Partial protection is better than no protection.
Emp damage to solar panels.
The thing to be worried about here is what s known as a nuclear electromagnetic pulse or emp for short.
They do suffer some damage reducing their output by about five percent but they will still work.
Your home s solar panels after an emp.
They might have a slight reduction in output after being subject to an emp maybe about 5.
What could an emp damage.
An emp will destroy solar panels faster than a three year old with a framing hammer.
They are a direct solid state junction and that is precisely what an emp destroys.
Computers and all internet connected devices.
Power grid transformers and substations.
The good news is that almost all other components of your off grid solar setup would be unaffected by the emp.
A solar panel itself may be inherently resistant to emp to some extent.
Electric grid and yes your home solar system.
Vehicle and aircraft control systems.
An emp is an electromagnetic pulse that is released when lightning strikes or during the detonation of a nuclear weapon.
Telephones land lines and mobile phones.
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.
Tvs radios and other broadcast equipment.
The solar panels themselves should be fine.
Since solar power systems are typically designed to provide more power than needed to account for cloudy days those who have solar panels on their homes will still have some electrical power for a while even though it will be somewhat lower.
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 look like this.
If a nuclear weapon of sufficient size is detonated high in the atmosphere an emp can disrupt everything that uses electronic circuitry potentially causing irreversible damage to electronics in cars airplanes the u s.
Emps can irreversibly damage anything with a circuit in it including your solar power system inverters and charge controllers.
But if damage occurs it is likely due to the wires between the solar panel and most often the solar charge controller.
Surprisingly enough solar panels can weather an emp fairly well.
In the event that the cells are damaged you can easily replace them without having to take apart the whole thing.
An emp will affect the different parts of the solar system differently so you should make sure to shield the parts of the system that you can.
Traces of electromagnetic waves are also present in solar flares.
You can expect a similar situation after a nuclear emp.
Depending on the strength of the electromagnetic pulse emp most solar panels would likely not be affected.
If lightning strikes within about 500 feet your panels will be fine although the wiring and circuitry connected to them will often be destroyed.
Depending on the power of the explosion or solar flare an emp could damage.
