Solar Storms Affirmative – 4 Week Lab [1/3]
Solar Storms Impact – Electronic Pearl Harbor
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- Solar Storms Impact – Grid/Transformer Collapse
Solar Storms Impact – Electronic Pearl HarborSolar Storms will cause an Electronic Pearl Harbor making the US extremely vulnerable to its effects Eccleston, Chief Consultant for the Environmental Planning and NEPA Services Corporation and Stuyvenberg, Environmental Project Manager, US Nuclear Regulatory Comission, 2011 (Charles and Andrew, Environmental Quality Management, “The Perfect Electrical Storm? “ Volume 20, Issue 3, Article first published online: 14 MAR 2011, DOI 10.1002/tqem / Spring 2011 / 43 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tqem.20288/pdf , accessed 7-2-11, ASR) 45 Since the modern power grid is linked into almost every major aspect of modern society, the effects of an 1859-like event would be almost beyond description. planetary defenses may increase the likelihood of a major solar storm occurring as early as 2012. Despite this threat, the NAS report on severe space weather events has received relatively little attention. Perhaps some dismiss it as “just more 2012 hyperbole.” Interestingly, however, informed observers seem inclined to take the report seriously. Some see the threat of a major solar storm as an “electronic Pearl Harbor.” Mike Hapgood, head of space weather at the European Space Agency, has been quoted as saying, “I don’t think the NAS report is scaremongering. Scientists are conservative by nature and this group is really thoughtful. This is a fair and balanced report.”9 The EMP Threat A major grid disruption could also come from a source much closer to home, such as an electromagnetic pulse (EMP)—a powerful and potentially catastrophic burst of electromagnetic energy. EMPs can be created by sudden fluctuations in a magnetic field, or by explosions of nuclear weapons. An EMP caused by a nuclear explosion could knock out virtually all electronics and modern electrical systems in the affected area by inducing large voltage surges. Concerns about vulnerability to EMP attack led Congress to establish a commission to study the threat. In a 2008 report, the commission stated: Because of the ubiquitous dependence of U.S. society on the electrical power system, its vulnerability to an EMP attack, coupled with the EMP’s particular damage mechanisms, creates the possibility of long-term, catastrophic consequences. The implicit invitation to take advantage of this vulnerability, when coupled with increasing proliferation of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, is a serious concern.10 changes over time. NASA’s THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) spacecraft mission has provided new insight into how earth’s magnetic field operates. It has shown that the geomagnetic field sometimes develops tears or holes that allow charged particles to pass through.6 Moreover, it turns out that earth’s magnetic field is “leaky” by nature. The number of particles that can breach this shield depends in part on how the sun’s magnetic field happens to be oriented. According to Marit Oieroset from the University of California, Berkeley, the THEMIS spacecraft fleet has now demonstrated that “Twenty times more solar particles cross the Earth’s leaky magnetic shield when the sun’s magnetic field is aligned with that of the Earth compared to when the two magnetic fields are oppositely directed.”7 Some astronomers believe that the sun’s magnetic polarity could flip direction in the near future. This could lead to a tear in the geomagnetic field that might allow an enormous solar flare to flood in at exactly the time when it could do the most damage (i.e., when solar activity reaches a maximum). One researcher who has studied the topic has been quoted as saying, “we expect stronger storms in the upcoming solar cycle,” in part because of changes in the direction of the sun’s magnetic field.8 An Electronic Pearl Harbor? Given that major solar storms are known to have occurred in the past, most astronomers realize that the relevant question is not whether another such event will happen. Rather, the question is: When will it happen? Solar Storms Impact – Grid/Transformer CollapseA solar storm could destroy 300 electrical transformers in the United States which each take from 1 to 3 years to replace Eccleston, Chief Consultant for the Environmental Planning and NEPA Services Corporation and Stuyvenberg, Environmental Project Manager, US Nuclear Regulatory Comission, 2011 (Charles and Andrew, Environmental Quality Management, “The Perfect Electrical Storm? “ Volume 20, Issue 3, Article first published online: 14 MAR 2011, DOI 10.1002/tqem / Spring 2011 / 43 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tqem.20288/pdf , accessed 7-2-11, ASR) The combination of high solar activity and potentially lowered planetary defenses may increase the likelihood of a major solar storm occurring as early as 2012. Electrical Transformers Transformers—the electrical equivalent of water faucets—are also particularly vulnerable to disruption from a major geomagnetic storm. This is especially true in the case of ultra-high-voltage transformers. The United States uses more of these than any other country. When one of these transformers blows out, it cannot simply be fixed on the spot. In many cases, it can’t be fixed at all and must be replaced. But replacement transformers can be hard to obtain. Currently, purchasers are experiencing lag times of one to three years between placing an order and delivery of a replacement transformer.11 Life in the Dark Loss of electricity could affect every aspect of life in the United States (and worldwide). As the NAS report notes, “Electric power is modern society’s cornerstone technology, the technology on which virtually all other infrastructures and services depend.”12 To gauge the potential damage that might be inflicted by a solar-induced calamity, one of the NAS contributors, John Kappenman, analyzed a large geomagnetic storm that occurred in May 1921. This storm generated ground currents roughly ten times larger than those created by more recent solar storms (such as a 1989 event that caused a blackout in Quebec). Modeling the impacts of a 1921-sized event on the modern power grid, he found that over 300 high-voltage transformers would be at risk of permanent damage. A massive solar storm would collapse the electricity grid Baker et al, University of Colorado Boulder Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, 2008 (Daniel, Space Studies Board Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council of the National Academies “Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts Workshop Report: Committee on the Societal and Economic Impacts of Severe