SPOILER*** WOULD AN EMP EFFECT SOLAR PANELS? I am the author of SEVEN DAYS and I am excited that you brought this topic up. EMPs are an interesting effect that was first observed during the testing of the nuclear bomb and it was not until recently that they have received a lot of media attention. First and foremost, I want to establish where most of my research in this book came from. In 2004, a federal commission of scientific and military experts were brought together to address the threat of an EMP. In its report, the commission warned that an EMP is one of a small number of threats that has the potential to hold our society seriously at risk and might result in defeat of our military forces. You bring up a great point: Would solar panels work in an EMP? First, the best way to explore this idea is to discuss how solar panels work. Solar panels consist of five layers, not counting the glass layers that are on each side. This part gets a little dry, so bear with me. 1. Electricity in the form of electrons passes through a conductive layer 2. Photon strikes a DYE molecule, that is on the surface of the Titanium Dioxided & Sensitized Dye (TiO2) causing an excited state which releases an electron into the conductive layer 3. The conductive layer, transfers the charged electron to electrical outlet where its energy is released 4. The electron then returns to the cell by the bottom of another conductive layer 5. The electron then enters the Electrolyte layer. With another electron, it combines to become a Iodide Ion and makes its way back to the TiO2. 6. This process happens billions of times per second to create electrical sunlight Damage is caused by an EMP because it shorts the circuitry in a device. This is a result of a large surge of energy that leaps between two connections and fries the circuit. A solar panel does not function through circuitry; it functions by the process listed above. This would make it extremely unlikely that the panel would arc, and even if it did, it would more than likely cause a disruption in the process and not a destruction of the panel. Many people assume that all electrical devices would be effected in an EMP, but it is only the circuitry that is affected. Check this link out on YouTube; this illustrates my point perfectly. Check out the YouTube video. It is pretty sweet. https://youtube/watch?v=PUZZ3XflO-M Notice that the circuits in the car are fried-which effectively kills the car-but the electrical windows still function. The reason being is because the windows do not depend on circuitry to operate, much like a solar panel. Youre probably thinking: If that is the case, why do solar panels never appear in other EMP books? Even though solar panels would not be damaged by an EMP, the inverter that converts electricity from Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) would very likely be affected. In Seven Days, Rick has several inverters stored in his vehicle, which he then uses to harness the power from the solar panels. It would be very difficult to use solar panels without having a way to convert the DC to AC, since most appliances run off AC and solar panels generate DC. Thus, it makes sense that most EMP books dont mention Solar Panels.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:13:33 +0000
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