diy solar

diy solar

Preparing for WW3

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newbostonconst

Solar Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 24, 2019
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Well everyday we are getting closer to it.....

My wife and I are thinkers...what do we need to do to have power after an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) that fries electronics. We are fine now if we lost the grid forever.

My biggest worry is my hybrid inverter and needing it the most of everything in the house....should I by a spare or just have a spare off grid inverter?...

We bought our steel garbage can yesterday with foil tape to put all electronics in if we do get a heads up that an EMP is coming...

All the other electronics aren't really needed. Phone's only work if there are cell towers, which they will be gone. My micros I could get along without. My charge controllers I could string panels to directly charge batteries if needed.....wife would likely want a spare Keurig....hahah

Anyone else thinking about this and have ideas? It is horrible what is going on in Ukraine.....so sad....
 
Well, since anything that's powered on will potentially get fried, the easy way is to build your own solar generator for the loads you want, then disconnect the batteries so nothing is charged. For extra safety enclose in a metal box that is well grounded.

When things light off, raid the local WalMart/AutoStore/Etc for some FLA batteries, plug them in and everything should fire right up.

Lithium will probably be toast when the BMS's get fried, so stick with good old lead acid.
 
If this is a relevant threat for you, then buy and protect a 2kW inverter and solar charger. You won't have time to protect anything that isn't already protected as the EMP pulse travel at the speed of light.

Most small devices not connected to long lines (AC line, phone, cable, antennas, etc) will be fine. Most damage will occur to those devices connected to lines external to themselves - microwave, lightbulbs, cable/satellite boxes, etc.

You can add lightning and surge protectors to the hybrid inverter on all incoming and outgoing lines. Make sure they can absorb pulses under 2nS and over 100kV. The inverter itself is likely shielded, but if you need additional peace of mind add copper foil to make a better faraday cage than the usual steel or aluminum enclosure already around it.

Quite frankly, your life won't be normal after such an attack, and having the full capacity of your hybrid inverter is likely to be a lower priority than many, many other concerns. Having a smaller inverter and solar charger should meet your basic needs.

Also, note that your solar panels are likely to be affected. Most sources seem to agree that solar panels won't be out-right killed by EMPs alone, but as part of a wired system they can sustain partial damage - particularly to the blocking diodes. You may want to harden those with surge suppression on all their connections. Fortunately most panels are already rated for large arrays up to 1kV to 1.5kV, so while they may experience larger voltage reversals during an EMP, they will be much less susceptible compared to the inverter and other connected electronics.

The advantages of hardening your system seem to outweigh the advantages of hiding some key components, unconnected and unused, in a DIY faraday cage. Be aware that some companies, such as SolArk, do have EMP hardening kits for their equipment and have tested their equipment to withstand EMPs. You might want to talk to all your suppliers and installers and find out their recommendations.
 
Seriously ?
If an EMP (Non-Solar) hits you or your area, you will have much more serious things to contend with.
Safe Home/Shelter, Food/Water & Life Essentials will be the priority 1st & foremost.
Put your Solar Gear etc into a SeaCan and use that as a Faraday Cage if your that concerned and have a need to do something even if it is just something to make you feel better.
 
Steve_S said:
If an EMP (Non-Solar) hits you or your area, you will have much more serious things to contend with.
Click to expand...
For some, power is a life sustaining component and more serious than things you'd consider more serious for you. It's probably more effective to avoid belittling someone you don't know just because their priorities don't align with yours, and simply answering their question without judgement.
 
stienman said:
For some, power is a life sustaining component and more serious than things you'd consider more serious for you. It's probably more effective to avoid belittling someone you don't know just because their priorities don't align with yours, and simply answering their question without judgement.
Click to expand...
Yup. folks who need to keep stuff like insulin refrigerated need some form of power. While water and food are universally essential, preparing for continuity of non essentials is not wrong. Having the ability to "unplug" (yeah, I know) from the horror of the apocalypses that is your new reality shouldn't be ridiculed. go for a week with out a refrigerator and you will appreciate a cold beer like never before.
 
I have a home with the garage in the ground with a concrete ceiling, food will be a big concern but other then a garden or MRE's it is hard plan for with a large family with likely 9 people being there. Need electrical for well water and help with heating and washing down if things got really bad.

