[Paine in the Neck]

MISO operates transmission lines. ERCOT depends heavily on wind but the "irregularity of wind, however, presents operational challenges for the ERCOT grid." PJM is a power company, apparently with too big a dependence on trendy, subsidy-sucking renewables. Thus the need for peak demand gas.

[dickmc]

PJM is the Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland grid which is very well managed and at least in Pennsylvania has a fair amount of coal generation. You can read more about their operation at http://www.pjm.com/Default.aspx

[aumrl]

PJM is several companies in the northeast.
EPA has forced retirement of older coal fired generators.
Gas turbines have traditionally been peaking units.
Summer extended use of them has become economical for obvious reasons.

[tbw2]

A lot of this is T. Boone Picken’s fault, for pushing a combination of wind (from which he profited) and natural gas as its backup (from which he profited).

[Ditto]

PJM is a power company, apparently with too big a dependence on trendy, subsidy-sucking renewables.

PJM is not a 'power company.' It is a grid operator for all of Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Ohio with parts of 8 other states thrown in.

It's sole function, and a highly regulated one at that, is to balance supply of power with demand and do so at the lowest possible price. It buys power from regulated utilities, independent power producers and even industrial generators when necessary. It really has little dependence on 'trendy, subsidy sucking' sources since it is located in an area of the country where there is virtually no solar and very little in the way of wind power.

Take coal plants out of the equation, and PJM has a major problem in delivering enough kWh when there are harsh weather conditions such as we had this year.

I'm retired now after 40+ years in the electric generation industry, and I fear what will happen to this country if the Democrats win this war on coal. We will be in a world of hurt if they do.