What’s a solar storm? And what are the risks?

With our society more dependent on electricity and the internet than ever before, some people believe a severe enough explosion from the sun could end the digital age. In 2012, a solar storm much more powerful than the Carrington Event occurred — one that could have knocked out our communication and power grids. Fortunately, it just missed the Earth. At some point, though, we can expect at least some damage to occur from a powerful geomagnetic storm.

Major utilities are aware of this and are already coming up with, or implementing, ways to mitigate or prevent damage to the grid from a solar storm. This includes setting up temporary transformers in the event that existing ones are destroyed, or installing flywheels and other dampening devices that remove excess electricity from the grid. Some equipment can also be placed within Faraday cages, which can physically shield them from surges caused by EMPs and solar storms.

To prevent damage, grids can also be shut down temporarily if a storm is anticipated. If a major geomagnetic storm is forecast, you can also prepare at home as you would before any emergency that may cause a power outage, such as a hurricane or earthquake. This includes stocking up on food, water, batteries, medicine, and other supplies, as well as making sure your vehicle’s gas tank is full.

Finally, we need to make sure that institutions such as the Space Weather Prediction Center continue to receive enough funding to monitor the Sun and keep an eye out for any impending solar activity. That way, when the next big solar storm occurs, we’ll be ready.