this shows how the solar plasma waves created by the variable speed and density of the solar wind strike the earth's magnetic field lines and make them "ring" the vibrating field lines induce electrical currents in the upper atmosphere. this region is called the ionosphere. these currents of electricity are called laminar flow sheets and cause the aurora borealis as well as supply energy for Earth's STORM SYSTEMS. the ionosphere is full of charged ions and plasma and is very energetic. our lower atmosphere acts as an insulator due to it's high nitrogen content.  despite this the currents in the ionosphere use electromagnetic induction to create geomagnetic currents in the earth and the seas (called GICs or telluric currents) the Geomagnetic Induced Currents (GICs) will flow in any conductor of sufficent length or surface area. so not just the sea but pipelines, rail tracks, and telephone lines as well. (see "the Carrington event" via google) these forces can be harnessed by man's machines via magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) for an example see Lord Kelvin's "sea battery" of the early 1900s. (use google) this is the first description of MHD i have found