Posted on 09/20/2015 2:15:32 PM PDT by re_nortex
In the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, the mighty state of Texas was asleep. The honky-tonks in Austin were shuttered, the air-conditioned office towers of Houston were powered down, and the wind whistled through the dogwood trees and live oaks on the gracious lawns of Preston Hollow. Out in the desolate flats of West Texas, the same wind was turning hundreds of wind turbines, producing tons of electricity at a time when comparatively little supply was needed.
And then a very strange thing happened: The so-called spot price of electricity in Texas fell toward zero, hit zero, and then went negative for several hours. As the Lone Star State slumbered, power producers were paying the state’s electricity system to take electricity off their hands. At one point, the negative price was $8.52 per megawatt hour.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
The state often behaves as if it is its own sovereign nation, and indeed it was an independent republic for nearly 10 years. Alone among the 48 continental states, Texas runs an electricity grid that does not connect with those that serve other states. The grid is run by Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT.
And like em or hate em, ERCOT has done pretty nicely for Texas.
Texas, like a whole nuther country! We nearly is!
I've got an all-electric home and my last bill was under $60. We've had a mild summer which contributes to it but also Texas' enlightened approach to energy companies vigorously competing in an open market keeps prices low. Free enterprise is always a winner.
Have Joan Baez sing the headline to tune of ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Substitute “electricity” for “old dixie” and it fits perfectly. Just ask Virgil Kane.
Only one problem with this, the law currently requires energy producers to pay for this electricity from wind mills whether they need it or not.
Flip the argument over and the Slate shows the Achilles heel of wind powered electricity. The predicted peak load my not coincide with the presence of “right wind”. I say “right”, because these turbines can’t be turned on when the wind is too low and also when the wind is too high. It has to be just right. Therefore, using wind powered electricity for anything other than political statement doesn’t make much sense. Unless your business model is based on federal subsidies, then you are in a complete different line of business.
ERCOT has done a good job. I just hope the infrastructure can keep up with the increase in population. (That goes triple for water supply.)
F that hippie biotch Joan Biased. The Band owns that song.
Jut sayn
I’ts a good song. It sounds authentic, doesn’t it? Even though Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm wrote it in the 1960’s. There is a lot I never knew about this song till I read it on Wiki.
The song focuses on the last days of the American Civil War, and the suffering of white Southerners. It was meant to honor General Robert E. Lee. The song discusses the destruction of the Danville Rail Line that carried supplies for the Confederate Army at Petersburg.
Last summer they were a bit weak on the ‘reliability’ portion. They did much better this summer.
When nobama would let them ‘baseline’ more with coal-fired, it was easier to keep up. The unused coal-fired generators sitting idle are not adaptable to gas. It is almost impossible to bring on line a coal fired to chase the load, which is easier with a fast response gas unit.
Like the report says, the wind is more reliable when no one wants the juice.
If we can get back to some sanity in energy, cleaner coal fired will be back taking care of the base load and gas will be able to make up any difference.
Agreed.
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
