Power grid challenges in Texas

[highfigh]

This is the #1 reason (out of about 20) I can't get on-board at all with the New Green Deal bullshit. I have argued with some of my friends that China is effectively weaponizing carbon emissions. In 2020 the US accounted for about 13% of worldwide manmade carbon emissions. We'll probably be under 10% by the time all of these coal plants come online. If the US stopped emitting carbon today and the rest of the world continued on its merry way, the reduction would only buy a few years on the CO2 PPB curve.

One thing I have seen nothing about in the news is the decrease in pollution over the last year. With commercial & personal travel, industrial production and distribution down because we were told to stay home and businesses told to reduce work unless they were 'essential'. how is it possible that we could have produced the same amount?

 

[Irvrobinson]

One thing I have seen nothing about in the news is the decrease in pollution over the last year. With commercial & personal travel, industrial production and distribution down because we were told to stay home and businesses told to reduce work unless they were 'essential'. how is it possible that we could have produced the same amount?

NASA Model Reveals How Much COVID-related Pollution Levels Deviated from the Norm - NASA

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, space- and ground-based observations have shown that Earth’s atmosphere has seen significant reductions in some air

www.nasa.gov

 

[highfigh]

NASA Model Reveals How Much COVID-related Pollution Levels Deviated from the Norm - NASA

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, space- and ground-based observations have shown that Earth’s atmosphere has seen significant reductions in some air

www.nasa.gov

I guess I should have been specific- I haven't seen anything in the news or from politicians.

 

[lovinthehd]

Enron karma?

 

[slipperybidness]

I know their pain. Over the years I've had three pipes burst, including one which flooded a room of our house. I hope the damage from their's is contained.



I never realized Texas had such significant power reliability problems until now. It seems only California is worse prepared. It's making me think renewal power sources are more trouble than they're worth in carbon savings. Wind power especially, which mucks up the landscape.

I don't think it is reliability problems, rather the demand can get just stupid high. Texas has tended to be one of the more reliable areas of the country. But the Tx summer is brutal hot and demand can exceed supply. No other grid could keep up with that silly demand either.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I don't think it is reliability problems, rather the demand can get just stupid high. Texas has tended to be one of the more reliable areas of the country. But the Tx summer is brutal hot and demand can exceed supply. No other grid could keep up with that silly demand either.

Florida?

 

[Irvrobinson]

The storm disabled 30 gigawatts of generation in Texas. That's roughly equivalent to five Grand Coulee Dams. I'm trying to imagine what the situation would be like if 20% of the vehicles in the state were electric and needed recharging too.

Energy prices jump as millions left without power in Texas

Energy prices spiked on Tuesday as severe weather hit Texas

www.cnbc.com

 

[highfigh]

I don't think it is reliability problems, rather the demand can get just stupid high. Texas has tended to be one of the more reliable areas of the country. But the Tx summer is brutal hot and demand can exceed supply. No other grid could keep up with that silly demand either.

So, they're still chasing their tail by trying to meet demand, rather than getting people to reduce it? Sounds self-defeating. A runner doesn't sprint through a marathon.

 

[Irvrobinson]

So, they're still chasing their tail by trying to meet demand, rather than getting people to reduce it? Sounds self-defeating. A runner doesn't sprint through a marathon.

I don't think you understand the situation in Texas. Millions of people heat with heat pumps or in-room electric heat. A lot of older homes don't have sufficient insulation. Changing these factors on a large scale would require a New Green Deal class of investment. It would be a lot more efficient, and I'm convinced easier on the environment, if Texas just improved its generation capability and enhanced its electrical grid. Sometimes I think Texas decoupled its electrical grid from the rest of the country to prepare for secession.

 

[highfigh]

I don't think you understand the situation in Texas. Millions of people heat with heat pumps or in-room electric heat. A lot of older homes don't have sufficient insulation. Changing these factors on a large scale would require a New Green Deal class of investment. It would be a lot more efficient, and I'm convinced easier on the environment, if Texas just improved its generation capability and enhanced its electrical grid. Sometimes I think Texas decoupled its electrical grid from the rest of the country to prepare for secession.

As much money as the government gives away, I'm surprised they haven't done something about old heaters and adding insulation but that would mean taxes would be raised and I know that's not what people want.

"Sometimes" you think that?

The US has had energy shortages for over 50 years- why wouldn't they make insulation and efficiency more of a priority? It seems as if nobody wanted to ask "What if the power goes out?" and deal with the problem before it happened.

And yes, I know many people live in small, inexpensive houses, mobile homes/trailers and other structures because they can't afford more.

 

[John Parks]

Out in west Texas, near Sweetwater and Big Spring, the are vast wind farms. Because the wind turbines are so huge and there are so many of them, it looks like something out of a science fiction movie - pretty cool looking (and quite ugly at the same time). The thing is, over the past ten years or so, every time I pass through the area (once or twice a year) less than 10% are turning... I know a bunch "froze up" during this freeze, but countless ones, from what I could see on my trips, were not working in the first place...

