Grid architectures are designed to work around single-point failures, but in the 1989 event there were 15 major failures in a few seconds across the regional grid, and that was more than the system could cope with.

FORBES: Intelligence Community Warns Solar Storms Could Collapse Electric Grid

All told, electricity demand in these regions is likely to exceed supply by an estimated 19 million kilowatts (kW) in the summer, according to estimates by regional power distributor East China Grid Company.

FORBES: China Braces for Blackouts

But the better way would be for regulators to consolidate America's balkanised grid into just a few independent, regional operators, and then to give them strong incentives to upgrade the system.

ECONOMIST: California��s power crisis

Twenty-seven states say their regional reliability is at risk, concerns echoed by FBR Capital, Credit Suisse, Fitch, Bernstein Research and several grid operators.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: If the Lights Go Out