I dont understand how charged particles in the sky would effect the electrical system down here.
It wouldn't. The earth has a magnetic field around it to protect it from such things. The solar flare would have to be bigger than our sun is believed to be capable of. You shouldn't worry about science fiction nonsense.
It wouldn't DESTROY the grid, it would trip the circuit. Imagine adding an incredible charge into any circuit what happens to the current? The resistence? The most notable example of this is the event in Quebec in March of 1989.
A coronal mass ejection has it's own magnetic field. If one were to hit the Earth head on the magnetic field with interact and disrupt the Earth's own magnetic field and allow some of the high energy charged particles through to the surface. As modern electronics become more advanced and miniaturized they also become far more susceptible to high energy ionizing radiation. To those who say it couldn't happen: it already has. Part of the Canadian power grid was taken down by a relatively mild solar storm back in '89.
It couldn't. Solar flares happen on the Sun. Some solar flares trigger coronal mass ejections (CMEs). If pointed in the right direction, some CMEs reach Earth. Most CMEs are deflected harmlessly by the Earth's magnetic field, causing auroras. Approximately once a century, there has been a CME powerful enough to penetrate the Erath's magnetc field on cause induction in electrical grids: telegraph lines in 1859 and Hydro-Quebec's transmission lines in 1989. Now that we are aware of the problem, warnings are issued and precautions are taken.
It's a worry, especially by the insurance companies which have been raking in premiums for years and never had to pay out. Gosh, paying out might affect their profits. As the 2012-3 solar max will likely be lower than AVERAGE, the chances of a CME during it are low. We COULD get a CME today, as they are NOT tied to solar Maximums like a lot of people think. Its just unlikely. Fear sells, so expect your insurance companies to raise your rates, even though they won't pay out anything. Oh, and they won't LOWER your rates in 2013, either. Have you figured out who is in charge, yet?