Millions Of Americans Without Power As Wind Power Freezes Up

More than 2.5M people lost their power as wind farms froze up. Biden wants to nationalize this.

climatechangedispatch.com

On a lighter note, I have been working from home this week as 1) driving conditions are terrible and Texas drivers can't handle it and 2) power outages at my office. I wore one of my pairs of my three pairs of InCase Sonic headphones (discontinued) for nine hours yesterday and they were sooo comfortable (I can easily sleep with these things on!). Added bonus: they sound awesome!

I recently saw a pair for sale on the E of Bays - I may have to pick up (another) backup...

 

[Hobbit]

What's coming next is probably a big transfer of wealth from home insurance companies to plumbers, as pipes burst around the state.

Yes, people who are not used to weather like this seem to forget to leave the heaters on when they're not in the office/school/etc. Then they return to a flooded building....

I was living in San Antonio in the late 90's when there was a big snow storm and freeze. It was crazy, something like 2400 accidents and 26 deaths in a day. I didn't find the roads bad enough not to ride my bike work. I saw accidents everywhere, especially at bridges where people seem to like to use their brakes...

 

[Speedskater]

So, they're still chasing their tail by trying to meet demand, rather than getting people to reduce it? Sounds self-defeating. A runner doesn't sprint through a marathon.

Yet there are plans for only electric cars in 15 to 20 years.

 

[highfigh]

Yet there are plans for only electric cars in 15 to 20 years.

That's not the sprint, that's seeing a mirage and thinking it's closer than it really is. Remember the emissions goals stated in the 1990s? Not met, yet. If someone can come up with better energy sources from a cost/density standpoint, great. How will those cars be charged without causing excessive stress on the grid? They can't tell us.

 

[highfigh]

Out in west Texas, near Sweetwater and Big Spring, the are vast wind farms. Because the wind turbines are so huge and there are so many of them, it looks like something out of a science fiction movie - pretty cool looking (and quite ugly at the same time). The thing is, over the past ten years or so, every time I pass through the area (once or twice a year) less than 10% are turning... I know a bunch "froze up" during this freeze, but countless ones, from what I could see on my trips, were not working in the first place...

Millions Of Americans Without Power As Wind Power Freezes Up

More than 2.5M people lost their power as wind farms froze up. Biden wants to nationalize this.

climatechangedispatch.com

On a lighter note, I have been working from home this week as 1) driving conditions are terrible and Texas drivers can't handle it and 2) power outages at my office. I wore one of my pairs of my three pairs of InCase Sonic headphones (discontinued) for nine hours yesterday and they were sooo comfortable (I can easily sleep with these things on!). Added bonus: they sound awesome!
View attachment 44691

I recently saw a pair for sale on the E of Bays - I may have to pick up (another) backup...

Nationalized power- sounds great, until it isn't.

Wind turbines require maintenance and it's possible that the 90% weren't needed or they have problems but they're too much like sailboats to make me think they're practical for all areas.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I must be missing something about them wind turbines freezing in texas, while operating normally on Ross Island, near Antarctica

Ross Island wind farm

Ross Island is a wind farm located on Crater Hill, Antarctica. The world's southernmost wind farm greatly reduces the NZ and USA Antarctic base CO2 emissions.

www.meridianenergy.co.nz

.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I must be missing something about them wind turbines freezing in texas, while operating normally on Ross Island, near Antarctica

Ross Island wind farm

Ross Island is a wind farm located on Crater Hill, Antarctica. The world's southernmost wind farm greatly reduces the NZ and USA Antarctic base CO2 emissions.

www.meridianenergy.co.nz

.

They aren't all the same.
Wind Energy in Cold Climates (nrcan.gc.ca)

Wind turbine manufacturers are increasingly recognizing the impacts of cold climate operation and are building turbines better equipped to handle winter conditions. With the installation of “cold weather packages” which provide heating to turbine components such as the gearbox, yaw and pitch motors and battery, some turbines can operate in temperatures down to -30C.

I'm guessing that Texas utilities didn't feel that it was worth the investment to install windmills that could operate in cold temperatures.

 

[Trell]

They aren't all the same.
Wind Energy in Cold Climates (nrcan.gc.ca)

I'm guessing that Texas utilities didn't feel that it was worth the investment to install windmills that could operate in cold temperatures.

They made a gamble that temperature cold enough to cause malfunction was infrequent enough that further maintenance expenses was curtailed. That is not exactly Texan or even American.

Clearly a case where government is needed to set some kind of reasonable minimum standards.

 

[its phillip]

 

[mtrycrafts]

Rooftop solar with battery backup and smart micro grids, when will we learn? TX is perfect for solar.

Only problem is how much solar energy is available in the daytime as the batteries don't last forever and in that cold weather one must heat some.

I have that setup but don't expect that level of weather here even though the area had pipes bursting in 1991 due to prolonged freezing weather.