Texas Fall/Winter thread!

[lostcreekranch]

El Paso's not seeing power outages like the rest of Texas - here's why - KVIA

Not all of Texas is on the same grid.

Hope people finally realize that solar panels and windmills are not reliable for electrical power.

Get the natural gas flowing in those pipelines!

El Paso is interconnected to the entire Western Grid .. that by and large did not have the ice, snow, freezing rain and low temperatures that we suffered in Texas. They do not survive on just their own power plants.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I suspect greed has alot to do with Texas's problem right now. Everyone wants cheap power, so don't prepare it for cold temps and unregulated cost have sky rocketed the cost of wholesale power. People north of Texas run windmills year round, and you'd think with windpower only a 25% share, that even if they were all down, it could be made with other sources.

Greed? That just a cheap shot that doesn't deserve a response.

Do you realize this is an extreme event? As in not normal .. rarely happens? It got to 7° in December 1989. That was a cold event .. no snow .. no ice .. just cold air. North Texas get this weather annually .. South Texas doesn't. We got days of below freezing temps, ice, snow, freezing rain.

What would happen if you got 10 days of 120° F temperatures. Would your power grid have issues?

We'd be perfectly happy to generate all our power from fossil fuels and nuclear. We have lots of NG available here.

The so called "green power" is inefficient, unreliable, and could not possibly survive without significant subsidies.

You really believe that "People north of Texas run windmills year round" full time / full capacity? Do your homework .. and get back to us.

 

[rswyan]

Wind turbine shutdowns during polar vortex stoke Midwest debate | Energy News Network

 

[Bearsixty7]

Lots of news coverage of the power grid, the blackouts and ERCOT. Governor Abbot has requested an investigation into ERCOT now. Not sure what that will reveal or accomplish or when it will be complete.
About the only news on COVID now is that due to a power outage near or in Houston, a vaccination clinic that was to be postponed opened up and administered several thousand doses before it could ruin due to no refrigeration.

 

[cqaigy2]

Greed? That just a cheap shot that doesn't deserve a response.

Do you realize this is an extreme event? As in not normal .. rarely happens? It got to 7° in December 1989. That was a cold event .. no snow .. no ice .. just cold air. North Texas get this weather annually .. South Texas doesn't. We got days of below freezing temps, ice, snow, freezing rain.

What would happen if you got 10 days of 120° F temperatures. Would your power grid have issues?

We'd be perfectly happy to generate all our power from fossil fuels and nuclear. We have lots of NG available here.

The so called "green power" is inefficient, unreliable, and could not possibly survive without significant subsidies.

You really believe that "People north of Texas run windmills year round" full time / full capacity? Do your homework .. and get back to us.

Yes, they do and you or i can see them. Do your own homework and check out Norway or other northern countries, heck check out some of the states, just north of and bring your data. So wind provides at max 25% of the generation capacity and you are saying that the lose of some of that wind generator capacity is the cause rolling black out? So the real problem is natural gas and nuc plants not setup to handle freezing weather. If you want to bury your head in the sand and blame green energy, your going to have this same thing happen again. As in greed, I'm talking about an unregulated free market that goes from $22 a megawatt-hour to about $9,000. So it comes down to, do you want to pay for winterizing your generation plants for once in a decade or longer occurrence, or are you going to put up with the current conditions.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Wind turbine shutdowns during polar vortex stoke Midwest debate | Energy News Network

And that wasn't an ice / freezing rain event .. just low temperatures.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Yes, they do and you or i can see them. Do your own homework and check out Norway or other northern countries, heck check out some of the states, just north of and bring your data. So wind provides at max 25% of the generation capacity and you are saying that the lose of some of that wind generator capacity is the cause rolling black out? So the real problem is natural gas and nuc plants not setup to handle freezing weather. If you want to bury your head in the sand and blame green energy, your going to have this same thing happen again. As in greed, I'm talking about an unregulated free market that goes from $22 a megawatt-hour to about $9,000. So it comes down to, do you want to pay for winterizing your generation plants for once in a decade or longer occurrence, or are you going to put up with the current conditions.

South Texas .. is not Norway or other Northern Countries. Simple geography might demonstrate that to you?

"do you want to pay for winterizing your generation plants for once in a decade or longer occurrence, or are you going to put up with the current conditions."

No, we'd prefer NG power. We have lots of it. The last time it got this cold was 1989 and we had no ice, no freezing rain, just low temperatures.

You should really research the conditions we've faced here .. the last three days .. instead of just sounding like an uneducated loon.

Never mind .. you've got your mind made up.

I hope Washington State is "smart" enough to go total Wind / Solar. Disconnect yourselves from the Western Grid as well .. if your so sure .. of your position.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I thought everything was part of a NORTH AMERICAN grid, where "they" could readily move around generating capacity.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I thought everything was part of a NORTH AMERICAN grid, where "they" could readily move around generating capacity.

Nope.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Our High School Electrical Teacher told us of the North American Grid. Did they change that or break it up?

Seems strange they can import and export power between countries but not within the States.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I thought everything was part of a NORTH AMERICAN grid, where "they" could readily move around generating capacity.

No, there are different grids. Even with some interconnects, they can’t ship lots of power around.

 

[rswyan]

And that wasn't an ice / freezing rain event .. just low temperatures.

True ... but the article covered many things, not just that particular event - specifically the technologies that can be incorporated for extreme cold weather operations and to ameliorate ice / freezing rain events.

That technology has existed for better than 10 years ... and has doubtless improved over time.

Meanwhile you got Galveston ordering up refrigerated trailers to hold the dead bodies.

 

[cqaigy2]

"do you want to pay for winterizing your generation plants for once in a decade or longer occurrence, or are you going to put up with the current conditions."

