Posted on 02/17/2021 5:04:05 AM PST by Hojczyk
What did happen, though, is we have no power at our home. Haven’t had any since 6:00 a.m. Monday, and it now looks like we won’t have any again until Friday at the earliest. In case you hadn’t heard, the entire state of Texas looks an awful lot like Alaska right now.
Ok, well, West Texas looks more like South Dakota, but you get the picture. We’re covered up in snow and ice, the low temperature where I live near Fort Worth was -1 Fahrenheit this morning, we haven’t seen a temperature at my house above freezing since last Wednesday, and won’t see one until Friday. Again, that’s if we’re lucky.
Unfortunately, and with little public fanfare, the Republican-led Texas government has also allowed wind power to take a steadily-growing role in the state’s power generation mix over the past decade. Last year, in fact, wind surpassed coal in terms of the percentage of electricity provided to the ERCOT-managed grid, delivering 23% of the total mix, coming in second only to natural gas power plants.
That’s all great so long as you’re willing to pay the price, much of which becomes hidden from ratepayers by ERCOT and the state’s electricity providers, so everybody can pretend to be happy about “going green.” It’s also not so great when well over half the turbines in the state freeze up in near-zero temperatures and 3-12 inches of snowfall.
The state’s policymakers had better take advantage of this disastrous situation to act to really improve the resiliency of the state’s power grid, or there will be hell to pay in next year’s elections.
This situation is simply not acceptable, even if it only happens once a decade. Enough is enough.
I’ll post more when I can.
The Texas grid is not phase synchronized to the eastern or western grids, which means that the only way to import power into the Texas grid is through a conversion station using either "back-to-back" high-voltage DC (!!) or variable-phase transformers. Those stations exist, but there aren't many of them, and their capacity is finite.
Ohio can import power from Michigan or Pennsylvania or Kentucky with ease, but Texas can only import a limited amount of power from Arkansas or Oklahoma or New Mexico. (It's technically just as easy to import power from Mexico, which they do to some extent.) Congratulations, Texas: you're (mostly) on your own, by your own choice.
(Quebec did the same thing in Canada. Go figure ...)
Link please
There are a lot of sources out there saying the same thing.
Texas needs to require that all wind turbines have backup diesel generators for backup power and to heat the turbines to keep them from freezing. I know, I know that will drive green energy costs thru the roof, but wouldn’t it be great to see liberals squirm?
At 23%, cold-challenged wind is definitely a problem. However, Gov. Abbott in an interview yesterday with Joe Pags, said the one nuke plant providing 10% of the load was offline for 36 hours due to freezing as were several natural gas-fired generators. The problem goes far beyond just green. I’ve heard this freeze was a 100 year or a 120 year event. You’d think there would be a plan for that.
At peak demand 5 of 6 of those DC feeds were active showing 2000+ megawatts of flow that’s the equivalent to nearly two 1200 mw reactors. But when demand spiked to 69,000 mw and 40,000 mw of.coal and gas dropped off line being.frozen out the grid nearly collaped. Frequency went down to 59.2 hz anyone who understands how.AC power.works.realises how close Texas came to total collapse. Having to black start the grid would have taken WEEKS to restore it. The stage 3 went out and 10,000 megawatts of demand was dumped in seconds saving the whole grid. I watched it in real time via the power monitor site it was terrifying to see an actual apocalypse scenario play out.
Big utility wind turbines are connected to the electric grid anyway, for multiple reasons. Apparently the ones in Texas were built without heaters or other cold weather adaptations. Cheaper, you know.
Turbines up north have oil heaters and just like aircraft wings deicing of the airfoils it add to the costs and all that heat takes electricity which even if the turbines are stationary not producing power must be supplied to keep them warm and ice free. Turbines can work in cold climates when designed to.do so the Germans and the Danish have turbine in the north sea some of the most ice prone areas on earth.
Believe another issue with natural gas is the pipeline pumps were in many cases converted from gas to electricity.
Yes line pumps went to electric the older gas burning diesel nengines do not meet tier 2 bin one emissions, and most wells are now on ESP down bore electric pumps not the older diesel or gas powered nodding donkeys. When the grid goes down Midland production crashes.
Bet they wish they had back those coal and lignite fired power plants shut down during the Obama purge of coal and lignite.
My sister is sitting south of Ft Worth. Been out of power for 48 hours.
I just read that Saudi Arabia, responding to the shutdown of various oil projects in the US, is upping its oil production...and raising its prices.
Way to go, Clueless Joe.
Texas still has a number of coal plants two of the largest went down and are still down their cooling towers froze up they were not.designed to take the once in a century single.digit and.negative temps we just got. The operators didn’t winterize them to.these levels because the rarity of the temps its expensive to winterize just having coal and lignite in this.case does not mean they would work at the temps being encountered. This storm is a once in a generation event any plant not hardened to it regardless of fuel type would be shut in.
Start by getting rid of wind turbines and solar panels. They are ineffective, damaging to the environment and are a blight on the landscape.
Why is ‘The New Normal’ something inconvenient at best, downright dystopian at worst? It is never something beneficial.
Over 12 years, since the first usurper. Face it, if you didn't listen you were stupid and nature eliminates the stupid ones.
The Republicans bending over for the hate-America Democraps ain't going to save you. The prog greenies want you dead. Has your bell finally been rung?
Do you finally get it?
Dahhhm.
To the author not you.
Peace out.
We had a cooling lake so never had a problem with freezing cooling towers.
Several years back, the plant 50 miles west was properly winterized but their cooling towers started freezing so they had all their extra hands out chipping ice.
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