Electric grid and yes your home solar system.
Would an emp take out solar panels.
Because of a multitude of factors that would affect solar panels during an emp such as the magnitude of the emp event it s difficult to say for sure what kind of protection is needed to completely protect electronics from the its effects.
Surprisingly enough solar panels can weather an emp fairly well.
Solar panels can withstand an emp very well but the solar charger controller that charges the batteries and the voltage inverter that converts the power created from that battery are going to be in bad shape.
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.
The electric power research institute in its new study has challenged doomsday theorists who suggest a high altitude electromagnetic pulse hemp from a nuclear missile attack above earth s.
In the analysis of emp damage one needs to look not only at the device itself the solar panel but you also need to take into account the peripheral equipment and wiring.
What we do know is that emps are caused by both nuclear explosions and by the sun i e.
Since there is no circuitry electromagnetic pulses have little to no effect on your solar panels.
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.
The real risk comes with the other components of your solar setup like your inverter controller and battery bank which are vulnerable to emps.
Furthermore the same is true for your battery bank that stores your energy for later use.
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.
Solar panels there s an asterisk to this one for a reason.
Of course if a nuke is detonated a little closer to the ground the emp will be the least of your worries.
They do suffer some damage reducing their output by about five percent but they will still work.
A solar panel itself may be inherently resistant to emp to some extent.
Your solar panels and battery bank are not particularly vulnerable to solar flares cmps or emps.