Electrical grids are badly outdated in the US and to a lesser degree in Europe. Imagine the chaos and expense if the recent solar storm had been a direct hit on Earth.
"The solar bursts would have enveloped Earth in magnetic fireworks matching the largest magnetic storm ever reported on Earth, the so-called Carrington event of 1859. The dominant mode of communication at that time, the telegraph system, was knocked out across the United States, literally shocking telegraph operators. Meanwhile, the Northern Lights lit up the night sky as far south as Hawaii."
Fierce solar magnetic storm barely missed Earth in 2012