phillipbbg
7th July 2011, 15:13
Sorry bit slow posting this one, but more preparation by the authorities....
http://www.utility-exchange.co.uk/electricity-cuts-may-protect-national-grid-from-solar-storm-14342/
The threat of a solar storm hitting Earth has led to officials in both the UK and the United States preparing for controlled cuts in electricity supplies to protect the national grid.
The threat of a powerful solar storm has been predicted for some months now and controlled power cuts will help to protect the national grid, according to the director of the US Space Weather Prediction Centre.
Unless the national grid is protected a solar storm such as the one being forecast could damage electricity grids and it could take months or even years to repair.
¤=[Post Update]=¤
Here is the article for any having trouble with the link...
The threat of a solar storm hitting Earth has led to officials in both the UK and the United States preparing for controlled cuts in electricity supplies to protect the national grid.
The threat of a powerful solar storm has been predicted for some months now and controlled power cuts will help to protect the national grid, according to the director of the US Space Weather Prediction Centre.
Unless the national grid is protected a solar storm such as the one being forecast could damage electricity grids and it could take months or even years to repair.
Dr Brogan of the US Space Weather Prediction Centre is working to set up another prediction centre in the UK. This will be able to help provide a co-ordinated response to any threats from solar flares which look as they could cause serious disruption to electronic equipment.
One of the problems is that such solar storms threaten to cause massive power surges in the national grids as a result of geomagnetic storms. These happen when solar flares collide with the magnetic field of the Earth.
According to Dr Brogan, sudden surges during such a magnetic storm could damage transformers connected to power lines which can cover hundreds of miles. He said “It points to a potential scenario where large parts of either North America or northern Europe may be without power from between days or weeks, to perhaps months and, in extreme cases, there are estimates that it could last years”.
Any such damage would obviously have a hugely damaging effect on not just households but businesses across the country. It’s therefore important that domestic and business electricity suppliers are warned when events such as this are expected. This is what the collaboration with the US Space Weather Prediction Centre is aimed at. The hope is that by working together they will be able to better predict solar storms and therefore give electricity suppliers plenty of warning of storms.
The belief is that if a very bad storm was predicted then taking the electricity grid offline – or creating a power cut – before the solar storm hit Earth would be a better option than trying to keep things running smoothly.
Officials are preparing for a powerful solar storm in the very near future and therefore are preparing to take electricity grids offline to protect supplies. Utility Exchange reported earlier this year that a massive solar storm was overdue as the sun is moving into its most active phase of an 11-12 year cycle.
So next time there’s a power cut, it may be part of a deliberate response to a solar storm and not just a fault on the line.
http://www.utility-exchange.co.uk/electricity-cuts-may-protect-national-grid-from-solar-storm-14342/
The threat of a solar storm hitting Earth has led to officials in both the UK and the United States preparing for controlled cuts in electricity supplies to protect the national grid.
The threat of a powerful solar storm has been predicted for some months now and controlled power cuts will help to protect the national grid, according to the director of the US Space Weather Prediction Centre.
Unless the national grid is protected a solar storm such as the one being forecast could damage electricity grids and it could take months or even years to repair.
¤=[Post Update]=¤
Here is the article for any having trouble with the link...
The threat of a solar storm hitting Earth has led to officials in both the UK and the United States preparing for controlled cuts in electricity supplies to protect the national grid.
The threat of a powerful solar storm has been predicted for some months now and controlled power cuts will help to protect the national grid, according to the director of the US Space Weather Prediction Centre.
Unless the national grid is protected a solar storm such as the one being forecast could damage electricity grids and it could take months or even years to repair.
Dr Brogan of the US Space Weather Prediction Centre is working to set up another prediction centre in the UK. This will be able to help provide a co-ordinated response to any threats from solar flares which look as they could cause serious disruption to electronic equipment.
One of the problems is that such solar storms threaten to cause massive power surges in the national grids as a result of geomagnetic storms. These happen when solar flares collide with the magnetic field of the Earth.
According to Dr Brogan, sudden surges during such a magnetic storm could damage transformers connected to power lines which can cover hundreds of miles. He said “It points to a potential scenario where large parts of either North America or northern Europe may be without power from between days or weeks, to perhaps months and, in extreme cases, there are estimates that it could last years”.
Any such damage would obviously have a hugely damaging effect on not just households but businesses across the country. It’s therefore important that domestic and business electricity suppliers are warned when events such as this are expected. This is what the collaboration with the US Space Weather Prediction Centre is aimed at. The hope is that by working together they will be able to better predict solar storms and therefore give electricity suppliers plenty of warning of storms.
The belief is that if a very bad storm was predicted then taking the electricity grid offline – or creating a power cut – before the solar storm hit Earth would be a better option than trying to keep things running smoothly.
Officials are preparing for a powerful solar storm in the very near future and therefore are preparing to take electricity grids offline to protect supplies. Utility Exchange reported earlier this year that a massive solar storm was overdue as the sun is moving into its most active phase of an 11-12 year cycle.
So next time there’s a power cut, it may be part of a deliberate response to a solar storm and not just a fault on the line.