Researchers at Frostburg (MD) State University are working with Instant Access Networks, LLC, to perfect a system that would use renewable energy to power electromagnetic pulse-protected microgrids. The microgrids are designed to provide electricity for critical infrastructure facilities in case of a disaster, such as nuclear explosion or massive solar storm, that wipes out conventional electrical systems. IAN has developed a patent-pending shielding technology that encloses a room or similar structure and protects it from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events. The shielding, using electrically isolated layers of steel and aluminum, is up to 70% lighter than materials traditionally used by the military and other sources for EMP protection, enabling EMP-safe rooms to be portable, the company says. These shielded rooms can protect fiber optic network nodes and data or communication centers and house generators. When several are connected, they can create microgrids that could provide power to entire communities. “The idea is to create islands of power to reduce the cascading effects of a wide-scale failure,” says IAN president Charles Manto. Though it may be unthinkable, he points out, such an event is far from impossible. “A rogue state or terrorist organization could easily acquire nuclear material for a smaller weapon for $20 million,” Manto says. “That weapon could be fitted onto a Scud missile for as little as $100,000, fired and detonated 80 miles into the air and affect the entire U.S. east coast, causing up to $10 trillion in damage before you spend a nickel to fix anything.” A natural disaster in the form of a devastating solar storm is not unprecedented, he added. An event like the 1859 solar storm that shorted out telegraph wires in the U.S. and Europe could wreak havoc on today’s electrical systems.

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