A line side crowbar circuit (140) for an energy converter (105) is disclosed. In one aspect there is a power unit (100) that includes an energy converter (105); a transformer (130) configured to transfer electrical energy generated from the energy converter (105) to an electrical grid; and a crowbar (140) coupled to the energy converter (105) and the transformer (130) that is configured to prevent an overvoltage event from damaging electrical components associated with the energy converter (105) and the transformer (130).