There’s a saying in the lone star state “Don’t Mess with Texas” which actually started out as an anti-littering campaign but has become sort of a slogan for the rugged, no-nonsense way of life that people have there. Now with dead wind turbines littering the state, the focus on deploying unreliable renewable energy in the name of “saving the planet” has literally “messed with Texas” in a huge way.
Ice storms knocked out nearly half the wind-power generating capacity of Texas on Sunday as a massive deep freeze across the state locked up wind turbine generators, creating an electricity generation crisis.
Wind generation ranks as the second-largest source of energy in Texas, accounting for 23% of state power supplies last year, behind natural gas, which represented 45%, according to Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) figures.
ERCOT reports today the spot price for electricity in Texas is currently a stunning $9000 per MegaWatt-hour. Even in the high demand summer months, $100 per MW-hr would be high.
At the same time the freezing temperatures were driving electricity demand to record levels, ERCOT reported while calling on consumers and businesses to reduce their electricity use as much as possible Sunday, Feb. 14 through Tuesday, Feb. 16.
“We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas,” said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. “At the same time, we are dealing with higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available to generating units. We are asking Texans to take some simple, safe steps to lower their energy use during this time.”
Source: http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/225151
A graphic provided by ERCOT shows the huge gap between electricity supply and demand today:
Capacity is expected to fall short of demand by as much as 20,000 megawatts today, while the National Weather Service in Dallas predicts record low temperatures between -6° F to 3° F for Monday night.
A map from poweroutage.us is showing the scope of power outages in Texas shows that about 75% of the state is experiencing power outages in varying percentages with a significant portion having no power at all:
At the moment, ERCOT is placing rolling power outages in effect to prevent a complete collapse of the power grid saying:
“ERCOT has issued an EEA level 3 because electric demand is very high right now, and supplies can’t keep up. Reserves have dropped below 1,000 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes; as a result, ERCOT has ordered transmission companies to reduce demand on the system.
This is typically done through rotating outages, which are controlled, temporary interruptions of electric service. This type of demand reduction is only used as a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole.”
Source: http://www.ercot.com/eea_info/show/26464
It is sad and ironic that in a state known for its huge petroleum and natural gas resources, the lack of reliability of wind power has brought the state to its knees in a time of crisis, not unlike that which California experienced in 2020 during record heat where wind and solar power could not keep up with demand and was near collapse.
The folly of chasing renewable energy as a means of mitigating “climate change” is making itself abundantly clear today in Texas. When will politicians wake up and realize that renewable energy almost always equates to unreliable energy?
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How very green. That said, Green technology cannot be reasonably isolated from the environment.
Save a bird, a bat, whack a wind turbine. Clear the Green Blight, sequester the photovoltaic farms. Donate to World Walrus Foundation. It’s for the seals.
I’m calling it now…when 2021 Feb avg temps are released next month, NOAA will declare it to be above avg
That’s not a difficult call. It’s a given 2021 will be above average among the hottest on record.
Creative accounting, computer modelling, garbage in – garbage out but warming trend garbage.
“We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas,”
No. That should read ‘We are experiencing record breaking power supply failures……’
Thanks, Obiden!!
It’s not quite fair to lay the entire blame on wind. The roughly half of our wind capacity that didn’t freeze actually generated more electricity than expected yesterday. There were also issues with natural gas generation. Residential delivery (heating, hot water & cooking) was prioritized over electricity generation. So, some of the natural gas power plants weren’t able to operate at full capacity. Natural gas’ only weakness is that sharp drops in temperature can lead to supply disruptions
This situation is very similar to the rolling blackouts of Super Bowl week 2021, almost exactly ten years ago. The main difference is that back then we had more coal-fired generation and less wind power.
Here at Ice Station Dallas, we haven’t been on the receiving end of a rolling blackout (yet). I have a “live report” post scheduled for 8 PM CST.
Dave, think you meant 2011, a decade ago. But I researched your main points back in 2014 for essay clean coal, and you are correct. Back then there was more coal (with standby stockpiles, unlike natgas) and significantly less wind. The ERCOT grid was almost intentionally designed to fail under today’s conditions—which happened not so long ago before.
“It’s not quite fair to lay the entire blame on wind. The roughly half of our wind capacity that didn’t freeze actually generated more electricity than expected yesterday.”
David, do you know where these operating windmills were located? Were they in a part of Texas that did not experience enough of the cold to prevent them from working?
The shortfall in wind energy is greater then the power needed to keep the grid stable and supplying everyone. That is the important point. The shortage is 100% caused by wind turbines not turning. The root reason why is not important – it is not how to build a critical utility.
I’m going to guess that the windmills working in Texas are off-shore windmills. If that’s the case, then they would be operating in warmer temperatures.
In Oklahoma, none of the industrial solar is generating electricity because the solar panels are covered in snow.
Oklahoma has about 250 windmills, of which 22 are currently working. I don’t know for certain how these 22 windmills are operating but I assume they must have de-iced them before they could get them working because all the windmills in the State are subject to the same cold temperatures. We don’t have any off-shore windmills.
