Canada to study impact of solar storms on banks, power grids,satellites.

Space weather impacts Earth when the sun emits solar flares that have the potential to disrupt radio and GPS communications. Solar storms may sound like a piece of science fiction, but it's a threat.

More recently, it was discovered that the sun unleashed two of the most powerful solar flares since 2006 just two weeks ago, disrupting radio and GPS signals on the day side of the Earth and lighting up the night skies with auroras.

Canadian scientists like Pierre Langlois paint a scene of mass power failures, fuel shortages, limited water supply and a collapse in GPS and communication systems. Langlois is part of a team looking to understand how space weather could impact the country's infrastructure.

It is going to be the first of its kind study.The study has a budget of $300,000 and will take 15 months.