I have like many been watching the events in the US (and Northern Mexico), the funniest is via Zerohedge an interesting rightwing blog post website. Anyway, it has been published everywhere on ERCOT's website that the Principal reason for the power failure is the freezing of the state's natural gas infrastructure (and yes some wind farm have been affected too), the net loss of generation is 30MW in the natural gas sector and 4MW in the wind sector -- there's wind but also icing conditions and the Texan windmills didn't have to install de-icing systems on their wings (because it's warm -- usually -- in Texas). Every 10 years or so, Texas has a big freeze! Every 10 years a report is written on the failures of the grid.
The amusing thing here is the right-wing "blogosphere" who seem intent on saying -- we should have kept the coal, we should not use renewable energy... let's be clear coal power plants only work one way 100% of rated capacity -- if you shut it down, you have to rebuild the furnace (yes its a big deal but that's a normal process in a coal-fired power station, and its all part of the process). More importantly, American coal is getting expensive to mine (they could import it from Mexico that has huge reserves) and that would be a solution of sorts, but the reality is that Natural Gas is less than 20% of the cost of coal (and we don't include green credit penalties here!!!). So the reality is that coal is dead, will stay dead because it's not economical.
Overall, the decision from people who don't understand the first thing about energy, who have, in the past, voted down every energy price increase (as being "unamerican") are bitching because the infrastructure is inadequate, the state of America's electrical infrastructure is well known, it's been known for decades and yet very little money is being spent on America's decaying infrastructure (don't get me started about their bridges and viaducts). In the rest of the world (but not Texas) windmills all come equipped with de-icing equipment, but Texas' right to cheap energy made it willing to cut corners.
Those commentators (the right-wing guys) will never change their minds -- they see a polar vortex and confuse it climate change -- even if you point out to them that this happens (in Texas) every decade or so, it has little to do with climate change and everything to do with shifting high altitude winds...There is no point in discussing with these "pinheads" because they don't listen, don't care!
The point here is that 95% of the grid failure in Texas is due to the Natual Gas infrastructure that is frozen, wellheads cannot produce gas safely and so they shut them down. Those who blame the Green movement or even Biden (who seems actually very concerned -- but has little ability to change the Texas grid). Is probably getting the National guards ready to deploy so that shelters (where there is electricity and heat) can provide temporary refuge to those in need.
BTW in Quebec during the 1998 ice storm, friends and family opened their houses to neighbors that were without power for weeks...
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