# question about solar panels



## tks (Oct 22, 2014)

Do solar panels need to be stored in faraday cages if they are not connected? Do the batteries need to be stored in there as well? Do we need to store all new connecting wire in there? Am I missing anything to do with power besides the above that we should store in there? Maybe new wall outlets?


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## Daddy O (Jan 20, 2014)

EMP is like airborn electricity, just a microvolt or so, just enough to fry the delicate little runs inside of a chip. So if the circuit contains any chips or microcircuits then it will need to be protected. Resistors should be okay, dont know about capacitors. During the big plasma storm a hundred and fifty years ago the telegraph wires got so hot they started fires, but I bet they wouldnt have if they had been turned off. Those circuits were pretty damned crude, and the solar energy permeated the lines and overloaded the batteries.

So the solar cell will probly not have an issue, but the circuit board on the back may. If it has chips then it will fry.


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## tks (Oct 22, 2014)

That helps a lot , Thanks! Ill put them in then.


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## Daddy O (Jan 20, 2014)

Be sure to backup all your music too in the faraday cage. Denzel had it right with an Ipod after TEOTWAKI. He just didn't have a solar cell with a usb connector.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

That "circuit board" is nothing more then a blocking diode which permits the electricity to only flow in one direction.


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## tks (Oct 22, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> That "circuit board" is nothing more then a blocking diode which permits the electricity to only flow in one direction.


I had no idea. I probably should sit down and look up how these thing actually function. My husband understands them decently enough but will be be around? Who knows. Better safe than sorry.


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## tks (Oct 22, 2014)

Daddy O said:


> Be sure to backup all your music too in the faraday cage. Denzel had it right with an Ipod after TEOTWAKI. He just didn't have a solar cell with a usb connector.


I thought about having a third one in there. I'm wondering if I should also wrap up the one for my Bob and my chargers, in tinfoil in their original boxes. Would that be enough protection?


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

I have a plan for protecting my solar panels from storms (debris & hail) that is simple. Styrofoam with roofing tin on top of that & cargo straps to hold them on. Same as medieval armor where they have the padding underneath it. And second part is to disconnect the panels from the controller which would be for a severe EMP.


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## thepeartree (Aug 25, 2014)

I have a really important question about solar panels- what is a typical lifespan 1) in use, and 2) in storage? I should have thought of this issue many years ago, but you can get overwhelmed by details.

I and many other people need to know this asap! We have been figuring power input after shtf, but not figuring at all what to do when they go pffffft!


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

The big outdoor units like you see on roofs being installed by solar city will last 10 or more years, but they will degrade with use, especially in the southwest where the sun assaults them for months at a time (it can actually tint glass or turn plastic opaque). 

Id reckon that the cheaper cells would have a shorter lifespan. But prices are coming down.

True fact: the worlds worst coal polluter is also the leading manufacturer of solar cells (by several magnitudes). Tis true, China makes the things at a frenzied rate but is apparently not using them much themselves.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Solar panels are suppose to be good for 50% of posted output at 30 years. Life span won't vary much whether used or stored.


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## A J (Oct 16, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> Solar panels are suppose to be good for 50% of posted output at 30 years. Life span won't vary much whether used or stored.


I've heard/read the exact opposite. If the solar panels are stored in the dark (faraday cage), they won't age.

How does silicon 'age' if it isn't being used? The usage is why panels in heavy use (arizona) don't last as long as lighter used panels.

AJ

edited to add link to this topic on solar site: http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_solar_used.html


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

All artificial materials eventually break down. If you can keep 100% of any light from the panels they will still age though not as quick as those being used. But they will still age.And the external copper wire will also.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

In Florida we are further south then those in the SW & don't appear to have the same degrading problem. My guess would be its more heat then the sunlight itself causing degrading. Heat is not good for any electric/electronics. My guess would be pole mounted panels would degrade less then roof mounted panels just because of the heat trapped under the roof mounted solar panels.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I've found Backwoods Solar and their website to be very informative.
Solar, Hydro and Wind Systems for your home.


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