https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13705-019-0199-y
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CME - plasma expelled from the sun’s corona.
Electric current is generated at ground level on earth.
The movement of magnetic fields around a conductor, i.e., a wire or pipe, induces an electric
current. The longer the wire, the greater the amplification. The current induced is akin to DC
(direct current), which the electrical system poorly tolerates. Our grid is based on AC. The
excess current can cause voltage collapse, or worse, cause permanent damage to large
transformers.
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Potential mechanisms of power grid 'problems'
Geomagnetic storms
Geomagnetic storms are due to coronal mass ejections (CMEs)—massive eruptions of plasma expelled from the sun’s corona. Plasma is the fourth fundamental state of matter, consisting of free electrons and positively charged ions. The sun, like all stars, is plasma.
Coronal mass ejections often occur with solar flares, but each can also take place in the absence of the other. The latter emits radiation in all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., white light, ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays) and unlike CMEs, affect little more than radio communications.
CME’s take several days to reach the Earth. The radiation generated by solar flares on the other hand arrives in 8 min.
Coronal mass ejections carry an intense magnetic field. If a storm enters the earth’s magnetosphere, it causes rapid changes in the configuration of the earth’s magnetic field. Electric current is generated in the magnetosphere and ionosphere, generating electromagnetic fields at ground level. The movement of magnetic fields around a conductor, i.e., a wire or pipe, induces an electric current. The longer the wire, the greater the amplification. The current induced is akin to DC (direct current), which the electrical system poorly tolerates. Our grid is based on AC. The excess current can cause voltage collapse, or worse, cause permanent damage to large transformers.