Newswise — When solar storms release solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME) toward Earth, we can feel the effects here on the ground. They can interfere with our magnetic field and produce geo-magnetically induced currents (GICs). These GICs impact our electric grid and can cause permanent damage to critical grid components, including high-voltage transformers.twitter chat announcement for May 19 at 1 p.m.
While we can’t stop solar storms and CMEs, we can mitigate their effect on the electric grid. And that’s exactly what we aim to do, here at the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).
Partnering with NASA, S&T is developing capabilities to forecast and model GICs and their potential impacts on the U.S. power grid. Through this project, S&T and NASA aim to develop localized forecasts that allow utility operators the ability to make proactive decisions to protect our grid from damage.
How much damage can solar storms do? A geomagnetic storm in March 1989 caused grid disturbances throughout North America. The most disruptive effects were experienced in Quebec, where the grid collapsed in less than two minutes and caused damage to some high voltage transformers. Restoration of service took nine hours and cost $30 million. In October 2003, a powerful series of storms around Halloween not only caused strong disruptions in Northern Europe and a regional blackout in Sweden, but also could have damaged 12 transformers in South Africa, which typically less susceptible to GIC effects due to its low latitude.
Interested? Want to learn more?
On Tuesday, May 19, join S&T and our partners at NASA for a Twitter Chat about these efforts. Please join us on Twitter from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET for a lively discussion about how S&T and NASA are working together to collect the data that will allow us to mitigate space weather effects here on Earth. Submit your questions and comments before, during or after the chat and use the #STTechTalk hashtag to engage in the two-way discussion.
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