A steel garbage can with foil tape is a faraday cage. Can keep Ham Radios and other electronics in.

An EMP once lit off does move at the speed of light but the delivery system could be detected and give you a heads up, like maybe an half hour. Ten minutes would be enough for me.

If some of you haven't been paying attention there is a war going on and a list of targets has been revealed if Russia isn't happy.... ;)
 
newbostonconst said:
if we do get a heads up that an EMP is coming...
Click to expand...
THAT is FUNNY! The only way you will get a warning is if you are in view of Congress and the White House - you will see the choppers coming for them to get out of town. We won't be told anything. Imagine the panic! Nope. Not gonna tell anyone.
 
Prefersdirt said:
THAT is FUNNY! The only way you will get a warning is if you are in view of Congress and the White House - you will see the choppers coming for them to get out of town. We won't be told anything. Imagine the panic! Nope. Not gonna tell anyone.
Click to expand...

Hmmm....they will hit some cities before the others and it will be evident at the speed of light.....lots of people will know something isn't right and easy for some to know what has happened....then there is radar.

During the big blackout in Michigan I was on the phone call with a group an hour away....we both lost power at the same time we both knew....My boss said why are you leaving, I said to go home and get my house ready for the power outage....he said what if it comes back on....I said it isn't coming back on anytime soon....he was pissed I left but I was right...they stayed there all night for no reason...

I was prepared with 100 gallons of diesel and had power for the week and a half it was out.

People will know...just hoping they send an alert to our phones right away.
 
I am beginning to regret selling the 1980’s vintage Mercedes Diesels.
Totally mechanical fuel system, once started, no electricity needed. Primitive starting system is very EMP resistant.
I still have some 1950’s tube radio receivers (EMP resistant), so we will be able to hear any radio transmissions in the HF part of the spectrum.
Assuming the PV panels (diodes), Schneider solar electronics, etc will be zapped.
Might be able to patch together some way to charge the FLA’s, not sure.

Have a Diesel genset, old, no transistors or such delicate components.
It might start and be useful to operate the well pump, so we can have water.
But when the 3-400 gallons of Diesel fuel we have is gone, the genset becomes a boat anchor.
Plan “B” is to filter lake water with the MSR Guardian Purifier system, or the Katadyn Pocket Water Filter.
 
If it happens, it will be a simultaneous hit across enough of the landscape that I would probably have wished to be close enough to be vaporized. Probably fix up this global warming thing nicely, though! Lets hope enough reasonable members of our species are in key pieces of the system so as to prevent it.
 
The main target of HEMP attack is the military and power grid installation. So, if you live near or within 50 miles radius, your chance is greater.
 
If anyone launches a Nuke Strike on North America, there is only ONE Target, YellowStone Park. That can & would erase North America and quite probably alter the world for the next 10-15,000 years with a big enough eruption.

Yellowstone IS a Super Volcano and if / when it pops, everything, everywhere will change.
It also does not need a Nuke Strike to pop it either.
Large areas are now closed off, a lot more seismic monitoring & tracking has been installed and more eyes watching it today than ever before. Maybe everyone is too busy to notice but more & more volcanoes are going off around the world and formerly dormant ones becoming active are also Warning Flags of things to come... THAT is a Higher Risk than any fool with a Big Red Button.
 
At my age it doesn't make a lot of sense for me to hope to survive after an EMP or even care to. The best I can hope for is they miss Whiteman AFB and hit the Ozarks instead. I'd step outside and watch the sun set.
If not, I guess it's back to the propane generator at least until I get tired of eating Armadillos.
 
Steve_S said:
If anyone launches a Nuke Strike on North America, there is only ONE Target, YellowStone Park. That can & would erase North America and quite probably alter the world for the next 10-15,000 years with a big enough eruption.
Click to expand...
Sure if the goal is to end the world as we know it but my understanding is an emp would come from an upper atmospheric detonation and even fallout would be limited. The emp would be meant to cripple us not destroy the planet. The only good thing about armadillos is you can kill them with a club.
 
If you live in rural area with no manufacturing plant or armed forces bases you should be ok.... Depending on the size weapon the death zone is like 10 sq miles...

Hiroshima got lucky because rain washed the nuclear contamination away in the weeks after around the main out lining area... Ground zero was allot longer.
 
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