of wire in any direction from your panel box. Will protect your Inverter from conductive emp surges including all levels of EMP. Will not protect against inductive on the box itself, however that exposure (just thru the air to the housing of your unit) normally just makes you have to reset it if anything. You can purchase on for the lines from the battery bank if your wires are long enough to be that conductive, and definating get one for your solar panels to be installed at a point before they get indoors with the inverter/charge controller. Check out EMPshield.com . Call and talk to Ben and tell him Robert in Houston sent you. He will cut deals when he sells more than one unit. I bought a dc model for my work van, and one for my panel box.
The only way to do any better, if you're made of money and a prepper, is to have a backup inverter, charge controller, panels, wiring, everything, in a Faraday cage. I think my wife would call the guys in the little white van with the funny white suits for me if I did that.
Maast
Compulsive Tinkerer
Well.... I don't have panels in a faraday cage per se.... But on the roof I do have them wrapped in aluminum window screeningYou can purchase a EMP Shield device and install it on your main breaker box. It will protect up to 200 ft of wire in any direction from your panel box. Will protect your Inverter from conductive emp surges including all levels of EMP. Will not protect against inductive on the box itself, however that exposure (just thru the air to the housing of your unit) normally just makes you have to reset it if anything. You can purchase on for the lines from the battery bank if your wires are long enough to be that conductive, and definating get one for your solar panels to be installed at a point before they get indoors with the inverter/charge controller. Check out EMPshield.com . Call and talk to Ben and tell him Robert in Houston sent you. He will cut deals when he sells more than one unit. I bought a dc model for my work van, and one for my panel box.
The only way to do any better, if you're made of money and a prepper, is to have a backup inverter, charge controller, panels, wiring, everything, in a Faraday cage. I think my wife would call the guys in the little white van with the funny white suits for me if I did that.
just kidding - but not by much.If you're talking a true EMP: 50kv/meter field strength radio pulse caused by a nearby high altitude nuke then your panel traces will probably fry. If you really want to know about EMP start reading the documents on the http://www.empcommission.org/ web stite. It'll take you about a week to find answers to EVERYTHING EMP related and over a month to digest it all. A EMP has a field strength about the same as what you get in a microwave oven.
If you're talking about a solar flare and the accompanying CME (coronal mass ejection, aka Carrington event) that'll arrive about a day or so later then your panels and everything else will be fine - as long as you're disconnected from the grid. CMEs only induce extremely high voltages in very long (miles) wires and will cook the really big mainline power company transformers. If you're paying attention to the solar weather alerts you'll get plenty of notification before it hits so you can disconnect from the grid.
In 2012 the Earth missed another Carrington event by a whisker, if the Earth had been just one day farther along in its orbit we'd have gotten hit square on.
BTW, aluminum window screening probably would attenuate the signal enough to keep the panels from frying, but unless you have everything else similarly radio shielded your electronics will fry.
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Will Solar Panels Survive A Nuclear Emp (And Dear God, Why Do We Have To Think About This?)
A nuclear weapon can cause an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), which can disrupt everything that uses electronic circuitry. Will solar panels survive, and what can you do to provide EMP protection?
www.solarreviews.com
In the comments linked above, the expert states that solar panels not connected to anything will likely not be damaged. Another poster suggested having some spare diodes on hand - cheap enough and a good idea to replace the ones on the panels. If you have an integrated battery/charge controller/inverter system like the Ecoflow Delta, and you want to protect it against a potential EMP, if its not plugged into anything, it will likely survive. But, just to be sure, it is small enough to place in a small galvanized trash can with lid for around $20, and sealed up with metal tape (with conductive adhesive) while in storage - an effective Faraday cage. Remember to take it out and discharge and re-charge every six months.
newbostonconst
Solar Enthusiast
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Put the whole house in a faraday cage.....Well.... I don't have panels in a faraday cage per se.... But on the roof I do have them wrapped in aluminum window screening
HOU_Castle
Learning Everyday....
All,
With the current stand of around Ukraine potential conflict with Russia. I would like to ask basic question around nuclear HEMP (High-altitude ElectroMagnetic Pulse) and its impact to our solar panels and its peripheral devices (inverter, solar charger, LiFePO4 batteries, etc.). I read an article to wrap the electronic device with an aluminum foil min 3 layers and place it inside galvanized steel trash can. LiFe PO4 battery is considered to be an electronic device due to its BMS? any idea of how to handle battery? or suggestion? I'm new around HEMP stuff/
With the current stand of around Ukraine potential conflict with Russia. I would like to ask basic question around nuclear HEMP (High-altitude ElectroMagnetic Pulse) and its impact to our solar panels and its peripheral devices (inverter, solar charger, LiFePO4 batteries, etc.). I read an article to wrap the electronic device with an aluminum foil min 3 layers and place it inside galvanized steel trash can. LiFe PO4 battery is considered to be an electronic device due to its BMS? any idea of how to handle battery? or suggestion? I'm new around HEMP stuff/
Bluedog225
Texas
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I think you are supposed to take the acid.
