Bandung-BRIN Public Relations. Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Space Research Center, Anwar Santoso, revealed that geomagnetic storms can generate geomagnetic induced currents (GIC), which can cause operational disruptions in electricity distribution. He conveyed this at the PUI UNRAM Scientific Meeting on Thursday (28/9).
Anwar explained that geomagnetic storms are one of the phenomena resulting from space weather. Meanwhile, space weather itself is a change that occurs in the Earth’s space environment, especially in the magnetosphere and ionosphere layers which are closely related to solar activity such as flares, coronal holes, coronal mass ejections and prominences. “Geomagnetic storms can generate geomagnetic induced currents (GIC). “The presence of GIC currents can cause disruption to electricity distribution operations,” said Anwar.
Anwar explained that the presence of GIC is generated by geomagnetic storms and it is known that the amplitude of geomagnetic storms is greatest at high latitudes and decreases as latitude decreases to equatorial latitudes. Therefore, it was initially understood that the impact and existence of GICs was a problem at high latitudes so much research regarding GICs and their impacts at high latitudes had been carried out.
Anwar explained that currently at low equatorial latitudes there has also been a lot of research related to GIC. However, GIC research in Indonesia has never been carried out. The GIC research that has been carried out has only been limited to GIC studies and has not carried out GIC calculations, let alone modeling them. “This region of Indonesia consists of many islands and the electricity network is spread from north-south (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua) and west-east (Java-Bali-NTB-NTT), so studying and researching the existence of GIC is very interesting to carry out,” he commented.
The mechanism for generating GIC is that when a geomagnetic storm occurs, there is a change in the geomagnetic field on the earth’s surface and because of differences in soil conductivity, an electric voltage occurs which then produces an electric current flow on the earth’s surface through electrical laws such as Farady’s law, etc. “This is the scheme for establishing GIC,” he said.
From this scheme, the calculation of the amplitude of GIC formation can be obtained from geomagnetic field and earth conductivity data, then the induced geo-electric field calculation is carried out and the resulting geomagnetic induction current. The potential for GIC in Indonesia, according to the scheme above, is potentially there, because the impact of geomagnetic storms felt in Indonesia is also detected through geomagnetic field observer tools, magnetometers. (cw/ed: kg, qty)
2023-10-05 05:46:17
#BRIN #Researchers #Explain #Impact #Geomagnetic #Storms #Latitudes