What I'm up to

[RedDevil]

The main cause for the Texan power outages was problems with the distribution of natural gas, which reduced the gas plant output by up to 26 GW.
That dwarfs the 4GW loss (max) from iced wind turbines. But hey, they got the blame.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02...s-power-storm/

By some estimates, nearly half of the state’s natural gas production has screeched to a halt due to the extremely low temperatures, while freezing components at natural gas-fired power plants have forced some operators to shut down.

[freebeard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENyatRcxzsM

This is just a preview of the Biden/Harris energy policy. From last August (seems so long ago):

On issues of energy supply, Biden has been clear. For example, moderators at the Democratic Party debates asked him about his position on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the means by which American natural gas producers have helped to free us from many of the vagaries of international energy markets. He boldly replied, “No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period. Ends!” Later, in the same debate, he added, “No new fracking.”

thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/512601-a-biden-harris-presidency-would-largely-end-oil-and-gas-production

Well, they promised a dark winter. Promises made, promises kept.

[RedDevil]

??? you missed the memo. It wasn't renewables that caused the blackouts.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/envi...change-rcna289

In Texas, the center of a wave of outages across the Southern and central parts of the U.S., the primary electric grid suffered a one-two punch wrought by the deep freeze: off-the-charts demand for power as Texans tried to heat their homes and power plants that simply failed to produce power when people needed it the most.

Wind and solar, still fairly small slices of the state's energy mix, played only a minimal role in the sudden power shortage, utility officials said — contrary to a wave of conservative critics who tried to falsely pin blame for the situation on renewable energy.

At least their pockets will be warm, they are well lined.

The picture of what went wrong in Texas is incomplete. But while some wind generators did go offline as turbines iced over, the state's largest grid, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said the shortage was driven by a failure not of renewable sources but of traditional "thermal" sources: coal, nuclear and especially natural gas.

Nuclear too. Didn't expect that at all.

So nothing to do with Biden and Harris. They are still cleaning up the White house anyway, they had no hand in this crisis for good or for bad.

Even under the Trump administration over 75% of all new power generation plants were solar or wind, just because they are now more cost efficient. Economics beat everything. It is the same in Europe.
So why stimulate renewables then, if it happens anyway? Because we just need more power fast.
Overcapacity is not a waste, it is an insurance, like an army in peacetime is.

[redpoint5]

It will be interesting to see which generation sources were providing the most power during this emergency.

According to Alex Epstein, funds allocated in intermittent power sources reduced investment in more reliable sources and maintenance/improvements of infrastructure to increase reliability.

[freebeard]

??? you missed the memo. It wasn't renewables that caused the blackouts.

I'm missing more than your memo. I don't see a problem with the energy sourcing, or the weather. It's a command and control issue.

I can't find the source about the electrical transformers with the unknown additional circuits, but if I see it again I'll 'circle back'.

[redneck]

RedDevil;

??? you missed the memo. It wasn't renewables that caused the blackouts.

Maybe...



https://www.zerohedge.com/technology...ging-tesla-900

In Texas, wind power generation overtook coal-fired generation in 2020 for the first time ever, with wind power now accounting for 25 percent of the Texas electricity generation. Natural gas-fired power generation is the leading source of electricity in Texas, with more than 45 percent share.

While oil-and-gas rich Texas is the leading U.S. state for wind power installations, the frozen turbines in the Arctic weather have strained the grid so much that rolling outages in Texas continue for a second consecutive day.

And because this is a car forum...

OilPrice.com ran the numbers of how much it would cost to charge a Tesla in Texas earlier this week. While a regular charge costs around $18 using a Level 1 or Level 2 charger at home, estimates showed that the surge in power prices would have cost $900.

“The wind-dependent Texas grid is experiencing rolling blackouts, prices the equivalent of $900 per Tesla charge, and an expected supply shortage of 10 GW--the amount of electricity needed to power 5 million homes,”

Outages Morph Into Outrage As Texans Slapped With "Mind-Blowing" Power Bills

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ou...ng-power-bills

The rolling blackouts that plunged up to 15 million Texans into darkness amid a historic cold snap are diminishing by the end of the week. About 188k customers were without power in the state on Friday morning. Days after power prices jumped from $50 per Megawatt to more than $9,000, the horror stories pour in for those who had power this week during grid chaos as they are mind-boggled how their energy bills skyrocketed.

Ty Williams told WFAA that his average electric bill is around $660 per month. He said it now stands at $17,000.

Williams wondered: "How in the world can anyone pay that? I mean you go from a couple of hundred dollars a month... there's absolutely no way...it makes no sense."

Ahh yes, it’s a Green $$$ Deal alright...

For somebody... 😉




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[freebeard]

Ty Williams told WFAA that his average electric bill is around $660 per month

Did someone say Big AC?

[RedDevil]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Hedge

Zero Hedge (or ZeroHedge)[b] is a far-right[12] libertarian[17] financial blog,[13][14] presenting staff-written articles and aggregating news and opinions from external sources.[18] Zero Hedge, per its motto,[a] is bearish in its investment outlook and analysis, often deriving from its adherence to the Austrian School of economics and credit cycles.[22] While often labeled as a financial permabear,[23][24] Zero Hedge has also been described as a source of "cutting-edge news, rumors and gossip in the financial industry".[25]

Over time, Zero Hedge expanded into non-financial analysis,[c] including conspiracy theories and fringe rhetoric[27] associated with the US radical right,[14][28] the alt-right,[29][30][31] and a pro-Russian bias.[1][32][33][34] Zero Hedge's non-financial commentary has led to a number of § Site bans by various global social media platforms, although its 2019 Facebook ban[35][36] and 2020 Twitter ban were later reversed.[14][37]

Zero Hedge in-house content is posted under the pseudonym "Tyler Durden"; the founder and main editor was identified as Daniel Ivandjiiski.[26]

Sounds legit.

[redneck]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Hedge

Sounds legit.

If you read the links, you would have seen highlighted text. The highlighted text takes you to the sources used in said articles. Maybe, just maybe you’ll find a more trusted source to your liking.

It’s really not that hard...

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[IamIan]

Originally Posted by redneck

Ahh yes, it’s a Green $$$ Deal alright...

For somebody... 😉

Good or bad .. It's just how cold blooded capitalism functions .. supply and demand.

The Ferengi would be proud