I’d almost rather have backups in a blink-proof vault than be ‘special’ everyday.
Yep. For folks who have a big PV installation, most would probably balk at the price of buying redundant >everything< for such an unlikely event. But, the daily-use cables, panel racks, etc will be re-usable, and if a household can get by with a much smaller "essential loads" system the cost might not be very high. Solar panels (esp used ones) are coming down in price, "good enough" charge controllers are reasonably inexpensive (PWM still works as well as it ever did...). Batteries are pricey >and< would be the most maintenance intensive portion of any "put it in a Faraday cage and forget about it" system. Lead acid batteries would survive any EMP, and if they can be incorporated into a "daily use" system they could be kept topped up and healthy for use after "the event." Buying a big set of lithium batteries to keep offline in a shielded box "just in case" is outside of my budget, but a maybe some folks would be okay with a small investment. $300 spent for a 1200 AH battery that was checked/topped back up to 80% once per year might prove useful even in more normal situations (power outages, etc).
Not necessary. Battery cells are immune to EMP. Only BMS circuit is vulnerable. Just keep spare BMS boards.
Can the BMS fail in such a way that the cells themselves are then damaged?
Only if balancing circuits get stuck turned on and discharge the battery to zero.
Yeah, but some of us drive around with a get home bag in the back, and fix-a-flat in the trunk. Its just nice to not be scared, but be prepared.
Keep them in the blink-proof vault. They could and likely would still fry from the inducted power imho.
True. But I have a problem. I depend on my stuff that is also a bit of a hobby. I think I currently have nine or ten SCC’s on hand, five inverters, and like 60 or 70 spare MC4s, maybe 1000 total of different sized terminal lugs up to 2/0… and ~3600W of spare panels that only cost me $800 1900W of which are brand new panels. I scan for stuff continually.
Hello fellow hoarder. lol
But only certain scrap steel, jeep YJ parts, certain boat stuff, and solar equipment (that I usually buy new).
Most of what I have will save or make me money in the future.
Yes, I'm with you on that. There are plenty of folks selling expensive, simple-looking ferrites, chokes, etc. I have serious doubts that I can trust them. I might learn more and decide a small investment in something would be worth it, but I sure wouldn't spend a lot or make it central to everything else working.
I am not an expert, but from what I've read, a homemade foil Faraday cage that is tight can attenuate all EMP frequencies at least up to 10GHz to a level of 30 dB (that is, power reduced by 97%). Further wrapping of individual items inside helps even more. Insulate each layer from the rest. That should do the trick for most situations.
Right. IMO, an EMP is a low probabiliity event, but if it happens it will be very high impact. I'm not willing to spend a ton of resources on this, but I think a little preparation can help a lot if the worst happens. With emergency power, it would definitely be a situation of "diminishing returns." In the case of my family, the first approx 1000 Wh of daily electrical power provides a LOT of utility: potable water and pressurized water (that can be pushed through filters, etc for our home and some neighbors), lights, limited power tool use, radio, CPAP machine, a fan or two for much of the time, FRS radio comms with neighbors, etc. If we get another 1000 Wh per day we can do a load of clothes in the washer, run the furnace blower for limited time, use tools a bit more, etc. If we had another 1000 Wh or so, maybe I'd keep a freezer going, spurge on a few hours from a small window AC unit, etc. But the first 1000 Watt hours would have a lot more utility than the ones that follow.
I was just looking at some comments on a video about which cities would be attacked in a nuke war. EMP is one thing, but all out nukes would darken the sky for about a year the comments indicated, so Solar would not help. You would need combustibles to survive, like gas, oil, propane, and gassified wood. Most of the wood would be gone from the fires though.
From my research, most amazon Ferrites are not very good. Fair-rite seems to be the best supplier of high quality ferrites for protection. Its all in the quality and tests performed on the batches.
fair-rite.com
Members post about the reduction in PV yield with the Canadian wildfire smoke, yet would harden against an EMP where most likely it ends up with full nuke war. Makes sense.
But... Snap on Ferrites are easy to use. Far easier then pulling wires, slipping them on, and reconnecting. Their cheap enough that using 2 or 3 is not a big deal, and you can spread them apart to be more effective. They can be used on a single wire or common mode on cable with Hot and Neutral or cable with Solar + and - .From my research, most amazon Ferrites are not very good. Fair-rite seems to be the best supplier of high quality ferrites for protection. Its all in the quality and tests performed on the batches.
EMI Suppression Beads Archives - Fair-Rite
Two observations:
1. "Likely" doesn't mean "inevitably." There are >plenty< of very plausible scenarios where EMP damage is the only/most significant damage experienced in a confrontation. Strategy and war are very complex things.
I like your handle. Hoping its in honor of the 1973 movie with Steve McQueen.
Pappy is the old papillon dog in the pic. Passed away at age 18. He was tri-color and his body had a beautiful woodgrain color.
