Improve Bitcoin’s resilience to large-scale power grid failures and Carrington-type solar storms

The feature request presented addresses the need for Bitcoin to enhance its resilience against potential disruptions caused by major solar events, such as large solar storms. These storms, characterized by intense bursts of charged particles and electromagnetic energy from the Sun, pose a significant risk to Earth's electrical and communication infrastructures. The Carrington Event of 1859, the largest recorded geomagnetic storm, exemplifies the catastrophic impact such an event can have, causing widespread telegraph failures and equipment fires. In today’s context, a similar event could lead to prolonged power grid outages and severe interruptions to internet and satellite communications.

For Bitcoin, the primary concern is the fragmentation of the network into isolated regions, which would continue mining independently, leading to divergent versions of the blockchain. Upon reestablishment of global connectivity, the network could face deep chain splits and extensive reorganizations, thereby affecting users, operators, and service providers significantly. The aim of the feature request is not to alter Bitcoin's consensus rules but to explore enhancements in Bitcoin Core that could mitigate these issues in scenarios of extreme infrastructure failure.

The proposed improvements focus on two main areas: degraded communication support and operator guidance. For degraded communication, the suggestion involves enhancing documentation or creating optional tools to facilitate operation over compromised communication channels, like HF/VHF radio links, mesh networks, or intermittent satellite connections. Although such channels are currently experimental, formalized guidance or integration could prove beneficial. Operator guidance entails documenting best practices for managing wallets, mining operations, and node activities under conditions of high latency or network partitioning, with the goal of minimizing disruption during and after reconnection phases.

This discussion seeks to determine whether these proposals should be pursued within the scope of Bitcoin Core development or addressed by external projects. The request underscores the interest in bolstering Bitcoin’s robustness to ensure it can withstand and quickly recover from the adverse effects of severe solar phenomena.