Why Solar Storms Could Be The Biggest Risks To Technology

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When we continue to fight the impact of Covid-19 pandemic throughout the world, businesses are increasingly dependent on digital solutions and communication networks.

But what if the system is taken naturally?

There is a real risk that the geomagnetic storm triggered by solar energy explosions can flood our strengths, turn off the cell tower and paralyze communication throughout the world.

What Is a Solar Storm?

The sun sometimes releases hidden energy in the form of plasma explosion called coronal mass (CME) ejection or solar flare. CMES can dramatically convert the earth’s magnetic field, which can cause electricity networks to fail because equipment is influenced or destroyed.

What Can Be Done to Protect Against Solar Storms?

Rob Manning, vice president for transmission at the electric power research institute, said that utilities had worked on solutions. Some organizations build bank capacitors that can absorb and eliminate excessive energy. Electric reducer devices called Faraday cages can also surround critical equipment and provide protection against current.

The Department of Energy U.S (DOE) also builds flywheels that physically can drain excess energy from the grid by rotating faster or slower.

However, no this solution is perfect. “There are several devices that will base the outflow and delete them from the system, but it creates some unwanted consequences,” Manning said. “It’s like taking a drug that fixes the problem you might have, but has unwanted side effects.”

The best way to prevent disaster effects from solar storms is predicting them in advance. Inner space observatories (DSCOVR) provide important data about the time and speed of solar bursts, and even better warning systems in development. With the right warnings, the power system can be closed safely to reduce or eliminate the risk of overloading.

In 2019, the National Science Foundation also began to release images of the Solar Telescope Daniel K. Inouye, the most powerful solar observatory in the world. Telescopes are one of the solar astronomy projects which are part of the overall effort to protect our planet from the impact of solar disaster flares.

Solar storms strong enough to bring havoc on electronic equipment strike Earth every 25 years. The last major solar flare was recorded in April 2001, which was stronger than 1989 which disrupted electric grid in Canada. Fortunately, the sound was not intended to go straight to the earth.