What did it was shutting down coal plants all across Texas and way overbuilding windmills and solar plants because people like T Boone Pickens, and the other Bush/Perry Nomenklatura got to gorge at the government trough with tax rebates.
Solar and windmills have no ability for surge, and they get killed by cloudy skies and an ice storm. Natural gas plants had vulnerability because of pipelines. A pile of coal on the ground works just fine no matter the weather. It’s an absolute national embarrassment for Texas I have an energy shortage. The only thing that causes this is government miss management. And not all from DC. Help a lot of it from Austin.
It doesn’t cost much to weatherize coal and gas plants for severe low temperatures. It just takes proper risk assessment and capital investment. A lot was done after the debacle.
Yes, overbuilding wind and solar and shutting down coal and gas is a MAJOR disaster.