However the larger the solar array is the more likely that there will be damage to the supporting equipment including the wiring charge controller and inverter.
Are solar panels resistant to emp.
If there was an electromagnetic pulse would you know how to protect your solar panels from an emp.
If lightning strikes within about 500 feet your panels will be fine although the wiring and circuitry connected to them will often be destroyed.
The problem is that the solar charge controller used to charge the batteries and the voltage inverter that converts the battery power to 120 volts ac will probably be destroyed by the emp.
Would solar panels survive an emp attack.
They don t contain any wires or antennae top pick up the emp s energy.
The solar panels themselves are immune to high voltage surges.
Another way of looking at it is to pretend that the system you are trying to protect is a complex network of components that might in simplest form.
Your home s solar panels after an emp.
Yes whether your solar panels are mounted on the exterior of your vehicle or carried inside they would be vulnerable to emp unless you take steps to protect them.
Like we said above wires act like antennas for the panels and the longer the wires get the higher the potential for damage.
This type of emp proof bag allows you to take small critical pieces of electronics that could be damaged by an emp and shield them from an emp attack.
Depending on the strength of the electromagnetic pulse emp most solar panels would likely not be affected.
You can expect a similar situation after a nuclear emp.
Part ii of this article which will be released tomorrow will talk about what is involved in protecting larger volumes and installed panels.
So unless the owner of the solar system has the foresight to store spare parts in a faraday cage their working solar panels won t do them much good.
And they don t have any sensitive electronic components inside.
But if panels aren t connected to anything they probably won t sustain any damage at all.
But if damage occurs it is likely due to the wires between the solar panel and most often the solar charge controller.
Most solar panels can survive emps caused by natural phenomenon like lightning within a close range.
How to save your solar stuff with emp protection.