Also think about a solar storm, which is how I got interested in this subject in the first place. There is a lot of concern about this. We have been lucky so far. We would do OK in case of modest solar events, we already have. But its like earthquakes, once in a while, roughly a century, maybe even more , and there are gigantic solar storms. Made no difference in the 19th century but this is an altogether different world. 100 % certainty, if one hit us with no warning it would blow out at least half of the transformers in the country. Maybe more like 80% plus. No way to replace more than a few, Pentagon and the like, but that would be it. We would be screwed royally for months, some areas for more than a year as orders were filled with some priorities more important than others, like heavy industry and the military and utilities. Everyone else would need to wait, and the Chinese could extort a fortune from us for expedited re-supply. After they filled their own needs. Meanwhile much of the country would be in meltdown --figuratively-- as businesses collapsed, institutions like hospitals suffered enormously, and on and on. That's for a solar storm of great magnitude. Could happen in 2015 or 2050, no-one knows. Better predictability would solve part of the problem. If you had enough warning just shut them down. OK, but who would like it to lose power for 24 hours or more ? But that is better than loss of power for 24 weeks. This also is cyberwar relevant. Suppose someone figures out how to fry the grid and deliberately blows out the transformers ? Wouldn't need to be the whole grid, just California would be enough to cause tremendous havoc. As things are we cannot manufacture them here. How in heck is this remotely acceptable policy ? Billy
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