The detonation of a nuclear weapon at high altitude or in space (~ 30 km or more above the earth’s surface) can generate an intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP) referred to as a high-altitude EMP or HEMP. HEMP can propagate to the earth and impact various land-based technological systems such as the electric power grid. Because of the extreme differences in views among experts regarding the potential impacts of HEMP on the electric power grid and the potential societal implications, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) launched a three-year research project in April 2016 to investigate the potential impacts of a HEMP attack on the electric transmission system and to identify possible options for mitigating impacts.

What happens when the lights go out? It's likely that you've experienced a power outage that lasted a few hours, but few people have experience with days or weeks long power loss.

On our Northern Ontario farm we were affected by the Northeast blackout of 2003 (click here to see the Wikipedia article). While that blackout was fixed within 2 days, it did make many people stop and think. On our farm we already had several generators, and the ability to switch over to them. Since we lived on well water and a septic system, the power outage had nearly no affect on our life. We switched over to the generators and started them every few hours to pump water, cool the fridge/freezers, and cook food. Since this happened during the summer, heating was luckily not an issue.

We have also gone through several blackouts during the winter that were just as long (or longer), but much more localised. Again, they had little impact on our day-to-day living.

We now live on our catamaran and provide all our own electrical power. This means that we are not affected by grid blackouts, with the exception of cell phone service and grocery shopping. 

It looks like CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.) has finally cracked the issues with sodium-ion batteries. Sodium is the main element of sodium chloride, which is common salt, and is the most abundant mineral on Earth. It is easy to refine from salt deposits, or even from ocean water, without the by-products of hazardous chemicals that lithium mining has.

Starting in 2023 CATL will begin full production on sodium-ion batteries that surpass the 200 watt/hours per kilogram power storage of lithium-ion batteries. They are cheaper to make, are less harmful to the environment, and use readily available materials. Unlike lithium, sodium is a stable element and is not combustible. Sodium-ion batteries also work without the heat problems of lithium-ion, thus making them safer, and allowing them to be 80% charged in 15 minutes.

A great many people want to produce their own power, but have no idea where to start.