No, we'd prefer NG power. We have lots of it. The last time it got this cold was 1989 and we had no ice, no freezing rain, just low temperatures.

You should really research the conditions we've faced here .. the last three days .. instead of just sounding like an uneducated loon.

Never mind .. you've got your mind made up.

I hope Washington State is "smart" enough to go total Wind / Solar. Disconnect yourselves from the Western Grid as well .. if your so sure .. of your position.

I stand corrected on your point about extreme low temps shutting wind generators down, i'd not seen that cold of temps, and i don't believe -20 is happening in Texas.

I've got a link you may find interesting.

Outages and Curtailment During the Southwest Cold Weather Event of February 1-5, 2011

Don't know why you would care if Washington state disconnects from Western Grid, Texas has it's own grid. You must have a short memory, my cousin lives in south Texas and she distinctly remembers it happening about 10 years ago. Those NG sources aren't pumping because diesel pumps aren't running and pipelines are freezing, NG power plants are not producing because of failures brought on by low temps. Texas is having a lot of the same issues that California had, but in the summer, and for the same reasons. No incentive to keep regular maintenance, pressure to keep power as cheap as possible, without looking to the future. But go ahead, you have your mind made up and blame the wind generators on the current problems Texas is seeing right now.


Deep freeze sends natural gas soaring to record $600 in Oklahoma

'We have seen nothing like this': ERCOT CEO says agency still can't predict when Texas power outages will end during Q&A

 

[lostcreekranch]

True ... but the article covered many things, not just that particular event - specifically the technologies that can be incorporated for extreme cold weather operations and to ameliorate ice / freezing rain events.

That technology has existed for better than 10 years ... and has doubtless improved over time.

Meanwhile you got Galveston ordering up refrigerated trailers to hold the dead bodies.

“Meanwhile you got Galveston ordering up refrigerated trailers to hold the dead bodies.”

That’s over the top .. even for you!

Because your too stoopid to realize this is an extraordinary weather event.

And Miami .. has no snow plows. Go hate on Florida for a while.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I stand corrected on your point about extreme low temps shutting wind generators down, i'd not seen that cold of temps, and i don't believe -20 is happening in Texas.

I've got a link you may find interesting.

Outages and Curtailment During the Southwest Cold Weather Event of February 1-5, 2011

Don't know why you would care if Washington state disconnects from Western Grid, Texas has it's own grid. You must have a short memory, my cousin lives in south Texas and she distinctly remembers it happening about 10 years ago. Those NG sources aren't pumping because diesel pumps aren't running and pipelines are freezing, NG power plants are not producing because of failures brought on by low temps. Texas is having a lot of the same issues that California had, but in the summer, and for the same reasons. No incentive to keep regular maintenance, pressure to keep power as cheap as possible, without looking to the future. But go ahead, you have your mind made up and blame the wind generators on the current problems Texas is seeing right now.


Deep freeze sends natural gas soaring to record $600 in Oklahoma

'We have seen nothing like this': ERCOT CEO says agency still can't predict when Texas power outages will end during Q&A[/QUOTE

“You must have a short memory, my cousin lives in south Texas and she distinctly remembers it happening about 10 years ago.“

2011 got to 17° but no ice, no freezing rain. Huge difference in conditions.


You’ve made up your mind so .. I’ll not try to change it .. since you’re a S. Texas expert.

Peace .. out!

 

[rswyan]

“Meanwhile you got Galveston ordering up refrigerated trailers to hold the dead bodies.”

That’s over the top .. even for you!

Unfortunately, it’s apparently an accurate statement of the present situation in Galveston.

Wish that weren’t so, but my wishes don’t count for jack in this instance.

Because your too stoopid to realize this is an extraordinary weather event.

Nope - I realize it’s an extraordinary weather event.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Unfortunately, it’s apparently an accurate statement of the present situation in Galveston.

Wish that weren’t so, but my wishes don’t count for jack in this instance.



Nope - I realize it’s an extraordinary weather event.

Not sure why you despise Texas and Texans but .. your crap really gets old.

 

[Hay Dude]

Not sure why you despise Texas and Texans but .. your crap really gets old.

I love Texas. Would love to be a farmer down there. Beautiful state, big, bold, grand ideas, love football.
I pray for the return of warm weather for them and a healing of those who suffered. Maybe lessons to the limitations of these windmills and solar panels will be realized.

IMO, it seems ok to have renewable energy sources, but the must be close to 100% backed up by dependable, always ready fossil fuels and a reliable grid to support all of it.

 

[Western]

Tuesday morning it was -9 at my house, DfW was at -2,-4 Record since 1899, One news article said ERCOT spokesman said 20% lost from down wind power, then other maintenance issues on several gen stations.

I don't recall the particulars, but they said when an emergency is called for blackouts, this opens up some new sources of energy with an almost unlimited fee charge, anyone know further details? I think that is in part why the guvna wants an investigation.

T Boone Pickens got out of the wind bidness as well, said It couldn't be viable without grants and subsidies

 

[K5lwq]

I am not sure what the answer is but the rolling blackouts don't seem to be rolling. My wife's sister has been without power since Monday. It came on yesterday but was back off before she could warm a can of soup. She lives in an apartment in Frisco and currently has Covid. I can not even go over to help her because of the Covid.

I am in Wood county and we have not lost power yet. I am thankful but feel bad for those that are continuing to go without heat. Unfortunately, I am all electric here like many and if we lose power it will get cold quick. I hooked up my 12kw generator Friday to prepare but can only pull half of my furnace. Better than nothing.

My prayers are with everyone without power right now and hope a solution is found quick.