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| Why Does Texas Have Its Own Power Grid? (Page 14/17) |
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blackrams
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MAR 06, 09:16 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by cliffw:
Houston, we have a problem !
 WTF ?
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I'd agree.
Rams 
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Hudini
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MAR 17, 06:19 PM
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rinselberg
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JAN 20, 11:37 PM
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"The Texas Electric Grid Failure Was a Warm-up"
| quote | | One year after the deadly blackout, officials have done little to prevent the next one—which could be far worse. |
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Russell Gold for TexasMonthly; February 2022.
https://www.texasmonthly.co...rid-failure-warm-up/
This would be a longish, if not a long read, for anyone who wants to revisit this topic in depth.
But here' s another option: Scroll down almost all the way to the end, until this appears in large, extra-black text. A section header:
| quote | | Though it may be hard to believe today, Texas’s grid became a pioneer in the world of electricity generation and distribution two decades ago. |
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And you could go one more step, to "shorten the game", by scrolling down again, until you arrive at this:
| quote | | This is particularly shameful to hear for anyone versed in Texas’s history as an energy leader. |
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The last two paragraphs:
| quote | . . . Texas still enjoys unmatched expertise in energy engineering, financing, and manufacturing. Some of the technology and gear developed to frack oil and gas is now being repurposed to tap renewable energy. Shipyards that once made vessels to install offshore oil rigs are now adapting for offshore wind turbines. Taking advantage of these resources would create tens of thousands of good jobs, including for workers displaced as oil and gas exploration inevitably declines.
Low-carbon grids are the future, and Texas has a multiyear head start. But before this opportunity can be grasped, the state needs political leaders and regulators who are focused on the jobs and well-being of average Texans rather than on the narrower incumbent interests of owners and executives of fossil fuel companies. |
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[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 01-20-2022).]
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blackrams
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JAN 22, 11:43 PM
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Not to be flippant or anything like that but, IMHO if Texan's consider this a problem, they've had time to do something about it.
I'm not from or live in Texas so, I don't get a say in how they fix that issue.
Rams
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rinselberg
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JAN 23, 12:19 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by blackrams:
Not to be flippant or anything like that but, IMHO if Texan's consider this a problem, they've had time to do something about it. I'm not from or live in Texas so, I don't get a say in how they fix that issue. |
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Neither do I (get a say.)
I thought this reanimation of an old thread might catch the eye of one or more of the forum's Texans, and that they might want to peruse and react to this new report from TexasMonthly, or "TM" as they likely know it.
I find it recreational to ponder the local perspective, when it's available.
I never view anything that I say in this forum as political activism or political engagement.
In the words of a guy who was on TV the other day, I am a political "hobbyist", in so far as the political kinds of things that I say on this forum.
Politics doesn't happen here. This forum corresponds to politics in the same way as Fantasy Football corresponds to the NFL's games. Which is why it's surprising to me that there are some forum members (not me) that invariably get "worked up" to the extent of hyperventilating.
What do I mean by "hyperventilating" on this forum? Like this:
Politics doesn't happen here!!
This forum corresponds to politics in the same way as Fantasy Football corresponds to the NFL's games. Which is why it's always surprising to me when some forum members (not me) get "worked up" to the extent of hyperventilating. in the overtly **political** and even the merely **politics-tinged** threads* that manifest every day in this forum.[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 01-23-2022).]
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randye
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JAN 23, 01:22 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by rinselberg:
I never view anything that I say in this forum as political activism or political engagement.
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 [This message has been edited by randye (edited 01-23-2022).]
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Raydar
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JAN 23, 06:27 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by blackrams:
Not to be flippant or anything like that but, IMHO if Texan's consider this a problem, they've had time to do something about it.
I'm not from or live in Texas so, I don't get a say in how they fix that issue.
Rams |
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I don't get a say, either.
But as a 30 year power company employee, I'll state that (IMHO) they need to build/buy some more transmission capacity from "outside".
If events in the not-too-distant past are any indication, they apparently don't have the generation capacity to keep their own house in order.
I generally like Texas, and what they stand for, but they really seem to be effing this up, on a grand scale.
Granted, there was a bunch of other stuff that went wrong, other than the grid, but the grid is the standout.
