Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months

[WhiteTara]

This is expected to peak in 2012, with the flares ramping up in 2010. It comes from fox, so it is somewhat suspect; but interesting.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478024,00.html

When the sun is in the active phase of its 11-year cycle, it can unleash powerful magnetic storms that disable satellites, threaten astronaut safety, and even disrupt communication systems on Earth.

The worst storms can knock out power grids by inducing currents that melt transformers.

Modern power grids are so interconnected that a big space storm — the type expected to occur about once a century — could cause a cascade of failures that would sweep across the United States, cutting power to 130 million people or more in this country alone, the new report concludes.

Such widespread power outages, though expected to be a rare possibility, would affect other vital systems.
snip
The race is on for better forecasting abilities, as the next peak in solar activity is expected to come around 2012.

While the sun is in a lull now, activity can flare up at any moment, and severe space weather — how severe, nobody knows — will ramp up a year or two before the peak.

It goes on. I guess the "moral" is grow some food and we're all going to die (which of course is an eventual and inevitable event)

[davsand]

1. Such a message of hope!

:evilgrin:

Sorry, I just had to be a smartypants.

-----

Do you have any idea how these solar storms manage to melt transformers? Is this like some sort of lightning strike or a big blast of some sort of electromagnetic energy?

I'd think the physical danger to us humans would be pretty high too--forget about the electrical grid! I can't imagine it is gonna help any of us to get blasted with some sort of high energy wave. I'm wondering about everybody needing to live in a cave for a while--ya know?

:shrug:


Laura

[Why Syzygy]

2. I got that

the electricity that the transformers handle would be influenced in such a way as to burn the transformers from the inside, so to speak. A malfunction of epic proportions.

I've been watching the History channels countdown of world disasters that could terminate human life on this planet. Asteroid, nuclear war, caldera, global warming, etc. If it comes down to the asteroid, we would know the exact second it would hit. Friday the 13th, don't recall the date, 2036. Wouldn't that be trippy? If it came to that, I think I would have to make a crusade to free prisoners. It sounds dangerous, but I think everyone should be free at the end.

[davsand]

3. Kevsand watches those shows too.

I always skip them and play here at DU instead. I dunno, seems to me that there are any number of things I can worry about and I probably have no need to increase my personal list any. I asked him the other day when he was watching some disaster thing (also on History Channel--what IS it with those guys?) was he watching the "Disaster du Jour?" We had a giggle about it. (Right now he's watching football so that may take the place of some other unhappy event--I dunno.)

Anyhow, to get back to the actual discussion at hand, we live in a rural are where the electrical rid is kinda fragile. I joke sometimes that when a sparrow sneezes on the other end of the county OUR power goes out. I have noticed that when the electrical grid does go down EVERYTHING stops working. It isn't just a matter of no TV or computers it is a matter of no heat, no sump pumps, no hot food (nor any way to produce any) and no source of light after the sun goes down. You can deal with it for a while, but I am very serious when I say that most folks will not fare well without power for more than a couple of weeks.

We kind of see it when the hurricanes or other natural disasters knock out the services, but if it is nationwide there IS no such thing as a relief effort.

Something I have been looking at is the idea of incorporating enough of the old ways (pre-electricity) and the new technology that is not dependent on the grid into our household that we could function a little better. For instance, I just bought a couple of the wind up LED lanterns this last year. I also keep a bunch of lamps, oil and wicks on hand. I have a backup gas power floor furnace that will heat enough of my house to keep the pipes from freezing. I'm looking to install a water pressured sump pump that is not driven by electricity...

It won't be pretty, but it might just make a difference in a emergency one day.

Frankly I want to build a house that incorporates a lot of this stuff into the design so that we don't NEED to be on the grid anymore. I'm not some rabid survivalist, but I am somebody that thinks it never hurts to be prepared for hard times. Maybe my desire to do this is driven more by spirit than I know.


Laura

[Why Syzygy]

5. DIY Solar panels

http://www.siliconsolar.com/diy-solar-panel-kits.html

I want to get something like that for my tent :D

If it comes to some of the disasters they are speaking about, solar or alternate energy won't help. Underground survival would be about the only option.

[davsand]

4. Edit--dupe!

I guess I thought it was important enough I needed to say it twice!


:rofl:


Laura

[SheilaT]

6. I personally take all of these dire

warnings with a very large amount of skepticism. There have been solar flares in the past that were supposed to knock out all our communications satellites, and so far the satellites are still up there and operating.

[WhiteTara]

8. me too, SheilaT

I worked for a tv station and we were always getting solar flair warnings and I don't remember a single instance of it knocking our satelites out. Of course, I sure it can.

I think my favorite "scare" is the meteor coming to earth in another few thousand years. We should all be scared!

[mother earth]

7. Fox & the history channel are always doom & gloom....but then

the media belongs to a chosen few...it's interesting that the history channel is now showing what they've entitled, Armageddon Week...seems to be a new year tradition to let us all know it could end in a minute. I guess not enough people are getting the brimstone & fire preaching these days to put sufficient fear into their psyches. It makes me wonder why.

Maybe they just want us all to go solar? :eyes: