Reading various sources on this, it seems that in winter, ERCOT doesn’t plan on much capacity from wind anyway - approx. 10%. Other parts of the year, wind capacity can be as high as 40%
Texas still relies mainly on natural gas to power electricity generation. Gas pumping stations failed because of lack of “winterization” (?) in pumping and pipelines, and a general lack of natural gas storage for electricity, because Texas already sits atop massive gas fields
Even one large nuclear plant near Houston had to be shut down because of freezing in its water-cooling pumps
It seems there were failures across their energy mix
Wind fell almost to 0%
Expected gas capacity fell by 50%
Nuclear capacity was also cut by 50%
In sum - wind failed quite badly, but then again, wind wasn’t expected to be a large percentage of capacity during the month of February. Other sources of energy failed as well.
Read post 20. It’s a bigger problem - you have to look over the last 20 years to see it.
Ignorant people making ignorant policy decisions, and this is the result.
Only one of four nuclear reactors went off line, leaving 75%. 50% of one plant went off line, and the second reactor stepped up a bit more than normal. That one reactor provides 1,280 megawatts, which the other three effectively match, each, from what I’ve gathered.
I’m not seeing nuclear falling that badly in the data I’ve seen.
Mike down by 25%. Couple of other numbers are off as well, but you correct: The fossils further south should have been as completely heat-traced as effectively as those up in the north part of the state.
Losing 8000 Megs of wind, getting zero solar? Dismantling coal plants to make New York and Washington DC feel good? That is what caused the problems.
The money spent on solar energy was more than enough to winterize other forms of energy production (nuclear, gas).