It looks like Oklahoma’s problem is not so much with the windmills not producing but we are having trouble with gas lines freezing up.
Things are warming up today and I think we are going to get on top of it in the 17-State Southwest Power Pool.
Texas is another matter. They have to figure out how to make up for 23 percent of their electrical power that was being supplied by windmills, and that supply has been drastically curtailed because of the freezing weather.
Texas has noone to blame but Texas politicians. They are the ones who thought it was a good idea to assign 23 percent of Texas’ electrical capacity to undependable windmills and industrial solar which fails right when you need it most.
They ought to take a poll in Texas and ask them what they think about windmills now.
If the money spent on wind and solar, which can never be reliable, were spent on technologies that were reliable, these things would not happen. It may mean more fracing, reinforcing pipelines, investing in equipment that keeps pipelines from freezing, laying more track to supply coal, building more nukes, but it would be money spent to build a reliable electric grid.
The entire movement to solar and wind bears some responsibility for this fiasco which is now costing lives. The debate should be how to invest more money into ng, coal, and nuclear power plants to reliably meet our current and future needs, not how much money we can divert to unreliable electric production.
Although you are right, what is more likely to happen is that natural gas will be made out as the culprit and there will be a push for even MORE renewables added to the grid in Texas.
“will politicians wake up and realize that renewable energy almost always equates to unreliable energy?” That is the key question. As long as the policitians are seeking to please their rabid leftist base they probably won’t wake up. At some point the common sense of Americans needs to kick in.
Will take two Mw/Hs. One for here and one to go.
Wind turbines are not the only thing freezing up. https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2021/02/12/302028.htm
I.e., gas PIPELINES are freezing, and gas liquifying, leading to their being shut down. Another plus for coal.
And nuclear.
And for living in Hawaii.
Yeah, where energy is really cheap!
Problem was the blowers on the gas pipes were electric rather than the usual gas-powered blowers.. “to save on emissions’
So when the electricity started to struggle, so did the gas.. how dumb is that !
This idiotic green CO2 hatred has destroyed SO MANY THING !!!
A lot colder here on canadian prairies
Was -40 at night for many days in last week
Do we maybe dehydrate the gas more here before it goes into the lines, reduce moisture content?
DELIBERATE LIES,
GAS was doing basically all the heavy lifting throughout the period of concern
COAL going flat chat, just too little still installed.
This problem is TOTALLY at the feet of the green agenda.
As I look at the time frame, this article has been up for four hours, and already 139 comments. It really is “…the world’s most viewed climate website”
Yes, although the “Today’s Outlook” is rather confusing. It appears to be a forecast dating from the 10th, five days ago. The website is no help. It refers to today’s outages and “tonight” as Monday night, so the copy in the story is current – just not the graph. Blackouts affecting the ERCOT’s computer reliability as well?
Not just computers, other items such as microwave ovens etc. – which display time. A pain in the wrist to reset everything. Southern California desert – we had a six minute power outage yesterday (Sunday) just at lunch time. The only indication – the laptop screen dimmed a bit. The highest wind speed I noticed yesterday was 41 mph, the most probable cause. Still, clocks to be reset.
Johnny Carson (The Tonight Show) when VCR tape units first came out ‘cured’ the blinking “12:00” – with black electricians tape.
Australian prices have been known to hit the AUD $17,000 max at times when SA has no wind on a really hot day.
We don’t get the widespread deep chill that you guys are getting, (and I wish you all the best coping with it),
….. but we do get the opposite end of the temperature range (not this summer though)
The price was bid up to $11,000, not just $9,000.
Pretty sure the Aussie price would also have climbed higher if allowed.
with exchange rates.. somewhere about similar price
I live in one of the blue colored counties and our power has been out since 10AM along with almost the whole town, so not 0%. Fortunately, we have a natural gas generator, so my wife and I are fine. Both of our kids and their families are without power though. If this goes much longer we will have a houseful! It is supposed to get down to 5 degrees tonight!
This is Texas! That is not supposed to happen.
Andy, look at the map, not out of your window. Get used to socialism.
We’re looking at -1 F in Dallas tomorrow morning, the high today was ~14 F… Already have ~3-6″ of snow on the ground and expecting another 2-4″ Wednesday. We’ve dodged the rolling blackouts, so far.
All the best to you Dave. We have about 2 inches of the ugly stuff. I don’t think it will melt for a few days. I’m very happy with our generator. Power has been out for 9 Hours. Dark and 19 deg. F. I’m ready for some global warming!
Here in central Indiana we already had 4-5″ on the ground that remained from a snow last week. We are forecast to get another 6-11″ tonight. It has been coming down steadily since this morning. Current temp. at my semi rural place is 8 deg. F.
Dave, you made the right choice
Big cities mean lots of voters
It’s the rural types that will get shed
Two eskimos are crossing the Arctic ice when one falls through. He freezes immediately, but his friend manages to pull him out and chip off the ice. After he’s warmed in an igloo, his first words are “I’ll bet it’s cold in Amarillo today.”
