Stormy sun could knock out power grids - report

Stormy sun could knock out power grids - report

uk.reuters.com

REUTERS:

An upcoming cycle of stormy solar activity risks causing damage to electrical transformers and threatening vulnerable energy infrastructure around the globe, a report by an insurance group says.

The sun follows a predictable 11 year activity cycle, with the next period of stormy activity expected to begin in 2012-13.

The report by German insurance group Allianz said a high impact solar storm, not easily predicted due to its recorded rarity, could cause blackouts and economic losses o

(visit the link for the full news article)

This study comes from Allianz insurance - otherwise, "The severity of a potential disruption has made experts at insurance and national security institutions take notice."

Nothing is going to happen tomorrow - probably - but we're entering a period of bad space weather.

...One that just incidentally coincides with the 2012 predictions. Interesting, yes?

And also interesting that the news is coming out now, especially on Reuters.




uk.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Its happend once, and it will happen again!

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by soficrow


im starting to think this is a fake article.

"Allianz" (aliens)

reply to post by soficrow

Great topic and very timely given how the Sun seems to be coming out of it's slumber and it would seem a bit grumpy at the moment.

As one person already noted, it's happened before and it will happen again. Actually..It happens with a frequency that is downright unnerving:

This is a growing collection of major space weather events in history. This page contains a brief paragraph of the main effects of each solar storm, and a link to an archive of articles written about each storm that you can find in a variety of newspapers and magazines during the time of the storm. These accounts are a rich source of information about how each storm affected various technologies, and captivated the general public. Currently [August 15 , 2005], the archive includes 306 articles.

Brief summaries and links to direct witness accounts of Geomagnetic storms over 150 years.

reply to post by Dillon123


I missed that! "Allianz" and "aliens." Good catch!

More interesting info:

Allianz.com

Insurance, Asset Management and Banking worldwide.

Hmmm.

We have been hearing this story over and over all year why is reuters binging this up again now?

Reuters refers to a report by "Allianz " and on the same page as the article there is an advert for the company.

Apparently :

Allianz SE is a Germany-based financial services provider. The Company operates following business segments: Insurance Operations, Asset Management, and Corporate and Other.

So is this more of an advert than an article?

We're suppose to be heading towards a solar maximum, that happens every five years. But I thought scientists concluded, that we would be trending towards a lull, with almost no activity at all. Some speculated we were headed for a Maunder Minimum.

reply to post by soficrow


Nice to see this in the Main Stream News. Some of us have discussed this before here, I know
I have rattled on about it a few times. Those transformers aren't exactly in stock. Most are produced
after an order has been placed, and they take a year or more to construct.
Most people don't realize what a massive Solar Storm can do. It literally has the potential of completely
wiping out a great deal of satellites and leaving thousands,if not millions of people without electricity
for months or even years.

Spooky Thanks for posting...S&F

reply to post by PhoenixOD


Well maybe finally some banksters went off from the office, looked at the sky for their first time and said "just.. wow"

I have been watching for this type of activity daily for about a month now afters finding I missed an incredible aurora display visible in my area not long ago. We so seldom are able to enjoy these brilliant occurrences in the night sky this far down from the northern pole. There have been some smaller displays visible since that I haven't missed so it's kind of exciting for me.

I follow the activity at Auroral Activity Extrapolated from NOAA POES

reply to post by PhoenixOD


Good catch - and yeah, publishers often trade "news" coverage for ads. 'Tis the way the world works.

...Doesn't mean the news is wrong, just that Allianz wants it out there. Question is, Why? ....Are they raising rates? Cutting coverage? ...If they do reinsurance, they're letting their clients know not to take on related risks for sure.

reply to post by Wildmanimal


Thanks. ...The MSM and big boys wake up when reality might affect their bottom line.

Money makes it real, gained or lost.

And also interesting that the news is coming out now, especially on Reuters.

The "news" has been coming out for a few years but it's only natural that it will do so even more as solar maximum approaches.

