> Could somebody please explain the mechanism by which solar activity
> endangers/affects the power grid, if in fact, it really does?

It absolutely does.

The sun sends a continuous stream of particles out to space.  The earth is
protected from these particles by it's magnetic field.  The stream of
particles, called the solar wind, distorts the field somewhat.

When there is an eruption on the sun, there can be a sudden change in the
velocity and/or density of the solar wind.  This causes the earth's
magnetic field to be further distorted, in many cases, it will jiggle like
a bowl of jelly, sometimes for days.

Now, the electrical grid is made up of wires, and guess what happens when
you place a wire in a moving magnetic field.

Th site:
http://www.spacew.com/plots.php
shows real-time graphs of the solar wind density and velocity.  When
either gets high or changes rapidly, radio will be affected (antennas are
also wires in a magnetic field).  Very dramatic changes can induce
destructive voltages on power lines which tend to be much longer than
antennas and thus have the capacity to have much greater voltages induced.

--McD


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