Texas is the US leader in wind power, when the wind blows.
(Reuters) – The Texas power grid operator has scrambled this week to meet soaring electricity demand in the face of a brutal heat wave, and residents of the second most populous U.S. state are one power plant shut-down away from rolling blackouts.
Power demand for Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc, or ERCOT, which runs the power grid for most of the state, hit three consecutive records this week as Texans cranked up air conditioners to escape one of the hottest summers on record.The grid operator on Thursday cut power to some big industrial users, and businesses and households face a repeat of the rolling blackouts they faced in February, when a bitter cold snap interrupted power supplies.
Though ERCOT has done a good job balancing supply and demand, “You always have to expect the unexpected can happen,” said Arshad Mansoor, senior vice president at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). “A unit can shut. The wind may not blow.”
BS ALERT
It’s been a year of extreme weather for the Lone Star State, already suffering from the worst drought on record.
Nice try. The droughts in the 1950s were more widespread and much longer lasting.
gee…..they need to put in more whirly jigs
and a few dams and nuclear power plants to make them work
Steven:
Droughts more than 12 years ago do not count because they have only been “Accurately” been monitoring Drought for 12 years! (It Shocked Me)
Texas, along with most regions is years behind on construction of hydrocarbon or nuclear powered electrical generation facilities. Wind generation was a giant step backwards that will haunt the country years after the last wind turbine freezes up.
People flock to a place that is a living hell hole in the summer, then whine and moan that it’s the end of the world the first time the air conditioning goes out.
When I lived in Houston, I found the key to enjoying summer was staying out of air conditioning. I had big fans instead. Once you get used to the air conditioning, you are addicted.
I’m with you Steve. I avoid them whenever possible. I do use them for climate control preservation of important things though like documents, computers, stereo equipment, certain tools, guitars and the like.
It is my belief that air conditioning may be the thing that destroys America (not what you think).
When it was mass introduced into the state capitols, and especially the District of Criminals, it allowed for 24-7-365 occupation of offices. Previously the critters would leave as quickly as possible before the summer heat.
Simple solution: If we remove air conditioning for all people in all political agencies, especially DC, and use it only for document and equipment preservation, the scoundrels will up and leave. Ideally we should cut the pay to minimum wage as well, but that’s another story.
If this sounds harsh to some liberals, save your breath. Our boys in Iraq could teach you a few things about hot environments without complaining.
Reuters could power all of Houston for decades with the amount of hot air they’re spewing.
As they say, you must now get used to have power when it is available, not when you need it.
Steve Holliday CEO of the UK National Grid let the cat out of the bag when he told us
“The grid is going to be a very different system in 2020, 2030,” he told BBC’s Radio 4. “We keep thinking that we want it to be there and provide power when we need it. It’s going to be much smarter than that.
“We are going to change our own behaviour and consume it when it is available and available cheaply.”
Power companies in the UK are also offering free smart meters (subsidised of course by levies). I wonder why?
Smart grids are being developed by utilities worldwide to allow the government to control electricity use in the home, down to the individual appliance. Smart grids would monitor the consumption of each appliance and be capable of turning them off if the power is needed elsewhere.