Observations of radiation from power lines in near-earth space

The possible effects of technogenic impacts on the ionosphere, with the continuing trend towards its sustainable growth, are unknown today. It is therefore very important and urgent task to conduct statistically valid research related to the study of variations of ionospheric parameters due to the influence of powerful technogenic factors, primarily due to a significant increase of the electromagnetic energy production. In this paper, we discuss new results of observations of electromagnetic fields in the ionosphere at the power lines main frequency of 50 (60) Hz and its harmonics onboard SICH-1M (2004) and CHIBIS-M (2012-2014) satellites. The spatial distribution of the observed phenomena and their connection with possible ground-based sources-powerful transmission lines is presented. It is concluded that organization of regular monitoring of technogenic fields may allow continuous control of energy consumption in both the local (within a country or even a powerful consumer) and global scales.