SPACE PERIL

Dear Editor

Perils from space

An interesting letter in the Welsh national paper ‘Western Mail’ regarding solar observations, from Dr Morgan, reader in Physical Sciences at Aberystwyth University (29 March, 2024); in particular his reference to Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). These ejections of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun can cause havoc to satellites, aircraft, and telecommunications – and of course power supplies. How many readers will appreciate that the proliferation of wind and solar farms, not to mention all the additional pylon routes, will expose the UK Grid to a much more widespread and damaging outage?

    This is not scare mongering but facing reality, as during a solar storm in March 1989, the Hydro-Quebec (Canada) power grid went down, resulting in damage and loss in revenue at an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars. It should be noted this was a third less powerful than the Carrington Event of 1859 when telegraph operators actually received electrical shocks! Recognise the electrical equipment in those days was more resilient to high voltages than today’s sensitive electronics and equipment – a similar event today could prove catastrophic for our electrical and technological dependent society – everything you care to think about is now totally dependent on a secure power supply.

Dave Haskell

Brithdir