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EDITOR’S LETTER
WELCOME
A warm welcome to this month’s
issue of Worldwide Independent
Power - as always bringing you
closer to the stories and issues
affecting on-site power and
cogeneration around the world.
For editorial comments, please do
not hesitate to contact the editor.
BIENVENUE
Soyez le bienvenu à cette issue de
Worldwide Independent Power.
Comme d'habitude, nous vous
apportons toujours plus près des
sujets qui affectent l'énergie et la
co-generation sur place autour du
monde.
N'hésitez pas contacter le
rédacteur pour des commentaires
éditoriaux.
WILLKOMMEN
Herzlich Willkommen zur Ausgabe
dieses Monates von Worldwide
Independent Power. Wie immer
bringen wir Sie näher heran an die
Ereignisse und Geschichten der
Stromerzeugungsindustrie rund um
die Welt.
Für redaktionelle Kommentare und
Anregungen wenden Sie sich bitte
an den Autor.
BIENVENIDO
Bienvenido a esta edición de
Worldwide Independent Power.
Como siempre, acercándolo a los
temas que afectan a la energía y a
la cogeneración in-situ. No dude
en contactar con nuestro editor
para cualquier cuestión editorial.
BENVENUTI
Benvenuti a questa nuova edizione
di Worldwide Independent Power.
Come sempre cercheremo di
offrirvi storie e questioni
riguardanti on-site power e
cogeneration a livello globale. Per
commenti editoriali, si prega di
contattare l'editore.
Aidan Turnbull
- Editor
Adisaster for the world is looming - and there’s nothing we can do to prevent it. But isn’t that
what they said about the so-called ‘Millenium Bug’ back in 1999? Here’s the story.
NASA’s scientists have been advising that in 2013 the Earth will suffer - from a greater to a lesser
extent - from the effects of a magnetic energy storm produced by solar flares. It’s likely that Europe
will face power brownouts and blackouts. National power grids could overheat and air travel is likely to
be severely disrupted while essential electronic items - from navigation devices to major satellites -
could stop working after the Sun reaches its maximum power in a few years.
This super storm could hit like “a bolt of lightning” and may affect the world’s power generating
sectors unless the proper precautions are taken, a NASA official warns.
Dr Richard Fisher, the director of Nasa's Heliophysics division, a department of the Science Mission
Directorate at Nasa headquarters in Washington DC, commented: “We know this period of intense solar
activity is coming but we don’t know how bad it is going to be. It will disrupt communication devices
such as satellites, air travel, the banking system, computers, everything that is electronic. It will cause
major problems for the world. Large areas will be left without power and to repair that damage will be
hard as it will take time.”
Remote regions of the Earth, such as sub-Saharan Africa, could be deprived of power for several
months before transmission systems can be rebuilt, predicts Dr Fisher. “Systems will just not work. The
solar flares change the magnetic field on the earth - that will be rapid and like a lightning bolt. That is
the solar affect.”
Even in a ‘best-case’ scenario, he considers that substantial areas, including northern Europe and
Britain which have relatively fragile power grids, would be without electricity for hours, possibly even
days. Dr Fisher has drawn parallels with preparations being made in a US hurricane season, where the
authorities knew a problem was imminent but did
not know how serious it would be.
“There will be a severe economic impact from
this solar storm. We take it very seriously. The
economic impact could be like a major hurricane
or storm, only scaled-up in size.”
In 2008 the US-based National Academy of
Sciences first suggested that power grids could
“be knocked out by intense solar activity”. It was
said that a powerful solar storm could cause
“twenty times more economic damage than
Hurricane Katrina” - the 2005 storm which left a
damage bill of more than US $125bn (£85bn).
Creating more backup energy-generating systems
for hospitals and power grids is the only practical
answer, says Dr Fisher.
“If you know that a hazard is coming and you
have time enough to prepare and take
precautions, then you can avoid trouble,” he
concluded.
What a revelation. Thank you, Dr Fisher.
Pic: HUBBLE faces all the ferocity of a 2013 solar
storm. [Image - courtesy NASA]
EUROPE ASIA-PACIFIC MIDDLE EAST
W ORLDWIDE I NDEPENDENT P OWER • JUNE 2010
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