The northern lights' dark twin is a wild card for the power grid
Phys.org • • health
Key Points:
- Scientists are investigating how magnetic currents from solar storms spread beneath Earth's crust to better protect sensitive transformer stations in the power grid from damage caused by geomagnetic storms.
- Intense solar activity, peaking roughly every 11 years, induces low-frequency electric currents underground that can overload transformers, as seen in Norway's Namsos and Sandnes municipalities where transformers were manually disconnected to prevent failure.
- Researchers are developing a new model combining real-time magnetic field measurements from Nordic magnetometers with geological data to map how geomagnetically induced currents propagate and affect power infrastructure.
- This model aims to predict the impact of solar storms on transformer stations, enabling timely manual interventions to avoid outages while minimizing unnecessary disconnections.
- Ultimately, the project seeks to create a "weather map" for magnetic fields underground to improve decision-making for grid operators and enhance resilience against extreme solar storm events.
