Power companies prepare as solar storms set to hit Earth

Ruble Noon · 08-07-2011, 15:58

http://news.yahoo.com/power-companie...144759933.html

cowboy1964 · 08-07-2011, 16:00

Anyone seen large GPS errors this weekend?

**kirgi08** · 08-07-2011, 16:33

Not GPS,it is messing with our comms at work.'08.

lawman800 · 08-08-2011, 03:17

Glad I didn't go out this weekend to anywhere I need a GPS.

TangoFoxtrot · 08-11-2011, 02:43

I call BS! The power companies will not spend one dime on something (they believe) may never happen within our lifetime. My brother in law works for a major power company's nuke plant. He is an engineer and says he sees nothing being done for any solar flare events and stated their bottom line is profits!

cyrsequipment · 08-11-2011, 05:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by TangoFoxtrot

I call BS! The power companies will not spend one dime on something (they believe) may never happen within our lifetime. My brother in law works for a major power company's nuke plant. He is an engineer and says he sees nothing being done for any solar flare events and stated their bottom line is profits!

Well then, since your brother-in-law is an internationally renown expert in... um... well, I'm sure he is an interationally renown expert in something (because you wrote about him on the internet) I'll believe him over anything else, any day.... Thank you so much for setting us straight.... Obviously NO ONE in industry is or has prepped for solar flares or has even experienced them before....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/s...and-power.html

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/06/1...-solar-flares/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...science-space/

eracer · 08-11-2011, 05:34

The sun is a bright globe of fire, carried across the sky each day by Helios, his chariot pulled by four great horses.

TangoFoxtrot · 08-11-2011, 19:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyrsequipment

Well then, since your brother-in-law is an internationally renown expert in... um... well, I'm sure he is an interationally renown expert in something (because you wrote about him on the internet) I'll believe him over anything else, any day.... Thank you so much for setting us straight.... Obviously NO ONE in industry is or has prepped for solar flares or has even experienced them before....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/s...and-power.html

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/06/1...-solar-flares/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...science-space/

First off loose your BS attitude. Secondly I just stated what he told me...He is in the industry...NOT you or me. So I tend to give his opinion some value. You can go ahead and be gullible and believe that a major power company really cares about solar flares or their effects over power grids before their own profits. They worry about solar flares like the government worries about your finances....What planet do you reside on?

cyrsequipment · 08-12-2011, 04:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by TangoFoxtrot

First off loose your BS attitude. Secondly I just stated what he told me...He is in the industry...NOT you or me. So I tend to give his opinion some value. You can go ahead and be gullible and believe that a major power company really cares about solar flares or their effects over power grids before their own profits. They worry about solar flares like the government worries about your finances....What planet do you reside on?

So you really think they don't plan for an eventuality because it does not help their profits? How do you think their profits would be impacted by them losing their customers for a few months?

TangoFoxtrot · 08-13-2011, 06:19

It would be more than a few months. The mindset is that it will never happen in their lifetime. Between the maintenance schedules, budgets and other repair issues they just don't have the time or interest to get it done. They still project they are on top of it, but in actuality they are blowing smoke up the publics @$$ This is what "he" conveyed. I can relate to this because of the same attitude that exists in my industry as well..(military defense contractor).

DaveUSAF · 08-14-2011, 01:39

I work at a large coal fired power plant and we are not doing anything different to prepare for any outages. Just work as normal. The subject of the possible impact of the solar flares and other possible future problems only came up in passing several months ago.

racerford · 08-14-2011, 07:22

There are plenty of things, planning included that go on, that 99.9+% don't know is happening. Does that mean it is not happening?

I do not mean necessarily this specific topic, but maybe they have, as they prepare for a lot of things, including long term power outgages, recovering from large scale terrorist attacks,and natural disasters (Katrina, Rita, Midwest floods, etc). And so far those preparations have worked.

TangoFoxtrot · 08-15-2011, 03:01

Q : ..as they prepare for a lot of things, including long term power outgages, recovering from large scale terrorist attacks,and natural disasters (Katrina, Rita,Midwest floods, etc). And so far those preparations have worked. 

They have???? I remember a lot of people dieing during Katrina because the powers to be were "unprepared"!

racerford · 08-15-2011, 06:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by TangoFoxtrot

Q : ..as they prepare for a lot of things, including long term power outgages, recovering from large scale terrorist attacks,and natural disasters (Katrina, Rita,Midwest floods, etc). And so far those preparations have worked. 

They have???? I remember a lot of people dieing during Katrina because the powers to be were "unprepared"!

Not from my company or from what we do. My company's plans have worked. We helped companies recover from 9/11 that were impacted by the collapse of the towers. Also at the Pentagon. Also in Katrina, and Rita, and Flooding last year. Your don't hear much about it because those recovery plans worked. My company is not a power company but, my point is that a lot of things happen at companies that the vast majority are not aware that are going on. Just because everyone doesn't know the planning is going on does not mean it is not happening. It only takes one guy in purchasing to order 20 or 200 400kv transformers, and the executives to approve the P.O..

People died in Katrina as a result of their inaction. There was plenty of time to evacuate if they had taken the evacuation order seriously. There were people that could not get themselves out but the Mayor chose not to use hundreds of school busses to take them out. . There were plans, some not executed as written, some poorly executed, some ignored, and some thing not properly panned for, and some scenarios not imagined.

**kirgi08** · 08-15-2011, 08:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by racerford

People died in Katrina as a result of their inaction. There was plenty of time to evacuate if they had taken the evacuation order seriously. There were people that could not get themselves out but the Mayor chose not to use hundreds of school buses to take them out. . There were plans, some not executed as written, some poorly executed, some ignored, and some thing not properly panned for, and some scenarios not imagined.

Also the Fed Gov can be implicated for it's lack of assertiveness.It falls on the locale/state ta realize it's peril and frikkin react,not sit back and witch and moan.Lives were lost for fear of lawsuits,stupid is a understatement.'08.

racerford · 08-15-2011, 18:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirgi08

Also the Fed Gov can be implicated for it's lack of assertiveness.It falls on the locale/state ta realize it's peril and frikkin react,not sit back and witch and moan.Lives were lost for fear of lawsuits,stupid is a understatement.'08.

The state has to call in the Fed, that is the law. Had the Fed over-stepped their bounds there would have been howls about the Feds over-stepping their bounds. The governor and her staff failed miserably. So did Nagin. The Fed failed in many ways in the aftermath, once the state called them in, but they are not responsible for what happened before they were called in. The Fed was not the one that diverted funds for improving the levy system, state and local did that.

People are ultimately responsible for themselves, unlessthey are in the care of the state. So if there was a Federal prison there, the fed was responsible for keeping those people safe.