On 15 October 2024, NASA announced that the 11-year solar cycle once again hit its peak. That means more sunspot activity, auroras, and solar flares as the star’s magnetic poles shift. In the worst case, solar activity can be so powerful that it causes damage here on Earth.
You don’t need to panic, but it’s still wise to take proactive steps ahead of a possible solar storm. Here’s how to protect your home and electronics from disruptions.
The Impact of Solar Storms
Our sun is a massive ball of superheated gases, swirling about with incredible currents thanks to powerful magnetic fields. At times, the pressure builds up into sunspots, which can explode outward to cause solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs.)
There’s no thunder and lightning with solar storms. Instead, they bombard Earth with radiation and magnetic shock waves. Our atmosphere shields us from most of the impact, but solar storms can still do quite a bit of damage, including these:
- Short out satellites, taking down GPS, cellular, internet, and TV services
- Damaged consumer electronics and computers
- Disrupt the power grid, resulting in overloads, widespread outages, and dangerous surges
- Increase corrosion and breakage of gas and fuel pipelines
- Confuse compasses and electromagnetic gadgets
- Knock-out radio, military communications, and early warning systems
Solar events happen all the time, but they’re usually not that noticeable. One exception was the “Carrington event” of 1859, when the largest recorded solar storm spun compasses, disrupted telegraphs, and lit up the skies. Today, we’re much more dependent on electronics and the power grid—making us more vulnerable if a similar storm were to happen again.
Preparing for Power Outages
Power and communications grids would be the biggest fallout from a solar storm. A shutdown impacts everything from phones and radios to gas pumps, and it would take a while for utilities to make the necessary repairs.
These three tools are the core things you need to prepare, and the beauty is that they can help you through other severe weather events.
Emergency Power Solutions
You’ll have more peace of mind during a solar storm with the ability to generate your own power on-site. Different options cater to different needs and budgets, so find the solution that works for you. It may include any of these:
- Standby generators: Standby generators are permanent appliances that turn on automatically during outages. They can be more expensive and will only last as long as your fuel supply, but the convenience and reliability they offer are unparalleled.
- Portable generators: Portable generators are more affordable than standby models, but they require manual setup and connection and have less capacity. They’re best to power essential devices and appliances.
- Solar panels with battery storage: If your property is viable enough and you install battery storage, solar panels can offer a continuous power supply. However, you should still have other safeguards in place since solar storms could damage electronic components in the system.
Making an Emergency Supply Kit
Your emergency kit for power outages can come in handy for solar storms as well. Pack these essential items:
- Flashlights
- Batteries
- Cooking and heating fuel
- Non-perishable food
- Safe drinking water
- Paper copies of financial and personal records
- Cash
- Road maps
- Address books
- A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- First aid kit
- Can openers and essential tools
- Deck of cards and other entertainment
- External hard drives with backups of important computer files
Include anything you need if your car, credit cards, bank, and shopping center are out of commission for a while.
Preparing for Power Surges
Even if a solar storm doesn’t throw your power out, it may still cause a surge that fries anything in its path. Protect your electronics with these tools:
- Whole-home surge protectors: A surge protector at your main electrical panel is the first line of defense for all your home’s circuits.
- Individual surge protectors: For valuable electronics, use high-quality individual surge protectors and power strips.
- Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices: These units have a built-in battery backup that provides both emergency power and surge protection to plugged-in computers and electronics. However, the batteries aren’t big enough for normal, long-term operation.
- Unplugging: If you know a solar storm is coming, unplug non-essential electronics so they won’t get zapped.
Protecting Your Valuables with a DIY Faraday Cage
The biggest threat of a solar storm is systemic rather than individual. However, we don’t always know the effects that solar radiation will have.
One of the easiest ways to shield valuable items from electromagnetic radiation is an insulated, sealed metal box called a Faraday cage. You can make one from solid metal or wire mesh, but it needs to be completely enclosed with an insulated liner. That way, nothing inside comes into contact with the metal.
To protect emergency backup electronics like radios and laptops, put them (unplugged) inside a sealed cardboard box, then wrap the box completely with aluminum foil. You can also line the inside of a metal garbage can with cardboard. Just put your electronics inside and close the lid.
Comments are closed.