EMP-safe, renewable-energy-fueled micro power grids
October 13, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI
Instant Access Networks and Frostburg State University plan to create renewable-energy-powered, electromagnetic pulse (EMP)-protected microgrids that could provide electricity for critical infrastructure facilities in the event of an EMP attack.
IAN has developed patent-pending shielding technology that encloses a room or similar structure and protects it from EMP events.
It includes electrically isolated layers of steel and aluminum, and is up to 70 percent lighter than materials traditionally used by the military and other sources for EMP protection. This enables EMP-safe rooms to be portable.
The shielded rooms can protect mission-critical fiber optic network nodes and data or communication centers. They can also house generators, which, when several are connected, create a micro power grid, or microgrid, that can provide power to a campus or entire communities.