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Built for cold, Wisconsin grid hums along in temperatures that crippled Texas
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL ^ | 19 FEBRUARY 2021 | CHRIS HUBBUCH

Posted on 02/19/2021 4:14:05 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist

As record-breaking cold swept across Texas this week, millions of people were left shivering in the dark as the state’s power grid failed to meet the surging demand for electricity, crippled by temperatures in the single digits.

So why does the power continue to work in places like Wisconsin, where bitter cold is a way of life? The reason is simple: Generators in the Upper Midwest are designed to work in frigid conditions, unlike those in Texas.

“We designed all our infrastructure for these bitter-cold temperatures,” said Paul Wilson, a professor of nuclear engineering at UW-Madison who studies electrical systems.

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Outdoors; Science
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To: setter

Solar contributed 1% of the power generated each day this week.

Wind about 8%

Wind is supposed to be 24%


41 posted on 02/19/2021 5:48:29 PM PST by a fool in paradise (Call on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: a fool in paradise

Well it seems like both types of things occurred. They had pictures of frozen areas of open air generator sets or distribution setups in the article.


42 posted on 02/19/2021 5:52:56 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: bigbob

Oh my! I bow to your superiority 🙄
But, I’ll still choose Texas


43 posted on 02/19/2021 6:01:00 PM PST by Jrabbit
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Now, let’s see the Wisconsin grid hold up over four months of a Texas summer.

It won’t.


44 posted on 02/19/2021 6:04:31 PM PST by dirtboy
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Wisconsin does not try and implement green energy idiocy in their energy mix


45 posted on 02/19/2021 6:05:20 PM PST by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: Freee-dame
Lots to unpack re. your comment.

1. I read that FEMA sent about 6 truck mounted generators to TX. I have no idea how accurate this info was but it doesn't really matter. If every portable generator in the the US was sent it wouldn't have been enough.

2. TX is area wise too large to rapidly insert generators into every corner and the capacity is too large. The area of TX is about the same size as Germany. About 3/4 of the state was affected by the snow and ice. The whole state plus northern Mexico was affected by the cold and blackouts. Note that the TX grid also includes a large slice of eastern OK. OK was colder and snowier than TX. Most of TX had 1 storm. Most OK had 2 storms. Give Okies some love - They coped.

3. FEMA can respond after the disaster is over with, not while it is ongoing. The first days of a disaster, people and local governments are on their own.

My opinions...

46 posted on 02/19/2021 6:12:39 PM PST by Hootowl99
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To: dirtboy
Now, let’s see the Wisconsin grid hold up over four months of a Texas summer.

Already done that dirtboy. We've had long hot spells in the past.

47 posted on 02/19/2021 6:25:12 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Trust the plan of the 17th letter of the English alphabet!)
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To: dandiegirl
If you are going to build something, why not do it right. Make it withstand extremes because we will always have extreme weather patterns so might as well be prepared. Do it right the first time.

I don't necessarily disagree with that, but (in my opinion), you have to operate within the normal distribution of risk.

Accounting for outliers (like this) are incredibly expensive. If you want to protect against them, ok fine. But be prepared to pony up the money.

48 posted on 02/19/2021 6:39:02 PM PST by Kenny Bania (Ovaltine? Why not call it Roundtine?)
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To: Lurker

> Let’s ask the folks who’ve spent the last three
> days without power.

Right, because we can’t ask the people who died...


49 posted on 02/19/2021 6:39:08 PM PST by mbj
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
Wind turbines are equipped with winter weather packages...

Hence the hullabaloo. Obama's buds built the windmills in TX for the average winter to put extra $$ in their pockets. In FL they don't build houses to withstand the last hurricane they build them to withstand the worst hurricane.

50 posted on 02/19/2021 6:42:12 PM PST by ConservaTexan (February 6, 1911/June 14, 1944)
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To: PGR88

BINGO!


51 posted on 02/19/2021 7:35:00 PM PST by TribalPrincess2U
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Yes, well, the price of gasoline has gone up 60 cents here in SE Wisconsin since El Supremo took office last month.


52 posted on 02/19/2021 7:57:25 PM PST by virgil (The evil that men do lives after them )
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

The reason is simple: Generators in the Upper Midwest are designed to work in frigid conditions, unlike those in Texas.

“We designed all our infrastructure for these bitter-cold temperatures,” said Paul Wilson, a professor of nuclear engineering at UW-Madison who studies electrical systems.


How do they do at a sustained 117? If there’s added cost to doing so, there’s not much reason to do so unless you have a surplus of cash.


53 posted on 02/19/2021 10:56:52 PM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: setter

It’s been reported Texas ordered their wind turbines without the cold weather equipment


It not only costs more to have the deicers, it also is less efficient on an ongoing basis. Wind power already has issues in that regard.


54 posted on 02/19/2021 10:59:37 PM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: Kenny Bania

I don’t necessarily disagree with that, but (in my opinion), you have to operate within the normal distribution of risk.

Accounting for outliers (like this) are incredibly expensive. If you want to protect against them, ok fine. But be prepared to pony up the money.


Not to mention that the presence of each of those systems makes the things clunkier and less efficient. The ROI gets put out further and further with every extension to cover outliers. In a situation where the wind stopped blowing, the windmills would CONSUME even more power if they had the de-icing systems.


55 posted on 02/19/2021 11:06:03 PM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: setter
It’s been reported Texas ordered their wind turbines without the cold weather equipment.

IMO, that's good enough reason to fire the person in charge.

56 posted on 02/19/2021 11:07:01 PM PST by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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To: setter

Was freezing rain involved. I live in Oklahoma. We were lucky, just cold and mostly snow. Not much ice this time. Nothing works when you get a big ice storm.


57 posted on 02/20/2021 4:03:49 AM PST by Iceclimber58
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To: OKSooner

Yeah - the power grid in Texas went to crap in the 5 years Abbot’s been Governor - riiight?


58 posted on 02/20/2021 5:00:57 AM PST by trebb (Fight like your life and future depends on it - because they do.)
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To: Jrabbit

I think the concept is to prepare/build for the worst possible conditions.. While relatively rare, Texas can expect some serious conditions from time to time and it bit them.


59 posted on 02/20/2021 5:02:36 AM PST by trebb (Fight like your life and future depends on it - because they do.)
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To: Hootowl99

If Trump was still President all media would be blaming him for the cold weather in Texas.


60 posted on 02/20/2021 5:17:09 AM PST by brookwood (Obama said you could keep your plan - Sanders says higher taxes will improve the weather)
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