Slashdot Mirror
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).
Why settle for tin foil hats when you can have tin foil powerplants, houses, cars, etc. It just makes sense.
Sometimes I wish we could throw away technology, and go back to the old days...less stress. Just as long as they don't take my cell phone, wi-fi, internet, DVD's LOL.
... be supporting the governments and their military for which an EMP would most likely come from.
Just more terrorism from those we pay taxes to.
If the grid was shielded, could it be used for broadband Internet?
Transporter_ii
Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
will burying the cables under ground help? sorry if its a dumb question
through a $165,000 project recently approved by the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program
Sounds like pork to me... I hope McCaine shuts this down!
Soon nobody will want to waste an expensive bomb on your broke asses anyway.
Am I the only one who read "IAN staff" as "I Am Not staff" and then thought I am not staff? That doesn't make sense. Fucking slashdot summary!
Ohhhhh... wait a minute... I.A.N... fucking slashdot abbreviations!
This is my footer. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
solar flares need to be shielded from as well.
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.
What do they teach kids in schools these days. Let me explain. The scenario is the detonation of a 1 megaton nuclear device at 250 miles. That's in space, btw. It would not directly kill a single person. When that happens the EMP field would actually cover the US and a good chunk of Canada, and parts of Mexico. Wait, he's gonna say that I'm full of crap.... proof: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_altitude_nuclear_explosion Look at the effects while you're there. And if you say that it can't happen.... You'll see that it already has been done.
From the Wikipedia page on EMP (which quotes a Federation of American Scientists article):
"The pulse can easily span continent-sized areas, and this radiation can affect systems on land, sea, and air. The first recorded EMP incident accompanied a high-altitude nuclear test over the South Pacific and resulted in power system failures as far away as Hawaii. A large device detonated at 400â"500 km (250 to 312 miles) over Kansas would affect all of the continental U.S. The signal from such an event extends to the visual horizon as seen from the burst point."
The test mentioned is the Starfish 1.4 megaton high altitude test. That link has many more details.
EMP affects all sorts of electrical devices. Car computers would likely be more seriously affected than vintage, non-computer cars unless they have been EMP shielded as most military equipment is. Most regular cars have no such protection.
... I don't think MIPS means Maryland Industrial Partnerships to the slashdot crowd.
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.
There are many other ways to form EMPs. The problem is making them powerful enough. A shorted out magnetotron in a microwave generates enough EM to screw up any nearby electronics (blew out my microwave, killed my computer, TV, router, and stereo. Everything else in other rooms were fine, just the kitchen and living room were affected, and they're on separate circuits.)
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
EMP threat is way exaggerated
http://www.alternet.org/story/25738/
A 1.4 megaton thermonuclear weapon detonated 250 miles above Johnston Island in the Pacific affected street lamps, circuit breakers, cars and radio stations in Hawaiian, 800 miles to the north. Starfish Prime was a thermonuclear device with a yield over a hundred times that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Minimal damage 800 miles away. 1% of street lights and some fused ignitions in cars.
Just more terrorism from those we pay taxes to.
It's a trick! He's from the USSR, just trying to get us to stop paying our taxes, THEN the commies will win!
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.