Why solar storms are probably the biggest risk to technological developments

Text/Bernard Marr

As we continue to fight the impact of COVID-19 globally, businesses are increasingly relying on digital solutions and communication networks.

But what if these systems are naturally destroyed?

A geomagnetic storm triggered by a solar eruption has the potential to destroy our grids, shut down cell towers, and disrupt global communications.

Scientists are using space-based research to understand the sun's energy to protect our connections. Experts are also making every effort to protect the power station from solar storms.

What is a solar storm?

The Sun occasionally releases suppressed energy in the form of plasma bursts known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) or solar flares. Coronal mass ejections can dramatically alter the Earth's magnetic field, which can lead to grid failures as equipment is affected or destroyed.

If this were the case today, the disaster would destroy power plants, transmission lines and substations throughout the region or city. Much of the world's population could lose power for weeks on end, leading to health crises, food shortages, and devastating economic impacts.

In the U.S. federal government, more than 25 different programs are working on how to prevent solar storms from damaging our power grid.

How to prevent solar storms?

Rob Manning, vice president of power transmission at the Electric Power Institute, said utilities are already working on solutions. Some organizations are building capacitor banks that can absorb and consume excess energy. An electrical attenuation device, known as a Faraday cage, can also surround critical equipment and provide current protection.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is also building flywheels that can suck excess energy from the grid by spinning faster or slower.

However, none of these solutions are perfect. "Some devices will ground the current and remove it from the system, but this will have some unintended consequences," Manning said. "It's like taking a drug that solves a problem you might have, but has unintended side effects."

The best way to prevent the catastrophic effects of solar storms is to predict them in advance. The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) provides critical data on the timing and speed of solar eruptions, and is even developing better early warning systems. With proper early warning, the power system can be shut down safely to reduce or eliminate the risk of overload.

In 2019, the National Science Foundation also began releasing images of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, the world's most powerful solar observatory. The telescope is part of the Solar Astronomy Project and is part of an overall effort to protect the Planet from catastrophic solar flares.

About every 25 years, powerful solar storms wreak havoc on Electronics on Earth. The last large-scale solar flare appeared in April 2001 and was more intense than the one that disrupted Canada's power grid in 1989. Fortunately, the flare does not point directly at Earth.

Bernard Marr is a Forbes contributor and expresses opinions on behalf of individuals only.

Translated by Stephen