SOLAR PANELS & EMP's

[Ken in Anaheim]

Just curious, does anyone KNOW if solar panels will be affected by an EMP ? Please, don't just guess or parrot what you heard. I'm trying to get an answer from somebody that actually KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.
Thanks
KinA

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I have no idea, but if the spit hits the fan I'll have enough to do without worrying about where I can charge my laptop or a radio when there's no more servers or broadcasters working.
Time to get down to basic survival skills if you're still alive.
Personally, at 67, I've got better things to think about....like how nice it will be to have an oceanfront in Arizona when Calif falls off into the big fault and where I wanna go next.

 

[Lucky mike]

your answer to your question.....no the panel would not be affected....BUT....your controller will !!!......not to mention all the electronics you wanted to run anyway....except your lights

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I agree, Mike.
Might have sounded snarky, but if the equipment connected to your system fries there won't be much to run but lights. Maybe you're an electronic whiz and can salvage parts and make a few things that work, but few have that knowledge.
My comment is more from the survival view in extreme situations, not a distant experiment in space.

---

If the panels and batteries survive its just a matter of manually monitoring panels hooked direct to battery bank.

 

[Lucky mike]

Lets See....
EMP......
No internet....computer dead...
Cell tower Dead...no cell
TV transmitter tower dead....TV Dead
Radio Transmitters Fried.....Skip the radio

world as I know it is under attack...TURN THE LIGHT OFF!!..they'll See us

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Mike...between this and the EMF thing I'm really freaking out.
Throw in that you stay in a Twilight Zone up there, I think I should start to worry....mostly that you're one of "Them".

 

[Lucky mike]

Dont worry Buddy....My sister owns a liquor store and I have a set of keys for emergencies.....the end of the world is an emergency is it not

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Keys to a booze store...I'm on my way

 

[Starlight]

The guy in this video seems to know something.


He said he got a direct lightning hit on them and it stood up.

---

I watched a video talking about an EMP being a nuclear bomb detonated in the stratosphere, and I thought to myself... well, your electronics would be the last thing you'd worry about...

 

[highdesertranger]

lucky mike, I've got your back. if shtf I will be there. in fact I can even think of some minor emergency's that would justify using those keys. highdesertranger

 

[Zil]

EMP. Will knock out the diodes in solar panels. the question is if it is permanent, the same with other transistor solid state stuff. Vacuum tube technology will be fine.
An EM Pulse is a little different than a lightning strike. lightning only wants equalize, pulse can't equalize.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm under the impression that electronics stored away in steel containers will be unaffected by emp. If so, a spare controller, laptop, etc. an be pulled out of such cases to restore the system afterward.

Thus the question becomes, will the panels survive the emp?

If Zil is right about the diodes, then spare diodes also need to be stocked. Changing them should be trivial.

Regards
John

 

[One Awesome Inch]

If there was an EMP situation, my computer would not be my first concern.

I would see these 3 as necessities:

1. food and water
2. subzero sleeping bag
3. candles for light and a bit of heat at night.

 

[Lucky mike]

ditto.....considering once the emp hit the vehicle wouldnt run either......not to mention there will be alot bigger problems.....

 

[Starlight]

The guy in the video I posted said that the glass and aluminum frame on his solar panels would serve as something of a deterent, as glass was used as the original insulators on electric components.

I've seen videos of guys building metal screen cages for their generators, and that cage on wheels --- using metal garbage cans of all sizes -- using ammo boxes -- structuring metal cabinets so they had no "leaks" -- and using these to store all backup electrical components.

Mr. Bob posted some very good lighting options on his blog this week, one of which is a solar battery charger. Cool stuff. A small backup solar panel would be nice to have for several purposes.

 

[Lucky mike]

something to think about...........in order to generate an EMP it takes a nuclear Explosion .....now seeing that nukes have grown since 1962 when the test was done..

I dont care what you hide in a metal box or in your garage......when you see the flash your toast.....think about it , then go join the military and get a front row seat to the show........but I do realize you read it on the internet so it must be true!!!!!

on that day ....trust me the last thing your going to worry about is EMP'S...and if you get lucky you wont survive....life is not going to be pretty ...can you say Heroshima II

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I'm with ya there, Mike.
I like being prepared...food and all for emergencies and lean times, but all this prepping for nukes and zombies ain't my thing. I've chosen to live in an RV, for Pete's sake...where the hell am I going to store huge stocks and protect it. If zombies swarm me, I'm done for. If the big one goes boom, I'll be toast as well.
Say I survive, God help me, I'm kinda old and weigh in at 130, a skinny 6' weakling. How do I get by among the strong who will take everything by force including my skivvies??

I'm not going to spend the life I have left prepping for what may never happen in my lifetime, nor am I going to start covering things with mesh or waste my roll of foil on a corny hat...unless its for a party

Now, if prepping is your thing, go for it. If you wanna cage everything, go for it. If I see you coming with a foil hat, I'll prolly break out the bottle thinking we're gonna party hardy
Of course, we could all converge on Mike's camp in foil hats, get toasted, and taunt some aliens into mesh cages, and wake up the next day feeling and looking like zombies

 

[Starlight]

Something I learned about Hiroshima --
one of the few survivors in the impact area was a man who was in jail --the jail was made of very thick rock.

I think of it this way, the more you know, the less panic you will have if something would happen.
I have a habit of noting where EXIT doors are when I go into high-rise buildings. Doesn't take much time.
When you drive thru the midwest in the spring you should check the weather reports.
So too -- if you hear of a violent sun flare, you will have a day or two to protect vulnerable electronics.

I read a book once that told the science of astrology. What it explained was -- all the planets have an effect on the sun -- and it is the energy of the sun that has an effect on the electricity of our planet and weather as well --

Soooooooooooo.... when there is a notable conjunction of planets, one might expect to see some activity in the sun... waning or flaring.
We just happen to be having one of those right now, where four planets are aligning. It will be interesting to note corresponding solar activity -- although we've been having strong solar flares for a while now.

 

[Zil]

ah. Solar cells are diodes. EMP, that is pulse, cannot be shielded by any practical method. May be with rock measured in miles deep.
A man in prison survived a volcanic explosion some place in the Caribbean some centuries ago. i can find no records of a prisoner among the survivors.

 

[freenez2]

Unless you're driving a vehicle that doesn't have electronic ignition or other computer processor controlled components, forget driving any where. EMP will fry it. A faraday cage my protect smaller components, but I think they'll be the least of your worries. Best to have a good bottle of single malt scotch on hand when the bombs start falling.