Space Weather Events:A Workshop, National Research Council” http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12507.html, 2008, accessed 7-21-11, ASR) Severe space weather has the potential to pose serious threats to the future North American electric power grid.2 Recently, Metatech Corporation carried out a study under the auspices of the Electromagnetic Pulse Commission and also for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to examine the potential impacts of severe geomagnetic storm events on the U.S. electric power grid. These assessments indicate that severe geomagnetic storms pose a risk for long-term outages to major portions of the North American grid. John Kappenman remarked that the analysis shows “not only the potential for large-scale blackouts but, more troubling, . . . the potential for permanent damage that could lead to extraordinarily long restoration times.” While a severe storm is a low-frequency-of-occurrence event, it has the potential for long-duration catastrophic impacts to the power grid and its users. Impacts would be felt on interdependent infrastructures, with, for example, potable water distribution affected within several hours; perishable foods and medications lost in about 12-24 hours; and immediate or eventual loss of heating/air conditioning, sewage disposal, phone service, transportation, fuel resupply, and so on. Kappenman stated that the effects on these interdependent infrastructures could persist for multiple years, with a potential for significant societal impacts and with economic costs that could be measurable in the several-trilliondollars- per-year range. Electric power grids, a national critical infrastructure, continue to become more vulnerable to disruption from geomagnetic storms. For example, the evolution of open access on the transmission system has fostered the transport of large amounts of energy across the power system in order to maximize the economic benefit of delivering the lowest-cost energy to areas of demand. The magnitude of power transfers has grown, and the risk is that the increased level of transfers, coupled with multiple equipment failures, could worsen the impacts of a storm event. Kappenman stated that “many of the things that we have done to increase operational efficiency and haul power long distances have inadvertently and unknowingly escalated the risks from geomagnetic storms.” This trend suggests that even more severe impacts can occur in the future from large storms. Kappenman noted that, at the same time, no design codes have been adopted to reduce geomagnetically induced current (GIC) flows in the power grid during a storm. Operational procedures used now by U.S. power grid operators have been developed largely from experiences with recent storms, including the March 1989 event. These procedures are generally designed to boost operational reserves and do not prevent or reduce GIC flows in the network. For large storms (or increasing dB/dt levels) both observations and simulations indicate that as the intensity of the disturbance increases, the relative levels of GICs and related power system impacts will also increase proportionately. Under these scenarios, the scale and speed of problems that could occur on exposed power grids have the potential to impact power system operators in ways they have not previously experienced. Therefore, as storm environments reach higher intensity levels, it becomes more likely that these events will precipitate widespread blackouts in exposed power grid infrastructures. The possible extent of a power system collapse from a 4800 nT/min geomagnetic storm (centered at 50° geomagnetic latitude) is shown in Figure 7.1. Such dB/dt levels—10 times those experienced during the March 1989 storm—were reached during the great magnetic storm of May 14-15, 1921. The least understood aspect of this threat is the permanent damage to power grid assets and how that will impede the restoration process. Transformer damage is the most likely outcome, although other key assets on the grid are also at risk. In particular, transformers experience excessive levels of internal heating brought on by stray flux when GICs cause a transformer’s magnetic core to saturate and to spill flux outside the normal core steel magnetic circuit. Kappenman stated that previous well-documented cases have involved heating failures that caused melting and burn-through of large-amperage copper windings and leads in these transformers. These multi-ton apparatus generally cannot be repaired in the field, and if damaged in this manner, they need to be replaced with new units, which have manufacture lead times of 12 months or more. In addition, each transformer design can contain numerous subtle design variations that complicate the calculation of how and at what density the stray flux can impinge on internal structures in the transformer. Therefore the ability to assess existing transformer vulnerability or even to design new transformers that can tolerate saturated operation is not readily achievable. The experience from recent space weather events suggests a threatening outcome for today’s infrastructure from historically large storms that are yet to occur. Recent analysis by Metatech estimates that more than 300 large EHV transformers would be exposed to levels of GIC sufficiently high to place these units at risk of failure or permanent damage requiring replacement. Figure 7.2 shows an estimate of percent loss of EHV transformer capacity by state for a 4800 nT/min threat environment such as might occur during a storm of the magnitude of the May 1921 event. Such large-scale damage would likely lead to prolonged restoration and long-term shortages of supply to the affected regions. In summary, present U.S. grid operational procedures are based largely on limited experience, generally do not reduce GIC flows, and are unlikely to be adequate for historically large disturbance events. Historically large storms have a potential to cause power grid blackouts and transformer damage of unprecedented proportions, long-term blackouts, and lengthy restoration times, and chronic shortages for multiple years are possible. As Kappenman summed up, “An event that could incapacitate the network for a long time could be one of the largest natural disasters that we could face.” Directory: file -> view view -> Western Europe after wwii view -> Author study: paul fleischman view -> Qpa1 7ela study Guide view -> Arctic Oil/Gas Neg view -> November 1970 Approximately 150,000-500,000 deaths Bhola Cyclone Bangladesh view -> Grade Level: 6 Unit of Study: Caribbean glce view -> Citation: Duffield, Katy view -> Table of Contents Lesson # view -> Chinese Wind Energy Disad Download 0.93 Mb. Share with your friends:
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