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Lightning storms: surges, trips and keeping things running

A thunderstorm can drop the power several times in an hour, and a nearby strike can send a surge down the lines that kills modems and appliance boards.

Flickers, trips and surges

Lightning near a line can cause a brief outage while network protection trips and recloses, sometimes several in a row. Each flicker resets clocks, drops the modem and can corrupt a computer mid-save. A surge, either from the line or induced into nearby wiring, can damage electronics outright. These are two different problems, and backup power solves the first one better than the second.

What it would keep running

  • Modem and wifi through repeated flickers
  • Desktop computer mid-task
  • Freezer compressor
  • Alarm system and gate controller
  • Lights during the storm

What instant switch-over fixes

The battery and 15 kW hybrid inverter run in UPS mode, so when the grid flickers the house keeps running without a gap. The modem stays up, the freezer does not restart its compressor cycle, and the computer does not lose work. On a stormy night with repeated trips, that alone saves a lot of irritation.

If the line stays down after the storm has passed, the fuel cell starts drawing on stored hydrogen to keep the battery topped up, and the house keeps running through the night. You do not need to go outside in the rain and lightning to start anything, because the whole switch-over is automatic.

How it works →
The H2OME loop: an electrolyser splits water into hydrogen, the hydrogen is stored in a tank for weeks, a fuel cell turns it into electricity for your home, and the water returns to the loop.

Surge protection is still your job

No backup system makes a house lightning proof. Ask an electrician about surge protection at the switchboard, earthing that is in good condition, and protection on incoming phone or data lines. A direct strike on or very near the house can damage anything connected. On a severe storm night, unplugging the television and computer is still sensible advice, backup power or not.

Questions

Does the system protect against lightning surges?

It is designed to keep power flowing through outages, not to stop surges. Switchboard surge protection and good earthing, installed by an electrician, are what reduce surge damage. Treat the two as separate jobs.

Is the hydrogen store at risk in a thunderstorm?

The enclosure should be earthed and installed to the design standards it is designed to, AS/NZS 60079 for explosive atmospheres and ISO 19880. Leak sensors and automatic shutdown are there for any fault, storm related or not.

Should I stay off the grid during a storm?

You do not need to do anything. The inverter decides automatically when the grid supply is unreliable and carries the house on the battery. You can keep using the house as normal, within what storage allows.

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