Carol- Admin
- Posts : 32064
Join date : 2010-04-07
Location : Hawaii
Carol Mon Aug 06, 2012 2:33 pm
Read full article:
http://www.weather.com/news/solar-superstorm-power-grid-20120806?pageno=1Taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft in February 2011, this time lapse sequence photo reveals the strongest flare to have been released in four years by the sun, which prompted warnings that a resulting geo-magnetic storm could disrupt communications and electrical supplies on earth.Solar Superstorm Could Knock Out U.S. PowerWASHINGTON -- U.S. weather has been lousy this year, with droughts, heat and killer storms. But a solar superstorm could be far worse. A monster blast of geomagnetic particles from the sun could destroy 300 or more of the 2,100 high-voltage transformers that are the backbone of the U.S. electric grid, according to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Even a few hundred destroyed transformers could disable the entire interconnected system. There is impetus for a group of federal agencies to look for ways to prepare for such a storm this year as the sun moves into an active period called solar maximum, expected to peak in 2013. A report by the NAS estimated that about 365 high-voltage transformers in the continental United States are at risk of failure or permanent damage requiring replacement in the event of a solar superstore. more at link above...
_________________
What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
