Do Solar Storms Affect Solar Panels

The 11 year solar cycle is actually a complex beast and it s not the only cycle the sun experiences.

Do solar storms affect solar panels. You may be surprised to learn that solar storms can affect your emotional health and consciousness. A solar storm or eruption is a massive explosion in the sun s atmosphere which can release even more than 6 1025 j of energy. So how do hailstorms dust storms and smoke affect your solar panel performance. However scientific studies confirm the link between solar activity and our physical and emotional wellbeing.

Essentially using any type of inverter generator can provide a large amount of protection against solar storms if you have enough fuel on hand to run it. We spoke to our head of solar technologies dr greg wilson to get some answers. But the 11 year cycle is the one that is most associated with the kinds of solar storms that affect the planet. This is not to say that space weather can t affect our planet.

There are others that track other solar fluctuations over longer time periods too. A solar storm that hit earth tuesday is now at its tail end experts say. However this same solar cycle has occurred over millennia so anyone over the age of 11 has already lived through such a solar maximum with no harm. Solar activity is indeed currently ramping up toward what is known as solar maximum something that occurs approximately every 11 years.

But the biggest concern experts say would be disruptions to our power grid as a 2011 oecd report pdf on the impacts of solar storms points out electric power is modern society s. In canberra hailstorms battered cars houses greenhouses and solar panels. And as far as they know the only effects have been beautiful displays of the aurora borealis along the northern latitudes. Thirdly cmes affect a wider range of technologies like communication systems and power grids and can do more permanent damage.

A solar storm will mostly affect electric power grids possibly damaging larger transformers. Either way solar flares and cmes are solar events beyond the control of humans. What happens to solar power when you can t even see the sun. The biggest danger in a residential area is a long term loss of power.