It’s not funny, but…
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But don’t forget the snow wot the children will never know melts because climate change-
Britain put on flood alert – but UK could soon be warmer than Greece (msn.com)
If it’s all Greek to you that’s because it’s all Greek to the climate changers.
Mother Nature, not the Great Thunderbox, has the last laugh…
The best part is that in 2013, Texas spent $23,000,000,000 to subsidise wind power.
Usually subsidies are used to encourage unpopular behaviors, but at $9000/Mwh they seem to be getting a strong return on the investment…..
That does it! With rolling blackouts either happening or pending all over the place, including western KY, MO, and Eastern Kansas, this Hoosier is pulling the trigger on putting in a NG powered whole house generator. Been thinking about it for several years, but with the democrats in power it is clear that this kind of thing is going to become common during high demand/load times in a lot of places and I’m going to be prepared.
If rolling electricity blackouts can occur, why not rolling gasouts? It might be a better choice to use propane as a fuel–for one thing it never goes bad no longer how long stored before you need it, unlike modern gasoline.
I would recommend getting an LP tank and the generator that runs off of it. There is never a lack of supply when you have 250 or 500 gallons of LP in the back yard. That would take you through just about any disaster. Some disasters may find you with the natgas supply shut off (tornado etc).
I have a 10Kw emergency generator, but it runs on gasoline. I regret not getting the LP model as I need to store and regularly rotate the emergency gasoline. The 30 gallons or so that I keep on hand will last me 3-4 days or more if I use it intermittently. Some disasters last longer than that. I am seriously considering an LP conversion kit and second LP tank.
I live in far northern WI (45º N) and after 20+ years of roof crushing snow depths, ice storms, tornadoes, drecheros, and wind storms, I have learned a lot about surviving natural disasters and power outages. Your situation may be very different. I get that. Just thought I’d offer what works for me. Best wishes!
Right across the street from my place is a high pressure main gas line running underground. So I’m thinking that it is unlikely that I will have a problem with NG supply. But if things get really crazy it is not difficult or expensive to change a unit running NG to run on propane.
Can’t start now – there is a terrible tank shortage across N America. Propane (LPG) prices are expected to double. There is a global shortage if it.
Below freezing in Brownsville, TX and further south into Mexico W.T.F.
Coincidently, temperatures this cold have not occurred since the Solar Minimum ca. 1890, but yeah I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Just go outside, look up, and exhale really hard. The CO2 in your breath should trap some heat and it will warm up in no time, the sun has nothing to do with it.
It is no longer just Texas. SWEPCO (14 states) has now also initiated rolling blackouts. Same problems as Texas: wind out in Iowa and Nebraska, insufficient natgas for power plants after prioritizing residential/commercial. Turk (US only supercritical coal in Arkansas) must be blasting its baseload power out. But only one unit at IIRC ~675MW.
I would not be surprised to see a media release from the powers-that-be telling us how the rolling blackouts have proved to be a great success.
“$9000 per megawatt-hour”
I don’t think that ENRON was getting that much from the California energy crisis.
How many miles can one travel in a Tesla in this weather, in the dark and while snowing? What happens if you wind up stuck somewhere? How long can it keep you from freezing?
I suspect in the aftermath there’ll be found a few deaths in dead-battery BEVs.
No doubt that some time in the summer, NPR, CNN et al. will announce a report from NOAA that the past winter in Texas was the warmest on record.
It’s too late. This cold snap has already ruined their warming narrative. When that happens they invariably flip the script and claim that the deepfreeze is the harbinger of wider variability, more extremes, “just as our models have predicted all along.”
I live in northern NY. The temps here have been below 0 for the last few weeks – other night was -20 F. Also got freezing rain/sleet at times. There are plenty of wind turbines here and they all seem to be working fine. Are the turbines in TX constructed differently??
“Are the turbines in TX constructed differently??”
They are shutting down automatically when ICE-buildup on the blades is detected. Maybe the turbines in NY State have a higher-threshold shut-down.
Much of N, Texas had a rather severe icing event.
It’s not just the cold, it’s the amount of ice that builds up on the turbines. If your turbines had the same the amount of ice Texas’ got, they’d likely have shut down as well.
I see Mexico leads the world-
Mexico was once a climate leader – now it’s betting big on coal (msn.com)
How about you cucks properly invest in your electrical power grid and maintaining it? It’s not just green power sources that are breaking/not working from the weather. Source: Your own Governor. You can stop with the hate boners for green energy. Invest in more nuclear energy if you don’t want this to happen again.
http://www.ercot.com/content/cdr/html/real_time_system_conditions.html
Wind producing 4% of nameplate 30GW
Gas has problems but is producing at far higher percentage
And much of the shut off gas gen is due to gas shortage as they did not plan for cold snap
Not enough gas for home heating AND 100% generation in a cold snap when no wind
Failure to plan
— variously attributed to Ben Franklin, Winston churchill, and others
Greenie agenda is responsible for the issue with the gas.
Electric blowers used on the pipes rather than the usual gas powered blowers.. to reduce emissions
Whenever you see those last 3 words, you KNOW its the anti-CO2 farce that is the problem.