A report [www.nap.edu] issued by the National Research Council (NRC) in January 2009 has warned of the far reaching consequences of a solar storm hitting the Earth as the sun becomes more active during solar cycle 24 which began in 2008 and peaks around 2012. A March 23 article [www.newscientist.com] in the New Scientist discussed the significance of the NRC report which details how a solar storm could wipe out the electrical power grid causing massive disruption in the U.S. and around the planet.  The impact of the plasma energy directly bombarding the Earth during a solar storm could lead to electrical power stations being off line for weeks and months at a time, as overworked workers try to repair badly damaged electrical equipment. According to the NRC report [www.nap.edu], this would lead to “disruption of the transportation, communication, banking, and finance systems, and government services; the breakdown of the distribution of potable water owing to pump failure; and the loss of perishable foods and medications because of lack of refrigeration.” Imagine life without running water from a tap, no refrigeration for storing food, gas for your car, or mass transit due to the power grid being off line for months. Millions of Americans could subsequently die in such a scenario described by Michael Brooks author of the New Scientist article, “ Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe [www.newscientist.com].” Such disturbing scenarios are very possible according to the National Research Council report. Now is the right time for bold action to replace the outdated electrical power grid with a decentralized form of fuelless or 'new energy' generators that can be mass produced for homes, small businesses and essential services...

Source: Electrical power grid to be blasted by 2012 solar storms [www.examiner.com]