Graph showing adjacent periods of enhanced and reduced geomagnetic activity as experienced by the Czech electric power grid
Central to the authors’ statistical analysis was the identification of adjacent periods of enhanced and reduced geomagnetic activity (shown in this example by, respectively), as experienced by the Czech electric power grid. They then showed that power system anomalies were significantly more common during enhanced activity. Credit: Výbošťoková and Švanda [2019], Figure 2
Source: Space Weather

Space weather research is often of practical interest beyond the scientific community given its potential impact on the infrastructure upon which modern society relies. For example, there are statistical correlations between anomalies in the power-distribution networks of mid-latitude countries and geomagnetic activity.

Výbošťoková and Švanda [2019] have added evidence for this relationship by making the first such study of a European power-transmission network, complementing previous studies in the United States, such as Schrijver et al. [2014]. These statistical studies help us to understand the impacts of day-to-day space weather on power grids, a poorly understood issue when compared to the disruptive effects arising from severe space weather.

It is strategically important that the space weather community develop an understanding of the full range of impacts on power grids, from both everyday and severe space weather, and this result is a valuable step towards that objective.

Citation: Výbošt’oková, T., & Švanda, M. [2019]. Statistical analysis of the correlation between anomalies in the Czech electric power grid and geomagnetic activity. Space Weather, 17. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019SW002181

—Michael A. Hapgood, Editor, Space Weather

Text © 2019. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
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