texas has destroyed its electricity grid, blacked out during frigid freeze

It'll be surprising if the guilty suffer significant repercussions for this catastrophic failure due to criminal government negligence.

 

Gov. Kristi Noem says rolling blackouts highlight concerns regarding Biden's energy policy

 

I can't speak to Texas's problems as a whole, but here in the eastern part, when we are out of power during winter storms, it is usually a supply chain problem, not a lack of energy being available -- downed power lines due to ice breaking down tree limbs, as such like.

 

“The LEFT” has nothing to do with the Texas grid (ERGOT). ERGOT was created and is controlled by the Texas legislature, which has been dominated and controlled by Republicans for the last 20-30 years.

Contrary to right wing media assertions, the wind power segment of the power grid is performing better than expected, while nuclear, coal, and especially natural gas fueled plants are underperforming. The Governor has issued a call for an thorough investigation, but the issues are a combination of excessive need, failure to make a realistic winter storm plan, and, apparently, an assumption that natural gas would always be available in massive quantities to fuel power-generating plants. In Texas, including my home, natural gas is frequently used for heating and hot water heaters, so homeowners are competing with ERGOT to purchase natural gas through the pipeline infrastructure. My natural gas provider, Atmos, reserves natural gas in appropriate quantities for use of its customers, and in a time of great customer need, ERCOT may not be able to purchase as much as it wants. It would do me no good if I lost gas pressure to my home, but maintaining electricity, since my heating fuel is gas.

An even bigger issue is that the ERCOT’s grid is not sufficiently winterized. Major natural gas pipelines have frozen up due to the cold, making it difficult or impossible to open and close valves. There are also issues with the nuclear plants, although I’m not sure if that information is yet publicly known. We still have some legacy coal plants, and they are also underperforming due to weather, but I don’t have the details on that either.

This is a pretty good article on some of the current issues that are known.

 

Now we see on display what the Biden so called energy policy will be producing, massive lay offs and power outages!

 

Takes long time to replace manufacturing and energy jobs with green jobs!

 

Zactly. We're iced over right now, more on the way tonight, outages all around, got the Generac 5500 running this morning after sitting idle for six years. I feel for those that are without power and don't have backup, we went seven days without back in 94 and it ain't no fun when you're not ready for it.

 

I expect a lot of truth in this -- just like my house! We just don't get minus zero here -- but we did.

 

This has nothing to do with green energy. BTW, one of your earlier idiotic points claimed that the wind wasn’t blowing, so the wind turbines wouldn’t work or stay lubricated. The wind HAS been blowing throughout Texas causing wind chill about 15 degrees below the actual temperature (which was -2 F, on Tuesday morning at my home — -17 windchill). If anything, the wind turbines are helping the state with the power issues since many are indeed working.

The reason you won’t convince me of that is (1) I’m here in Texas and know the state well; (2) I am the third generation in my family who has worked in energy production (beginning with my grandfather in 1912 working for the Texaco refinery in Port Arthur, Texas); (3) I am a mineral owner of land where natural gas is extracted; (4) I worked for two different engineering firms during the natural gas fracking boom — one of which supported well development and pipeline construction, and the other electric transmission from West Texas wine turbines to major markets as part of the ERCOT energy grid; (5) I understand the natural gas extraction technology, including wells, fracking fluid disposal, purification of “wet” and “dry” gases, pipeline transmission, natural gas storage, LNG, and the effects of the global market and governmental regulation of the industry.

I am coming from a place of knowledge and you are peddling partisan rhetoric. Don’t try to “educate” me on something you don’t understand.

 

Both you and AOC are speaking from ignorance. You should congratulate each other.