Electricaltransmissionlines and the devices they sustain are ubiquitous, meaning that a storm comparable in intensity to the 1859 event could potentially be one of the greatest catastrophes in recorded history.
Since the 1920s the emphasis has been on increasing conventional generating unit size up to a now optimal size of 600, 000 kW. These must employ transmission and distribution lines to integrate electrical loads which almost always are much smaller, and also to integrate generating units to permit reserve sharing.