EMP-Shielded Power Grids Under Development

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from MarketWatch: "A one-megaton nuclear bomb detonated 250 miles over Kansas could cripple many modern electronic devices and systems in the continental US and take out the power grid for a long time. ... A solar storm similar to the one that occurred in 1859, which shorted out telegraph wires in the United States and Europe, could wreak havoc on electrical systems. Each of the above scenarios can create a powerful electromagnetic pulse that overloads electronic devices and systems. IAN staff and Frostburg State University physics and engineering professor Hilkat Soysal are teaming — through a $165,000 project recently approved by the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program — to create renewable energy-powered, electromagnetic pulse (EMP)-protected microgrids that could provide electricity for critical infrastructure facilities in the event of a disaster." Also available are an EMP threat assessment (PDF) written for the US Congress and an estimate of economic impact (PDF).

Comments

Shielded grid?

[transporter_ii]

If the grid was shielded, could it be used for broadband Internet?

Transporter_ii

Re:Shielded grid?

[amorsen]

Even unshielded, it can be. It's just expensive to protect your modem from 10kV and up, and the bandwidth of long aluminium cables isn't very impressive.

underground

[ionix5891]

will burying the cables under ground help? sorry if its a dumb question

Nice

[mysidia]

that could provide electricity for critical infrastructure facilities in the event of a disaster."

"Critical infrastructure" had better include the Wal-marts, fire, police, gas stations...

And most importantly: the internet.

The potential effects of a massive EMP or power outage are so bad, that the traditional notion of "critical infrastructure" may not be enough.

I.E. If businesses are down (no power) for months, then you have a situation where people can't purchase essential supplies, AND since a large EMP would effect a large area, noone nearby can spare them.

How about Hurricane Resistant Power Grids?

[jefftp]

Hurricane Ike knocked out power across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. We need to divert this money away from worrying about preventing a power grid outage due to an extremely unlikely nuclear strike and towards finding ways to keep natural, regularly occuring forces from bringing down power for 6 million people across the center of the US.

IKE was preventable

[woolio]

Hurricane Ike knocked out power across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. We need to divert this money away from worrying about preventing a power grid outage due to an extremely unlikely nuclear strike and towards finding ways to keep natural, regularly occuring forces from bringing down power for 6 million people across the center of the US

The outages caused by Hurricane Ike WERE PREVENTABLE!

In Houston, there are trees completely growing around power poles. The news doesn't talk about this, but regular trimming/maintenance WAS NOT DONE. It is no wonder the branches snapped the lines.

Look at it this way: Natural Gas sevice was not interrupted. Water was only interrupted for 1-2 days due to issues in the pumping station. Why was electricity out for 2 weeks? Because all other utilities have enough sense to BURY their lines. Can you imagine what would have happened if water pipes were run on poles 20 feet off the ground?

Had Houston and other areas buried electrical lines, we wouldn't have been in this mess.