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After 4 Years And Billions Of Dollars, The Texas Grid Is Not Fixed
Forbes ^ | 12/09/2024 | Ed Hirs

Posted on 12/10/2024 1:45:44 PM PST by TexasKamaAina

Texas has spent years tweaking its electric grid, but it’s still not fixed. How do we know this? ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, projects an 80% likelihood of rolling blackouts if a storm the magnitude of Winter Storm Uri hits the state this winter. Prior to Uri in February 2021, the probability of rolling blackouts was only 5%. A weaker storm—equivalent to 2022’s Winter Storm Elliott—has a 50% probability of triggering rolling blackouts. And there is no assurance that rolling blackouts can be executed, risking a widescale grid failure. So, by ERCOT’s own projections, the grid is more fragile than it was four years ago.

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: electricity; energy; ercot; infrastructure; texas
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I don't pretend to understand all the tecnical issues discussed in this article. However, as a Texan what I do know is that I've heard about reorganizations and administrative changes but it doesn't seem like anything has been done on the ground to prevent another disaster like Uri.
1 posted on 12/10/2024 1:45:44 PM PST by TexasKamaAina
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To: TexasKamaAina

The left uses this to put down Texas and Texas doesn’t fix it, it is a killer of Texans and embarrassing.

This is very Californian.


2 posted on 12/10/2024 1:50:55 PM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: TexasKamaAina

How is Texas of all places this screwed up? Is it a matter of growing too fast or stupidity in the bureaucracy?


3 posted on 12/10/2024 1:51:21 PM PST by MNJohnnie (Don't blame me, my congressman is MTG!)
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To: ansel12
GA has a lot of problems but a reliable grid is not one. They just opened the US's latest nuke plant

The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia is the site of the most recent nuclear reactors built in the United States:

4 posted on 12/10/2024 1:52:42 PM PST by MNJohnnie (Don't blame me, my congressman is MTG!)
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To: TexasKamaAina

If you fix a problem you can’t milk it for more federal funds, Silly.


5 posted on 12/10/2024 1:54:16 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████. FJB.)
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To: MNJohnnie

A lot of the solutions require Federal permits to implement.

Guess how interested the current administration is in issuing those permits.

There’s a lot of stuff queued up for when Trump gets back in office.


6 posted on 12/10/2024 1:58:47 PM PST by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

Abbott sounds like an absolute idiot, on this.

Sucks for Texans, and this is described exactly like Soviet Russia, as they state.

This is a great article.


7 posted on 12/10/2024 2:00:27 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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Maybe they should pull the coal baseload plants out of mothballs and start them back up? Or if faster and cheaper switch the mothballed plants to gas?


8 posted on 12/10/2024 2:00:40 PM PST by curious7
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To: TexasKamaAina

Texas doesn’t have any oil wells, does it? If it did, maybe it could refine oil and use the natural gas byproduct to power generators. Maybe they could have private utilities without bureaucrats and have real people actually talk to each other.


9 posted on 12/10/2024 2:00:54 PM PST by Retain Mike ( Sat Cong)
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To: MNJohnnie

I think one of the big problems in Texas is ignoring obvious upgrades and letting minimal maintenance and preparation keep the delivery systems weak and vulnerable at the times when they are most needed, it killed all those people 4 years ago.


10 posted on 12/10/2024 2:02:44 PM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: MNJohnnie

Texas is California circa 1980. It is still business friendly and has huge rural power bases but the state government is second in size only to California and has all the waste and graft that comes with it. Energy, particularly wind and solar, are huge sources of crony corruption.


11 posted on 12/10/2024 2:06:51 PM PST by RightOnTheBorder
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To: Retain Mike

We have natural gas in the ground. No need to get nat gas from oil.


12 posted on 12/10/2024 2:08:15 PM PST by mfish13 (Elections have Consequences.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

Rick Perry insisted on the bogus wind and solar power. Screw him.


13 posted on 12/10/2024 2:09:36 PM PST by ChuckHam
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To: MNJohnnie

“How is Texas of all places this screwed up? Is it a matter of growing too fast or stupidity in the bureaucracy?”

Both. The growth is ridiculous and out of control. Californians are literally flooding it. The complacency is silly

The legislature is very screwed up

Rinos give way to democrats

Democrats run San Antonio, Houston

If they don’t take away my gas fireplace and gas stove hand cranking coffee grinder I can let them try continue to pretend they’re a first world state.

You let taxpayers electricity go out for four straight days in single digit temps with precipitation and you’re not a first world state

The open border is enough bulls&&t alone


14 posted on 12/10/2024 2:10:23 PM PST by stanne
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To: mfish13

I hate to see it burned at a refinery though.


15 posted on 12/10/2024 2:13:47 PM PST by Retain Mike ( Sat Cong)
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To: TexasKamaAina

This is a full on propaganda piece. Doesn’t mention the real cause of the blackout was expanding wind and solar generation without making those suppliers guarantee a minimum supply, by paying for the capital cost of natural gas peaker plants to make up for their inherent unreliable power generation.


16 posted on 12/10/2024 2:14:07 PM PST by Pres Raygun (Repent America)
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To: curious7

Of course they should but the gods of solar and wind will be mad.
Texas got in too deep with green bs. They are a perfect example of why green solutions do not work.

Now the will to stand firm and speak that truth is not there.
I don’t know why...but the slavish devotion to green lies is killing people.


17 posted on 12/10/2024 2:15:07 PM PST by Adder (End fascism...defeat all Democrats.)
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To: TexasKamaAina

When you look at complex solutions to fix simple problems you end up with costly ideas that fix nothing.

If you’re light bulb has burned out you don’t install solar farms or massive windmills to give you power at a significantly higher cost, you replace the bulb.


18 posted on 12/10/2024 2:24:28 PM PST by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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Trump has pledged to cut electricity rates by 50% during his first 18 months in office, but he will not be able to change anything in Texas because the ERCOT grid is not subject to federal oversight or regulation. Texas broke it. Texas needs to fix it. That is the job of the Texas Legislature.

***************

Ongoing history of operations in TX. Large fields of Wind
generation along with the same in the Gulf of Mexico. Also
has been different than other states as they were their own
controlled company, utility, etc. and the Feds had no control
over the state own operations. Texas was an independent as
to the rules/regs when they joined the USA.

Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States
Approved March 1, 1845.


19 posted on 12/10/2024 2:35:43 PM PST by deport
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Absolutely. Solved problems puts some people out of work.


20 posted on 12/10/2024 2:40:22 PM PST by Jonty30 (Genghis Khan did not have the most descendants. His father had more. )
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