Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Polar Vortex Highlights Natural Gas-fired Generation Vulnerabilities
Electric Light and Power ^ | 02/25/2014 | Teresa Hansen

Posted on 03/05/2014 3:39:13 PM PST by dickmc

For many people in the U.S., me included, this winter has been miserable. The polar vortex, which I'm fairly certain was a term only meteorologists had heard before this winter, has wreaked havoc in much of the country. ... This type of weather affects few, if any, industries more than electricity providers.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which is responsible for balancing the state's electricity supply and demand, reported an all-time high winter peak demand Jan. 7 and was required to issue an alert the day before when some 13,000 MW of generation--3,700 MW of forced outages caused by weather--were unavailable from midnight to 8 a.m. ERCOT brought all available electric generation online and deployed all demand response programs that it had contracted. Even with these measures, available generation capacity did not meet demand ...

Other independent system operators such as PJM and MISO experienced problems, too--some because coal plants that were heavily used have been retired. (Their owners can't afford to meet environmental regulations.)...

This brief summary is well worth reading. It appears the grid was in more trouble than commoonly known. There detailed article is here.

A much longer article covering the same thing in the same Magazine with respect to natural gas is is here.

Both are worth reading.

(Excerpt) Read more at elp.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Miscellaneous; Science; Weather
KEYWORDS: electricgrid; powerreliability; weather
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-45 next last

1 posted on 03/05/2014 3:39:13 PM PST by dickmc
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: thackney

Ping.


2 posted on 03/05/2014 3:40:34 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc

Polar Vortex!?

run, RUN, EVERYBODY RUN!!! MANBEARPIG IS COMING AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP HIM IS TO ELECT MORE DEMOCRATS!!!!


3 posted on 03/05/2014 3:44:09 PM PST by chris37 (Heartless.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc

Global warming is making the Polar Vortex bigger and colder, right?


4 posted on 03/05/2014 3:44:11 PM PST by Steely Tom (How do you feel about robbing Peter's robot?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc

I’m more concerned with the BS Vortex in DC right now.


5 posted on 03/05/2014 3:49:17 PM PST by Huskrrrr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc

The article is about how america is stupid trying to replace coal with natural gas.

I agree.

Wind/solar are not the unicorn milk the progressives would like you to believe.

Do you like electricity? Tell your representative to shut down the EPA and leave it the states to regulate.


6 posted on 03/05/2014 3:49:23 PM PST by hadaclueonce (Because Brawndo's got electrolytes. Because Ethanol has Big Corn Lobby)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc
I'm fairly certain was a term only meteorologists had heard before this winter

FWIW Brian Wilkes a local tv weather guy here in Indy has used the term on air for at least 20 years. During the 1994 cold snap for sure.

7 posted on 03/05/2014 3:51:24 PM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc
i remember when it was called the Canadian Clipper, and the Siberian Express before that and simply COLD AIR MASS before that... polar vortex my achin azz, feh
8 posted on 03/05/2014 3:52:08 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc

Polar vortex. Old Indian word for winter.


9 posted on 03/05/2014 3:52:47 PM PST by HereInTheHeartland (Obama lied; our healthcare died.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Steely Tom
Geez folks! You gotta relax. We have windmills and solar to bail out those evil fossil fuel burners. Polar bears are cheering and the planet is getting over her fever. So relax, kick back and send a fat check to our Dear Leader to thank him for his foresight.

Do I need a /sarc tag?

10 posted on 03/05/2014 3:54:35 PM PST by Wingy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: hadaclueonce

I read the article. It’s not because NG is inherently poor, it’s because the supply chains are incomplete. Properly done, the Natural Gas alternative can still work, but it would involve more and better infrastructure, which, as Keystone shows, the current crop in the Administration is loathe to allow.

It’s time to start following the coal money heading into Obastard’s pockets. There’s a payoff going on here.


11 posted on 03/05/2014 3:55:33 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Steely Tom
I wish we had an edit after posting!!!!

I do know that "commoonly" is "commonly" and that "is is" is redundant (unlike the former President Clinton). None the less the article is worth reading!! However, that is no excuse for mistakenly pushing 'Post' too soon. None the less, the mistakes take away from the interest of the article.

I apologize for the grammatical errors due to a premature button push!

12 posted on 03/05/2014 3:56:14 PM PST by dickmc
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Chode

I always preferred “Blizzard.” It wasn’t always a tasty Dairy Queen treat.


13 posted on 03/05/2014 3:56:30 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: dickmc

I hope you didn’t get any on you. I understand the cleaners will never get that out.


14 posted on 03/05/2014 3:57:46 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: dickmc
Polar Vortex like global warming is just more made up b/s.
15 posted on 03/05/2014 3:58:55 PM PST by KSCITYBOY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dickmc
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.
16 posted on 03/05/2014 4:00:26 PM PST by Paine in the Neck (Socialism consumes EVERYTHING)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Army Air Corps; dickmc

Most of these power plants are seldom used peaking units and, therefore, do not have firm natural gas supply contracts. They instead rely on interruptible gas supplies. Natural gas suppliers met their firm customers’ demand, but with heating demands for gas soaring, they could not meet demands of their interruptible supply agreements.

- - - - -

So the power plants used the cheapest gas rate available, interruptible, which means they have the lowest priority for supply.

If Gas Companies have more contracts for non-interruptible, the price difference is used to expand facilities to meet the demand. But the power companies, in order to get the cheapest rate, agreed to be cut off if needed.


17 posted on 03/05/2014 4:05:23 PM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Paine in the Neck

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


18 posted on 03/05/2014 4:11:34 PM PST by dickmc
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Cyber Liberty
i'll take the DQ version, i'm tired of all the globull warming this winter
19 posted on 03/05/2014 4:12:59 PM PST by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Chode

I like the Oreo/Snickers ones, but I’d prefer to wait until July. They’re life-savers here, we do Globull Warming every year. It’s a tourist attraction.


20 posted on 03/05/2014 4:16:49 PM PST by Cyber Liberty (H.L. Mencken: "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-45 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson