Posted on 02/18/2021 8:47:37 AM PST by austinrepub
The story of how Texas was brought to its knees by crippling cold weather leaving millions without power is a complex one, yet entirely predictable and avoidable.
The details matter, so it is important to know the long story, but let’s start with the short version: For years, Texas’ grid operator (ERCOT) has overestimated the ability to maintain a reliable grid without a sufficient supply buffer, known as a “reserve margin.” That margin is the difference between demand for electricity and what the grid can produce. When demand exceeds production, you get blackouts. That buffer has been shrinking because reliable sources of energy have been retired, few reliable plants have been constructed, and the grid is depending more and more on weather-dependent renewable energy that repeatedly fails to perform when we need it most.
When wind and solar production predictably dropped as the winter storm hit, the buffer collapsed. ERCOT needed to execute a series of balancing measures that would have protected the grid. But it did not act soon enough, which caused many more gas and some coal power plants in the system to “trip.” (Think of it as a circuit breaker that triggers to prevent a fire or other emergency at your house when there is a system imbalance.) Other weather-related issues caused problems too but ERCOT’s failure to act sooner was a major factor.
(Excerpt) Read more at texaspolicy.com ...
I can’t even find a list of board members from which to do a resume review. If you see one, link me.
They’re probably all in hiding.
That’s true. Although it’s interesting, now that you mention it, that we’re not hearing about power plant failures in other parts of the country. Even the parts that don’t typically see cold weather.
With the Left, EVERYTHING is political. Everything. Even math is political to them.
I was having this discussion with my brother tonight about the Leftist approach to problems and solutions versus a conservative approach.
They get an idea, and they latch on to it. They engage in what Thomas Sowell calls “Stage One Thinking”. They get an idea, and they run with it.
They have this completely perverse mindset where, if presented with a problem, they settle immediately onto a solution and run with it. They seem utterly incapable of thinking past the first and most immediate move of a chess piece, and that first move is nearly, to them, impenetrably sound and infallible, and they set their course of action in concrete.
The disasters are numerous and predictable.
You have some kind of worm causing a problem in a water system? Bring up some non-native fish from South America somewhere that is known to eat that worm, and your problem is solved.
They always seem surprised when there is a side effect they didn’t foresee. It is always “unexpected”.
That South American fish that does indeed eat the worm in South America, finds that in North America, there is tastier food and eats that instead. It becomes a completely invasive species, wiping out native flora and fauna, to the point it is a disaster. Entire industries are gutted, people lose their jobs, etc.
Or, teaching math in school. They get this great idea to teach math in a new way, such as Common Core math, because it will be more accessible or understandable to a wider population of kids.
They think.
With that “One Stage Thinking” they never, EVER ask the ONE question you should ALWAYS ask: “What if it doesn’t work?”
They never seem to ask that question. They just throw everything at it and invest everything in it. Then, when it doesn’t work, they are nowhere to be found. Nobody is ever held accountable
My brother asked me “What do you think their estimation of OUR approach to problems would be as conservatives? Wouldn’t it just be a mirror image?
I responded “No. They would likely view us as obstructionist for not wanting to run full speed down the path they intend to follow.”
I find that needing a lot of clarification.
Do you have a link to the statement in context or an article?
That is high praise, thank you. I hope it helped-that is why I come here as well.
In my part of the country, we had a giant paper mill explosion recently, and I didn’t know much about the paper industry, so I was puzzled about how it happened.
We have some very knowledgeable people on this forum, and some of them knew the industry and the industrial processes quite well. They explained it to the rest of us, and when I went back and watched the Youtube video again...boy, did it ever make sense.
And that’s the thing. When you get all your news from the MSM, you get the buxom blonde wearing the tight high fashion dress, telling you with a gleam in their eyes, the video they are about to show is quite disturbing (meaning you don’t want to miss it)
You get no context from them (other than the context they wish to give you)
Here on FR, that same issue with links would come up on a thread, and a Freeper with a gleam in their keyboard will tell you that the video you are about to see is quite disturbing (meaning you don’t want to miss it)...:)
Then, on the tenth post in, you get someone with thirty years in the industry who happens to hang out on FR telling you exactly why it blew up, how scary it is to be around the equipment, the dangers inherent in the technology, the ways things can go sideways, and a host of other things like that.
That is why I love Free Republic, pay for it, and keep coming back.
It isn’t to fight with other meatheads, one of whom I occasionally am...I learn a lot on here.
Aviation? Military? Archeology? Religion? Art? Music? Politics (um...yeah, politics)? Travel. Taxes. Volcanoes. Sharks. Humor?
You name it. I always appreciated Sunken Civ and the archaeology threads, because even though I am a history buff, there are archaeological aspects of it I am just not versed on, or even aware of, and for me, it is a whole new avenue I now explore.
We had another Freeper who had extensive experience in the energy sector, and on nearly any thread he would show up and shed light on this or that. He also ignited a flame of knowledge in that area. I wish I could remember his handle, I really enjoyed reading it.
Yes. That is why I come here.
Family member and I have often spoke about sides of the Political issues....though he voted for Trump he’s highly critical of both sides and believe both do the same things. So it’s impossible to converse for long without the temperature rising.....like the left he always is the only one who is right or worthy of an opinion.
I sure do hear you on that.
I can do that...but it will cost ya.
I hope you get further than I do....he hears me but doesn’t listen.
#GreenEnergyKills
Monday, one of the two units of the South Texas Project, a nuclear-power plant near the Gulf of Mexico, shut down, according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials and the plant's operator. The unit's water supply froze, causing two pumps to fail.
And here's the link:
In case you didn’t notice, President Trump had put us in a position of Energy Independence during his first term in office.
Xiden has ruined that, already.
Oh, they are profiting alright. Count on it.
Green “Energy” advocates.
To keep up with EPA regulations, ERCOT shut down 5,000 MW of coal generation in 2018 alone. And of course built wind and solar to obtain green credits and tax incentives.
Coal is nice because you can have a large stockpile waiting for these events. Natural gas is limited by the pipeline, and I guess in Texas a certain percentage of the gas must be used for heating folks’ homes when they want to. Which makes it unavailable for electrical generation.
Couple of problems with that. A: it should be "Note she hasn't responded to post #19...", B: I not completely full of mockery and insinuations but I have my fair share. C: I'm not at all short on facts, as people who actually know what's going on will confirm - Link. And finally D: why continue to argue with people who have the mind set on their agenda? Someone once said that you can't reason people out of positions that they weren't reasoned into in the first place. I've found that to be true in almost all circumstances.
“Democrats believe the only solution to bad policy is even more bad policy.”
Why not. they think we can create wealth with a keystroke.
You try again jackass.
Perception is reality, and now in the court of public opinion he is the jackass that went to the beach while Texas had a minor Ragnarok. He should have sent his family on vacation and stayed behind to be a public face. Once again the party of stupid.
And maybe, MAYBE it would have been a good idea to have actual TEXANS sit on the ERCOT board all these years, who wouldn't have pushed the green energy BS. I guess this is learning the hard way.
Everything's bigger in Texas...including those 2 YUGE dumbass moves and YOUR next electric bill.
Godspeed.
OK it’s one of two units, meaning they are sister units, both are running. I immediately wonder how it can be weather related when only one running unit trips because a water supply froze. I’d have to read that from the operator before I’d believe it.
Another good source here on fr:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3935712/posts
Go to the article—great info. And that site has a couple more worth reading. Bottomline: You are Right.
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