Quotes directly below
are from
are from
"The Sun Kings",
by Stuart Clark.
“It began
around 6:30
in the evening
on August 28.
An aurora spread
across the northern sky
as far south as Cuba.
The greatest intensity
in color was at the Zenith.
The aurora’s rays emitted
an intense red light.
Flashes of white light
appeared among them.
Similar auroras occurred
in the
southern hemisphere
with one observed
as far north as Sydney,
Australia and in Chile.
The aurora continued
on August 29, and then
again on September 1
and through September 3rd.
Telegraph operators
were thrown from
their equipment –
equipment too hot
to touch from the
surge of electric
currents.
An analysis showed
hat equipment connected
to the longest lines was
damaged the most severely.
These conditions
were observed
in the United States
and London.”
The above events
actually happened
in 1859, and are
referred to as the
Carrington Event,
named for the
astronomer
who reported on
the solar storm.
Other solar storms,
roughly 40% the size
of the Carrington Event,
were in 1921 and 1989.
The 1989 event
caused the grid
in Quebec, Canada
to fail.
Another solar storm
anywhere near the size
of the Carrington Event,
or even half that size,
could significantly damage
the current electric grid.
Specifically,
any of he 300
high voltage
transformers
in the U.S.
and Canada
could fail.
The risk
is high
because
it requires
a year to build
a custom size
high voltage
transformer,
and there are
very few
potential
replacements
available for
transformers
now in service.
The Congressional
Research Service
has said:
“While a few
manufacturers in
the United States
claim to be able to
manufacture
transformers
rated over 300 KV,
it’s not certain
they can do so.”
“High voltage
transformers make up
less than 3% of all
transformers in U.S.
power substations,
but they carry 60%-70%
of the nation’s electricity.”
“The destruction of more than
three transmission substations
would cause long-term blackouts
in many areas of the country.”
“Reportedly, a FERC power flow
analysis in 2013 identified
30 such critical HV transformer
substations across the continental
United States; disabling as few as
nine of these substations
during a time of peak electricity
demand reportedly could cause
a ‘coast-to-coast blackout.’ ”
( from EIA's "High Voltage
Transmission Lines" )
Burnouts of
very high voltage
transformers
would not be an
ordinary type of
blackout that
would be fixed
in a few days.
This potential disaster
could also result from
an electromagnetic
pulse (EMP) nuclear
attack.
President Trump
issued executive
order, EO 13865,
in March, 2019,
to establish actions
needed to protect
the country from
such pulses.
EO 13865 is
the first action
that would address
the civilian population,
not just the military,
from a Carrington
Event, or from an
EMP nuclear attack.
Another
Carrington Event
is inevitable, with
a 100% probability.
Maybe this year,
or this decade,
or the next decade
-- no one knows.
Not knowing
the date
has resulted in
almost no action
for decades.
President Trump's
Executive Order 13865
is a start, but far from
a solution.