Abstract
Storm-time geomagnetic disturbances induce significant geoelectric
fields within the Earth that can adversely affect the operation of
electric power grids. The recently completed magnetotelluric survey
supported by the NSF EarthScope program (2006-2018) has produced a large
public archive of impedance tensors across much of the continental
United States (US). In this work, the EarthScope tensors are convolved
with long time series of geomagnetic field variation recorded at USGS
observatories to obtain estimated time series of historical geoelectric
fields. Integrating these geoelectric fields across power transmission
lines results in time series of geomagnetically induced voltages on each
power line. These voltages are analyzed statistically to construct
hazard maps of the maximum voltages that could be realized in
transmission lines across the US for an extreme, once in one
hundred-year, geomagnetic storm. In combination with grounding
resistance data and network topology, these voltage estimates can be
utilized by power companies to estimate extreme geomagnetically-induced
currents within their networks. These voltage estimates can provide
information on which power lines and substations are most vulnerable to
geomagnetic storms and can guide power companies in assessments of where
to install additional protections within their grid.