Samsonite801
Solar Wizard
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They always used to say that hemp was good for everything hehe...
On solar panels, I've heard that the actual solar cells in the panels don't get damaged with EMP, just the blocking diodes in them can or will get toasted, so keep spares of those. I've also heard of lightning suppressors you can get for the solar panel runs too (Midnite Solar?). SolArk has some kind of suppressor deal their EMP hardening kit comes with that goes on the solar wires.
On inverter, unless you can afford to keep a spare around in a faraday container, then if it is not an EMP hardened inverter, it could be vulnerable I suppose. You could buy a cheaper spare inverter to keep around in the faraday container as a backup for emergency. In my case too, I am trying to make some circuits that will run on DC battery power directly, like light bulbs that run on 12v or 48v.
So I found a bunch of LED light fixtures (light bars designed for 12v-24v vehicle use) that support 9-36v input), I can wire them in series-pairs on a 48v circuit to get emergency lighting going if needed.
There are also a bunch of websites that sell appliances to run on DC power input. And some people here have mentioned that you can put on a whole-house surge protector in the breaker box or something that can help protect normal AC appliances from line surge as well.
Grunfos and other companies make well-pumps like the SQFlex series that can run on AC or DC power (30-300v DC), and can run directly on solar panels. Theoretically, if the well-pump has electronics inside it, it would be submersed well below ground level and should likely be safer from EMP.
Also not a bad idea to have a shallow or surface-level water storage tank as a buffer for easy water access in case your well water table is very deep down or using city water supply in case it stops, you can hand pump or gravity-feed water from your water tank easily if needed.
On my system, I bought spares of each of my 2 types of BMSs, to put in the faraday container (doesn't hurt to carry spares anyways, even if apocalyptic times never happen), I just like to keep spare parts around anyways for fast repairing, and due to supply chain delays... The lithium cells themselves shouldn't get damaged.
On your faraday container, I guess they say it is important to line the inside of it with cardboard layer, as you don't want any of your protected equipment touching the outer shield, but rather insulated from it inside. Some people say it is important to ground the faraday container to Earth ground, but others say it doesn't matter and don't need to ground it.
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HOU_Castle
Learning Everyday....
Thank you for your input. Will it protect the solar panel diodes when not in used with wrapped aluminum foil? My solar generator DIY is for an emergency only, so they all are not in used. I was planned to stored them all in trash can (wrapped in aluminum foil), except the panels, kind of big.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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Buy a metal shed.
Ground rod at each corner, wired to shed.
Keep everything in shed.
Ground rod at each corner, wired to shed.
Keep everything in shed.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
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Small electronics can be stored in an old microwave.
DO NOT TURN ON THE MICROWAVE.
DO NOT TURN ON THE MICROWAVE.
Samsonite801
Solar Wizard
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You could wrap it in aluminum foil, But the aluminum shouldn't be touching or grounded out to metal (conductive) part of the item you're protecting (so I have read), so as a precaution, if you could first wrap the item with non-conductive cardboard paper or cloth first (seems logical to me), and then wrap the foil around it, making sure there is adequate overlap on the seams and no points open. The article below is even saying to use 3 layers of aluminum foil.
DISCLAIMER:
I am not an expert at EMP, in the sense, that I have never done any of my own testing with EMP protection, also EMP can vary widely in its intensity depending on many many factors, I have only read quite a bit and seen lots of You Tube videos on it, so you could call me a 'bench racer' in that regard.
I have taken some trainings at work related to ESD and handling sensitive electronics, and I do know that just walking creates ESD in your body with every step, and it's all around you, and passes to other objects in everything you touch. Even the tools in our datacenter are required to be ESD certified (also benches, ESD mats, etc). As modern day electronic components get smaller and smaller, they become more and more sensitive to EMF and ESD damage, and they usually have ratings in the advanced specs as far as how much internal ESD circuit protection they can provide for.
Reference Article:
Why and How to Protect Your Gear from EMP Attack - Survival Mom
Take these EMP protection measures to prepare and protect your gear from EMP attacks. Includes a link to a FREE EMP Survival e-book!
thesurvivalmom.com
That article even goes to the extreme of possibly recommending to have a redundant array of inexpensive faraday containers with 2 of everything, in case the attacker decides to run a second blast... I guess there's no end to preparation strategy, have to find our happy line of comfort hehe...
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