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originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: LuXTeN
Actually the possibility is rather low hence there ambivalence regarding the hardening of our national grids against such an event.
Currently, four space satellites (SOHO - Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, ACE – Advanced Composition Explorer, and STEREO A/B – Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) monitor the Sun. Situated between the Sun and Earth or along Earth’s orbit, these satellites can provide warnings of incoming CMEs on a timescale of a few days to hours. These warnings allow electric grid operators to take protective measures (i.e., decrease the electric load in the grid and increase reactive power production) before the storm hits. However these satellites are all several years past their planned mission lives 43 and only one has a replacement scheduled to launch in 2014. Additionally, several steps can be taken to harden the electric grid against geomagnetically induced currents: neutral -current -blocking capacitors can be installed to block GIC from flowing into at -risk transformers, series -line capacitors can be installed on autotransformers, improvements can be made to the tripping techniques to avoid false tripping f rom GIC harmonics, and the utilisation of GIC monitors at transformers will ensure that current levels remain stable. Since the 1989 Quebec storm and power outage, the Canadian government has invested $1.2 billion (about $34 per person) into protecting the Hydro- Quebec grid infrastructure, installing numerous blocking capacitors 44 . While these mitigation strategies can be expensive up front (estimated cost of $100k per blocking capacitor for a total of $100 million to protect the 1,000 most vulnerable transformer s 45 ), the cost of prevention is much smaller than the cost of the damage a single storm can create.
However, magnetic field strength and orientation of incoming plasma – key ingredients in forecasting Earth impacts, can only be measured with a lead time of 15- 30 minutes. Additionally, these satellites are all past their mission lives, and replacements are essential for monitoring solar activity in the near future. Improvement in forecasting Earth impacts will only be made by funding research targeted at predicting and continued investment in the infrastructure necessary to measure impulsive solar wind events
originally posted by: LuXTeN
a reply to: charlyv
No I wouldn't. You know why? I have something called survival skills ... Nice try though
originally posted by: InTheLight
a reply to: Bedlam
? ... nuclear reactors will scram? What does that mean?
originally posted by: charlyv
originally posted by: LuXTeN
a reply to: charlyv
No I wouldn't. You know why? I have something called survival skills ... Nice try though
In a world of no food, no electricity, no job and no transportation...