"Solar storms" by Croissanthology

"Solar storms" by Croissanthology

Author: LessWrong March 9, 2026 Duration: 23:22
Most of civilization's electricity is generated far off-site from where it's delivered. This is because you don't want to be running and refueling coal/gas/nuclear plants inside cities, hydraulic/wind power can't be moved, and solar panels are cheaper to install on flat desert terrain than on cities:

So in practice this means running power over hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. E.g. here are the Chinese long-distance lines:

Gemini 3.1 Pro-preview in AI studio American long-distance lines:

These are simplified maps meant to illustrate how insanely long power lines get. The true shape of solar storm vulnerability looks like a spiderweb overlayed on population density (see below), which you can visualize on this website.

The fact that civilization finds it economical to generate its electricity hundreds or thousands of kilometers away from its population centers is rather mind-blowing given the infrastructure involved. For example, the Tucuruí line spans the Amazon rainforest and the Amazon river to supply the Brazilian coast with inland hydropower:

China's Zhoushan Island crossing involves lattice pylons taller than the Eiffel tower and spanning 2.7 kilometers of open sea:

These transmission lines respectively power 2.4 and 6.6 GW, which is insane. The [...]

---

Outline:

(05:46) Solar storms can cause LPTs to violently, messily explode

[... 4 more sections]

---

First published:
March 8th, 2026

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ghq9EwiXbRbWSnDzF/solar-storms

---



Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

---

Images from the article:

Gemini 3.1 Pro-preview in AI studio
Infographic showing US power grid long-distance transmission lines and capacity by source.
Road map of the western United States showing transportation networks.
High-voltage power lines cutting through dense green forest landscape.

Dive into a stream of ideas where technology, culture, philosophy, and society intersect, all through the lens of the LessWrong (Curated & Popular) podcast. This isn't a traditional talk show with hosts, but rather a curated audio library of the most impactful writing from the LessWrong community. Each episode is a narration of a full post, selected for its high value and interesting arguments, focusing on pieces that have been formally curated or have garnered significant community approval. You'll hear clear, thoughtful readings of essays that tackle complex topics like artificial intelligence, rational thinking, moral philosophy, and the forces shaping our future. The audio format lets you absorb these dense, often paradigm-shifting concepts during a commute or a walk, turning written analysis into an immersive listening experience. This particular feed is deliberately selective, offering a manageable stream of the community's standout work. For those who want an even deeper dive into the discussion, there are broader feeds available. The LessWrong (Curated & Popular) podcast serves as an intellectual filter, delivering the signal through the noise and inviting you to engage with some of the most rigorously examined ideas on the internet.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

LessWrong (Curated & Popular)
Podcast Episodes
"Why we should expect ruthless sociopath ASI" by Steven Byrnes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:11
The conversation begins (Fictional) Optimist: So you expect future artificial superintelligence (ASI) “by default”, i.e. in the absence of yet-to-be-invented techniques, to be a ruthless sociopath, happy to lie, cheat, a…
"You’re an AI Expert – Not an Influencer" by Max Winga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:39
Your hot takes are killing your credibility. Prior to my last year at ControlAI, I was a physicist working on technical AI safety research. Like many of those warning about the dangers of AI, I don’t come from a backgrou…
"The optimal age to freeze eggs is 19" by GeneSmith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:31
If you're a woman interested in preserving your fertility window beyond its natural close in your late 30s, egg freezing is one of your best options. The female reproductive system is one of the fastest aging parts of hu…
"The world keeps getting saved and you don’t notice" by Bogoed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:29
Nothing groundbreaking, just something people forget constantly, and I’m writing it down so I don’t have to re-explain it from scratch. The world does not just ”keep working.” It keeps getting saved. Y2K was a real probl…
"Solemn Courage" by aysja [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:11
Every so often it slips. It seems I am writing a book, but I can’t remember why. Somehow, the sentences are supposed to perform that impossible, intimate task: to translate my inner world into another. Yet they sit there…
"Life at the Frontlines of Demographic Collapse" by Martin Sustrik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:46
Nagoro, a depopulated village in Japan where residents are replaced by dolls. In 1960, Yubari, a former coal-mining city on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, had roughly 110,000 residents. Today, fewer than 7,000 rema…
"Why You Don’t Believe in Xhosa Prophecies" by Jan_Kulveit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:03
Based on a talk at the Post-AGI Workshop. Also on Boundedly Rational Does anyone reading this believe in Xhosa cattle-killing prophecies? My claim is that it's overdetermined that you don’t. I want to explain why — and w…