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Ruphus -> RE: Black Hole eats sun (Apr. 6 2019 11:27:31)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Piwin
@Ruphus
"Given the extensive impact geomagnetic storms can have on the electric grid and power supply, preventative measures that may mitigate the effect of these storms are important. The JASON Defense Advisory Panel Report recommends establishing a space weather monitoring program for CMEs and ensuring the safety of vital grid components with protective installations.
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 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 from 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. 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 transformers), the cost of prevention is much smaller than the cost of the damage a single storm can create."
- Solar storm risk to the North American electric grid (Lloyd's / Atmospheric and Environmental Research)
Thank you, Piwin. That is what I wanted to know.
So there are ways to at least somewhat protect public grid and supply. (While devices at chains end -I suppose- can´t be protected. ... Other than putting them into containers of shielding material of the kind I know for instance a company in the Netherlands produces. ... Too expensive for your average household, but maybe viable for special demands like with medical electronics in hospitals, etc.)
Seeing the expenses quoted (yet, for a country like Canada, hence, lots of area / distance at low density of population = higher costs per head), it should be matter of course to see such measures taken everywhere as urban standard.
Such a standard not being in place in spite of potential consequences to communities and their budgets, indicates where priority of safety and public benefit actually reside. Respectively, where it is at with realistic representation of the people.
Whereas in the truth of plutocracy, worries about consequences hardly exist (at an proportion roughly equal with worldwide prophylaxis taken) while any potential damage counts as another common option of margin dorado in supplying repair and renewing to states and communities, whilst public´s bleeding after robbed state´s budgets hardly ever proves to be of relevance.
I (dis)like to state that the dimension of given HSS prophylaxis indicates the existing measure of democracy.
Societies, socio-economy and reason that would be of and for the people, including social / ethical justice, systemic education / communications and untouched voting are as far from given options like sun from the earth.
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