“Briefly, so I don’t post the whole thing again, an EMP from a solar flare goes in a straight line from the sun and we will know where it is going to hit. It goes directly into the electric grid. If you have a device plugged into the wall, it’s fried.”
Thanks for the compliment, but please let me correct something here:
The EMP from a solar flare is caused by charged particles traveling at a high rate of speed hitting the geomagnetic field and displacing it. when a magnetic field is displaced, it generates a voltage in wires that directly cross that magnetic field.
So your assertion that anything plugged in will be “fried” is incorrect.
Let’s put it to scale: A Nuclear EMP E-1 pulse electric field may rise to 50,000V/m (that’s volts per METER) from 5kHz to 1000MHz
A solar flare of Carrington class may rise to 30 V/km (that’s volts per KILOMETER). so this is why electronics (say a TV) will be unaffected - there is simply not enough induced voltage from a solar flare to impact it. However, let’s say you’ve got a power line that is 1000km long - that will create a DC offset in a transformer of 30,000 Volts - High voltage transformers are linear devices, and highly optimized. An offset of 30,000 volts will saturate the transformer every half-cycle. what happens to the energy in saturation? It dumps to heat. the heat, if not dissipated, quickly builds up and may melt windings or boil off cooling oil. Eventually (even quickly) go “boom”.
Also, during the saturation condition, harmonics are created on the grid - this will cause grid instability - it COULD cause transient voltages in places (but surge protection devices that are standard these days can easily deal with this). Chances are, all plugged in electronics will be just fine in a solar flare.
So a solar flare cannot damage electronics directly. There may be failure modes where transient voltages could be propagated that may damage electronics if there are no surge protection devices in your transformer, meter, main service panel, or on a power strip.....if you are that unlucky, it COULD happen - but is unlikely to be widespread.
Now lets talk about the EMP commission testing on cars.
You are correct in your reading of the report. What is not known is how actually representative of an EMP pulse the test range they used was. the true answer is we simply do not know how vulnerable our elecctronics are to an EMP - but......we DO know that semiconductors are trending to faster processors, which are dimensionally smaller, that means that over time electronics become more vulnerable to a nuclear EMP event.
Anyway.....that’s out there for discussion.
“A solar flare of Carrington class may rise to 30 V/km (that’s volts per KILOMETER)”
I meant to add that the frequency content of a solar flare EMP is on the order of Hz, not kHz or MHz, or GHz.
The commission centered on attack EMPs, so that information comes from that report.
Yes, cars will run, however that is the least of the problems since gasoline and every commodity people need to live will be in short supply first and then there will be none. That's another reason why I prep. That would be like the hurricane coming through my town like it has before and taken out power and all the food and gas had been bought up. That is the way it would be for a very long time. I am reminded of that when each hurricane comes through.
The first thing I notice when power goes off in the whole town, is the total silence. Not one background noise. Sure, some say they would welcome that, but it is discomforting when that quiet goes on day after day unless you have a way to create “comfort” noise. I have a battery portable digital TV so I can find out what is happening around me. If you haven't experienced damage over a hundred miles around you - you can't find out squat if you don't have a way to find out if your area is really damaged or if the utilities are okay to use, etc.. Those involved can't see what has happened if they have no working TV.
After Ike went through, due to the portable battery TV, I could see the terrible damage done to Galveston, to Texas City, to League City, to Houston, and to my area. Seeing what is out there allows one to adjust to it faster.
I like the calculations, but what is your basis for the data for the Carrington event? Were there meters that took good scientific data then? Think about it, harnassed AC electrial energy was still a few decades down the road. As I stated in an earlier post, would voltage of that magnitude (as you stated) be enough to generate enough power and heat to catch a DC cell on fire? Electronics utilizes wiring too. What is to prevent enough from intruding into that wiring to inflict the damage so many fear?