When stored/offline, do Bluetti solar panels need to be protected from effects of and EMP or solar storm? My research indicated protection is necessary for panels that have other electronic components such as microchips, etc. I’ve made Faraday cages for my Bluetti generators/accessories. I’ve seen Faraday bags made for solar panels. Question again, do Bluetti solar panels need protection when stored from these events EMP or solar storm events?
When stored and disconnected, being single and static components without an active conductive path to other devices or to ground, probably not.
But, the answer you’re looking for it depends on the event scale. Taking it for granted that you know about EMPs, I personally assume ESD, LEMP and Coronal Mass Ejections from the sun, the latter being basically an E3, will not damage a stored PV panel, but the E1 phase of a relatively close Nuclear Explosion can more easily charge your PV panels and damage them. I will not worry about that though, more than the subsequent effects of the explosions itself.
.
Anyway, I think that worrying about EMP events could be useful only if you don’t have a photovoltaic panel pointed toward the sky. Any precaution about EMPs you can take while having a device that can capture wavelengths directly pointed up, is not worth it. In this case I will first seriously think about lighting disconnectors before even starting to think about EMPs.
After confirming with the technical staff, the reply was: EMP protection is generally not considered for civilian equipment.
Thanks for the responses.
My Bluetti generators and solar panels are used for emergency power backup and while RVing and camping and are usually in storage. The generators are stored in sealed metal Faraday enclosures. As a precaution, I’ll be making up Faraday bags for the solar panels. An EMP or severe solar are unlikely, but this equipment is a significant investment and a major part of my preps. Given the state of the world these days, we don’t want to be caught off guard.