A large-scale blackout occurred in Puerto Rico, a territory in the Caribbean. The blackout is influenced by Puerto Rico's inadequate power generation facilities, but it also appears to be a result of a recent powerful Taeyang storm.
According to overseas media such as the Associated Press and CBS, a large-scale blackout affecting the entire island occurred in Puerto Rico on the 16th (local time). Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy, noted, "We are working to restore power."
Puerto Rico's power grid was mostly destroyed by a hurricane in 2017. Frequent blackouts are due to aging power generation facilities and equipment. This year, the island also experienced a large-scale blackout on New Year's Day.
However, this blackout seems to be directly influenced by the Taeyang storm, unlike previous blackouts. A Taeyang storm is a phenomenon where high-energy particles explosively released from the Sonnen disturb the Earth's magnetic field, causing disruptions in communication, power grids, aviation systems, and space vessels. This year marks the peak of the solar activity cycle, which occurs every 11 years. During solar activity peaks, the solar magnetic field strengthens, and sunspot activity on the solar surface becomes more active.
Kim Nok-soon, a senior researcher at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, said, "A strong Taeyang storm was forecasted for this Wednesday," adding, "When an explosion occurs on the sun, high-energy particles that create geomagnetic storms take several days to reach the Earth, at which time the Earth's magnetic field carries a current that can affect substations or transformers, leading to blackouts."
During the week when the large-scale blackout occurred in Puerto Rico, Taeyang storms intensified to the highest grade. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rates Taeyang storms from G1 (weak) to G5 (severe) based on the extent to which they disturb the Earth's magnetic field. The storm that occurred this time was rated G4.
Taeyang storms do not only cause damage like blackouts. During solar activity peaks, solar particles collide with the magnetic field in the upper atmosphere, resulting in more frequent auroras. In fact, the U.S. Weather Service stated in this week's forecast that "auroras will be observed not only in the northern regions but also in the Midwest and Oregon."
Senior researcher Kim Nok-soon said, "Solar particles coming toward Earth react first with the Earth's magnetic field located at higher latitudes, so they have less impact on Korea, which is located at mid-latitudes. However, since Korea may also be affected in terms of communication or GPS (Global Positioning System), it is necessary to keep a close eye around the peak period."