EMF sensitivity and shielding

[ucbalumnus]

@compmom

Thanks I have a meter and am aware it is the inverter (and the smart meter). The owners of the house talked with their electrician and someone at the solar panel company and decided it was too much. I had told them the panels would need to be covered with a black cloth to prevent the panels overheating and being damaged, or even igniting. I offered to pay for that.

I can tell where the modem is in an apartment above me. If I sit in a chair near a hidden modem, after awhile I will look and find it. The symptoms are very specific. I was “electrocuted” (neuro puts it that way!) and was hospitalized in 2014 and that started this problem

@DigitalDad

Since the solar panels and its wiring are DC - I suspect the concern would be the inverter, which produces the AC,

For the inverters on a solar panel system, wouldn’t installing EMF shielding between the inverters and the living area of the house address the EMF issue without preventing the solar panel system from generating energy?

Of course, with wireless computer networking devices, mobile phones, etc. the EMF is the method of operation, rather than a byproduct that is not useful, so EMF shielding around those would prevent them from working across the shielding. But if you do not want to use your upstairs neighbor’s wireless, perhaps installing EMF shielding on the ceiling where it is may help.

[BunsenBurner]

Don’t forget hair dryers.

[DigitalDad]

@ucbalumnus

wouldn’t installing EMF shielding between the inverters and the living area of the house address

Yes - that would be an option for any (so-concerned) homeowner considering a solar installation.

In the specific case mentioned, it had been a prospective vacation rental. In that case, assuming it’s a typical residential solar system that supplements power coming from the grid, there’ll be a big lever near the inverter that separates the solar system from the grid - e.g., in case of maintenance/repairs, someone working on the roof, etc. that the homeowner would(should) be familiar with. It would not be a big imposition for the solar system to be turned off during the few weeks of rental, and instead paying for the (substantially) higher electric bill.

I had told them the panels would need to be covered with a black cloth to prevent the panels overheating and being damaged, or even igniting.

That is not at all required/necessary/recommended by manufacturers.

Reality is, that it’s quite normal and perfectly okay, for solar systems to be “off” for weeks at a time (e.g., before a newly installed system is ever initially inspected/approved by the utility and municipality). It can also happen down the road, if an inverter reaches the end of its lifecycle, or if a safety device/fuse had disabled the inverter, after a lightning strike on the grid caused a power spike. A homeowner might not realize that the solar system hasn’t been running all month until the next monthly usage bill, and then might need additional weeks to arrange for maintenance/replacement.

This will not damage solar panels, cause overheating, igniting, etc.

These recommendations are probably well meant, but may have their origin in the fact that solar panels will lose efficiency over time, and will be less efficient at high temperatures. So, if someone were to store panels away for extended periods (months), they might wish to keep them out of the light and heat.

Naturally, solar panels (like most everything exposed to direct sunlight) will “heat up” until they reach a thermal equilibrium. But, this is not some “runaway reaction” that will continue until they burst in flames. Most importantly, they don’t “generate” heat - like an electric motor would due to the friction of its moving components. They (essentially) are big sheets of two thin layers of different silicon-based compounds, between which photonic energy can cause a build-up of a charge (not heat).

[thumper1]

@Data10 your thoughts?

[compmom]

I am not the homeowner and this was not a short vacation rental: it was 9 months. The very nice owners were overwhelmed, tried to disconnect, but their electrician scared them. Info online, as always, may not be correct but that is all they had to go by.

I have all kinds of expert advice on my problem (which may be affecting others who knows). Shielding is one strategy. Smart meters can be covered. There are even shields to surround one’s bed (which I do not need, not yet)>

I am fine with wifi as long as I am several feet away. I keep my phone’s cellular data off. I use a keyboard with computer. I do not use hair dryers or microwaves. Etc. In the spectrum of EMF sensitivity I am probably moderate but it affects my housing choices. My neuro has other patients who are sensitive.

This post refers back to the other thread on installing solar. Just want to add that if I had kids, I guess I would read up on possible health effects of solar panels. With healthy skepticism but an open mind.