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blackrams
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JAN 23, 06:31 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Raydar:
I don't get a say, either.
But as a 30 year power company employee, I'll state that (IMHO) they need to build/buy some more transmission capacity from "outside".
If events in the not-too-distant past are any indication, they apparently don't have the generation capacity to keep their own house in order.
I generally like Texas, and what they stand for, but they really seem to be effing this up, on a grand scale.
Granted, there was a bunch of other stuff that went wrong, other than the grid, but the grid is the standout.
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You would be in a much better position to have a qualified opinion than I am. I would hope they have taken steps to get it right for the next freeze or, I suspect heads will roll.
Rams
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maryjane
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JAN 23, 07:06 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Raydar:
I don't get a say, either.
But as a 30 year power company employee, I'll state that (IMHO) they need to build/buy some more transmission capacity from "outside".
If events in the not-too-distant past are any indication, they apparently don't have the generation capacity to keep their own house in order.
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Have plenty of generating capacity. The problem arose when generators went offline due to icing of instrumentation freezeup in the Nat Gas supply lines. It cascaded from there as more demand was placed on the rest of the statewide generators. Even the nuke plant a Bay City shut down because of instrumentation problems from low temps. If the NG suppliers can't provide fuel, the engines that run the generators won't keep running.
Today, Jan 23, as of time I'm typing this,there is 10,348 MW reserve for ERCOT's grid.
I'm on Entergy, which is not part of ERCOT. My power comes partly from lines from Loisiana, and partly from Entergy generators here in East Texas. I lost power too, because the power lines iced up, trees iced and fell on the lines between here and La. Doesn't matter where the power comes from, if the line is laying on the ground your electricty is off. There were 300,000 customers without power in Louisiana the same time the ERCOT grid in Texas went down, and for the same reason.
From DOE, as it happened:
Natural Gas Sector Summary
• As of February 16, 2021 gas production in the U.S. South Central Region was down approximately 6.3
billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) due to wellhead freeze-offs and natural gas processing plant
outages caused by extreme cold. These outages represent approximately 30% of U.S. South
Central output and approximately 7% of total U.S. gas production. Although production losses
due to freeze-offs are temporary, output takes time to return to normal levels and the
cumulative reduction over several days could be substantial.
• Gas suppliers are responding to high demands and gas production outages by withdrawing gas
from storage. As of February 16, gas storage draws in the U.S. South Central region are up
approximately 10 Bcf/d (100%) compared to pre-event withdrawals.
Petroleum Sector Summary
• As of February 16, approximately 3.6 million bcf/d of refining capacity was reported offline in the
U.S. Gulf Coast region as refiners have shut down refineries either due to the cold weather
directly or due to power outages. These refinery outages account for approximately 36% of total
U.S. Gulf Coast refining capacity and approximately 19% of total U.S. refining capacity.
From the same source:
Outage grid (from same DOE source) I am where the blue cross is.
'We will, as always, just endeavor to persevere'[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 01-23-2022).]
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82-T/A [At Work]
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JAN 23, 07:55 PM
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I felt kind of bad... but during the crazy ice-storm we had... last year, we never lost power.
My house was located off 281 in a neighborhood called Encino Park (totally ok, I don't live there anymore). It was a fantastic home, I totally renovated it, and absolutely loved the home... and still miss it. Mine was in the center of a neighborhood circle which put it above the other homes (in elevation), so it wasn't anywhere near even the 100 year flood zone. The home was a small enclave of homes that was built first before all the other homes were. They were well-optioned and higher-value homes (at the time) that were supposed to show-case the builder's (Sitterle) craftsmanship. Now, that's not saying a lot because it was from 1983, and let me tell you... the home was "all original" when I got it, so it was very worn out, even original carpeting, wall-paper, and cigarette smoke staining throughout. So I'm not bragging, the home was totally trashed, just had really good bones.
But what really cool, is that it was tied in directly to the "emergency grid" that the hospital, police, and fire station were all tied into right off 1604 and 281. None of the other neighborhoods were tied in, JUST this 40-home enclave of Encino Park. So we had power the entire time. I did keep my heat going (emergency heat coil), but turned everything else off because I know they were trying to conserve power. Even with that, my home didn't get warmer than ~40 degrees inside.
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