Texas Spring/Summer Thread

[MickeyDBC]

The Texas grid has been creaking and groaning for quite a while so don't expect it to get any better in the near future. When the big freeze hit we ran the house off of my Hobart Champion Elite for over fifty hours (if I had enough gas for it I could have run it for another fifty) over five days and I suspect this summer will bring more of the same. Between all of the growth we are having and our esteemed governor trying to make Texas the bitcoin mining capital of the world (a lot are chinese companies companies looking for a new home after China booted them out for destabilizing their power grid) through tax breaks and economic incentives, I don't have a lot of hope for reliable power. On a related note, Ercot put out a report that crypto mining will use more power than all of Houston by next year ( Crypto Miners’ Electricity Use in Texas Would Equal Another Houston ). So when the power starts going out even more frequently when it gets either hot or cold it might be time to visit the governor's mansion and the state capital with pitchforks, torches, and a trailer full of tar and rails and teach these idiots how much we actually appreciate heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.

 

[bindian]

On a more local note. We got 44 inches of sunshine today. At 42 inches, my solar panels floated away.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

The governor has almost next to nothing to do with companies investing their money into long term payback electric generation.

We need at least 5 large nuclear plants IMO. NG is $7.+/MCF right now. We have plenty, but it's gone up like crude. Subsidize loans to build nuclear, then get paid back, and keep power costs low long term as part of the loan structure.

 

[jyoutz]

It’s interesting that the natural gas plants and wind generators go out in Texas when it gets cold. My son in Austin was out of power for 10 days. Meanwhile the natural gas and wind farms keep working in adjacent New Mexico and Oklahoma, both of which get colder weather than Texas.

 

[rademamj1]

Yes Indeed, six power plants tripped offline due to high surge in demand, but new procedures in start-up, allowed all six plants to return online to power generation in 30 minutes. Everyone complains they went down......but never report they were back online within 30 minutes

 

[Torvy]

It’s interesting that the natural gas plants and wind generators go out in Texas when it gets cold. My son in Austin was out of power for 10 days. Meanwhile the natural gas and wind farms keep working in adjacent New Mexico and Oklahoma, both of which get colder weather than Texas.

You answered your own inquiry. "...both of which get colder weather than Texas."

There are still homes in the North that don't have Air Conditioning because needing it is rare and not cost effective.

Texas also has dreadfully few snow removal vehicles because, wait for it, most of Texas rarely gets significant amounts of snow...and it melts off after a day or two. Again, as much as I wish we had snow plows during the rare deep snow, it is not a cost effective option.

 

[jyoutz]

You answered your own inquiry. "...both of which get colder weather than Texas."

There are still homes in the North that don't have Air Conditioning because needing it is rare and not cost effective.

Texas also has dreadfully few snow removal vehicles because, wait for it, most of Texas rarely gets significant amounts of snow...and it melts off after a day or two. Again, as much as I wish we had snow plows during the rare deep snow, it is not a cost effective option.

It still seems prudent to design facilities to not go offline when cold weather occurs. Because it does occur even in Texas.

 

[Torvy]

It still seems prudent to design facilities to not go offline when cold weather occurs. Because it does occur even in Texas.

Your hindsight is still 20/20. We had never had a cold spell like that in the modern era in terms of how cold and for how long. Frankly, I attribute part of the problem to modern people who crank up the heat rather than put on a sweater.

We get it, you have Texas-envy. It is common problem along our borders. How about you solve the problems in New Mexico before you throw stones at other states? As a Crockett once said "....and I will go to Texas."

 

[jyoutz]

Your hindsight is still 20/20. We had never had a cold spell like that in the modern era in terms of how cold and for how long. Frankly, I attribute part of the problem to modern people who crank up the heat rather than put on a sweater.

We get it, you have Texas-envy. It is common problem along our borders. How about you solve the problems in New Mexico before you throw stones at other states? As a Crockett once said "....and I will go to Texas."

Torvy, no offense intended. You know as well as I do that we are bound by our states of residence to uphold the long tradition of trading insults. “If Texans were meant to ski, God would have given them a mountain.” (Seen on bumper stickers and t-shirts in NM ski towns).

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

New Mexico would go broke if it weren't for Texas skiers.

Texas just is not prepared for that level of cold.