While the probability of a major geomagnetic event is greater around solar maximum such a thing can happen at practically any time during the solar cycle. They are also rare events. It is estimated that a storm of the level of the Carrington event occurs on an average of once in 500 years. Another could happen in two weeks, two years, or not for 200 years.

Awareness of the consequences is increasing and various agencies and utilities are considering and undertaking mitigation measures.

reply to post by Phage

Awareness of the consequences is increasing and various agencies and utilities are considering and undertaking mitigation measures.

This possibility was a huge topic in Canada more than 20 years ago - but like pandemic threats, such considerations are dismissed outright until reality smacks someone important upside the head.

Not to say I'm not relieved that various agencies and utilities are finally becoming aware of the consequences and considering to undertake appropriate mitigation measures.

Originally posted by Dillon123
reply to post by soficrow

 

im starting to think this is a fake article.

"Allianz" (aliens)

Not sure if you're being serious here..

But it's a German company and the name means simply "Alliance"..

As for the OP, not sure why it's news to be honest. The threat from solar storms is well known, well covered in any mainstream source and has historical precedent.

They might as well have produced an article on how likely it is to be killed if you flick a lions testicles with a towel.

Stating the bleeding obvious!

reply to post by soficrow

Canada is more likely to be affected than the lower 48 (and Hawaii). They've updated their studies more recently than 20 years ago.
www.solarstorms.org...

Appropriately, DHS is on it too.

The literature on mitigating risk of geomagnetic storm effects on electric power systems is very consistent, focusing on two basic methods of reducing either the vulnerability or the consequence. The first risk mitigation method is hardening; the second is operational procedures.

www.oecd.org...
(Whatever you do, do not read the worst case scenario contained within)

good, I hope the grids are knocked out

humanity needs a really good slap in the face, a "WAKE THE F*** UP" call.

I have seen many documentaries on this very subject like the OP said it happens about every 11 years. Back in the 1800s there was enough electromagnetic interference that telegraph stations across the country caught on fire. They are saying next year the solar storms are going to be strong enough to cause blackouts across the country and world.

I'm sure there are are going to be some problems however most military equipment is shielded from electromagnetic interference from things such as EMPs. Many people say this ties into the end of the Mayan calendar doomsday scenario. I don't buy into that, but it is something to consider.

The US power grid is outdated and needs to be worked on and brought up to specs but I don't think our country is looking at that as a big priority. If the electromagnetic interfearance is strong enough it may even interfere with cars. Essentially it is a week electromagnetic pulse so it has the potential if it is strong enough to cripple the entire world. That is a worse case scenario but most scientists agree it will cause some problems.

It is a enough of a threat for myself to consider buying the old carbureted car just in case something happens but that is about it.

Originally posted by chrismicha77
We're suppose to be heading towards a solar maximum, that happens every five years. But I thought scientists concluded, that we would be trending towards a lull, with almost no activity at all. Some speculated we were headed for a Maunder Minimum.

edit on 2-12-2011 by chrismicha77 because: (no reason given)

This would all make sense considering BIG insurance agency's are nothing but mob run. All they do, is take your money.
Insurance agency's will want to cash in buy hyping up all the propaganda. DOOM, so that you spend your money. By hyping up the propaganda, DOOM. The trick is, to get you, to think you, will be able to cash in, when in reality, What will be left to cash anything in, in a catastrophy so large in scale. They win, because they get your cash, NOW ,to live thru it all. So ask yourself this question with that in mind, why even sell insurance at all for such a large catastrophy. We as people went thru this already. Look at katrina, what happened, insurance companies found a loop hole. The breach in levy. Do yu really, people think that with a catastrophy the size of katrina or bigger you will cash in. he,he,he,he,he, Why not sell insurance, TO IDIOTS.
I believe DOOM, is really comming to a theater near you. I mean, why is everyone building bunkers? Come on now, lets not be IDIOTS and buy this insurance. IF you decide to get insuance like this, WELL, i have a ROCKEFELLER sized bunker just for you, to hide in, for just the right price.$$$$$$$$$.