Republicans FAIL in Texas

[BoyNextDoor]

Shit infrastructure. Shit healthcare. Shit education. No investment in their citizens, roads, bridges, or schools..

Cannot even keep the lights on.

Good job Republicans. Way to run a state

 

[Dribble]

Follow the money. I bet those electric companies donated big money to those Republicans that looked the other way. Texans are too stupid to realize this is what they voted for. Don't want a reoccurring problem? Vote for new leadership.

 

[KeithD]

And they want to secede?

 

[YDB95]

The Republicans' margins have been slipping there for three straight elections now. Only a matter of time until people who do care about infrastructure get elected. But they'll have an awfully big mess to clean up.

 

[MissMandy86]

The Republicans are blaming it on the windmills
Frozen windmills .. lol

 

[Dribble]

The Republicans are blaming it on the windmills
Frozen windmills .. lol

NPR had a segment on this today. The renewable energy sources in Texas have EXCEEDED cold weather expectations. The problem? Coal and gas powered plants.

 

[BoyNextDoor]

The last governor wanted to abolish the Department of Energy. Abbott does not know where the electricity comes from or how it is generated. He is on Hannity lying his ass off like a good little GOP bumpkin.

An this is nothing new. The same thing happened in the August heat in 2019: Texas Power Prices Briefly Surpass $9,000 Amid Scorching Heat

It spiked to $9K yesterday as well. Go to love that "Free Market"

 

[CornusKousa]

The Republicans' margins have been slipping there for three straight elections now. Only a matter of time until people who do care about infrastructure get elected. But they'll have an awfully big mess to clean up.

Yea, they run a high risk of electing a Democrat promising to fix infrastructure but really just funneling money to their pet racism projects.

Then Texas is just another california....an hyper-inflated shit hole.

 

[Comshaw]

Hmmmm...seems this has happened before on a smaller scale. They were warned if they didn't winterize some of their equipment it could happen again, only worse, which it did.

I can understand not being prepared for something like this IF it's the first time it happens, but according to the article it's happened before, twice.

"...gas is failing in the most spectacular fashion right now." Instruments and other components at gas-fired power plants iced over, and "by some estimates, nearly half of the state's natural gas production has screeched to a halt due to the extremely low temperatures," as electric pumps lost power and uninsulated pipelines and gas wells froze, the Tribune reports.

After a 2011 winter storm knocked out power to about 3 million Texans, a federal report warned Texas the same grid debacle would happen again if it didn't adequately weatherize its power infrastructure and increase fuel reserves — and reminded Texas that "many of those same warnings were issued after similar blackouts 22 years earlier and had gone unheeded," The Associated Press reports."

So at whose feet do they lay the blame? The politicians? The private companies that run the entire power grid? The voters and people of Texas for putting in power dumb asses that can't do their job? Or all of them? Seems to me if they were warned and ignored it they are all to blame, the politicians for not mandating the private companies do something, the companies that own the grid because for whatever reason (and I can guess it was $$$) they refused to do anything about the warning, or the voters for being blind?

Yeah, there's plenty of blame to go around, but pointing a finger at "renewable energy that failed" when it comprised less than 10% of the power generation and only a fraction of that failed, is something that seems to be popular right now. Blame everything and everyone except those who are responsible. FFS.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-power-grid-failed-mostly-065217364.html

Comshaw

 

[AlexBailey]

Then Texas is just another california....an hyper-inflated shit hole.

...with a whole lot of EC votes that will be going blue now that CA tech firms are moving there. Let's hope Californians keep moving to other states. Nearly one in eight Americans live in CA. We can spare a lot of them.

 

[AlexBailey]

Hmmmm...seems this has happened before on a smaller scale. They were warned if they didn't winterize some of their equipment it could happen again, only worse, which it did.

I can understand not being prepared for something like this IF it's the first time it happens, but according to the article it's happened before, twice.

"...gas is failing in the most spectacular fashion right now." Instruments and other components at gas-fired power plants iced over, and "by some estimates, nearly half of the state's natural gas production has screeched to a halt due to the extremely low temperatures," as electric pumps lost power and uninsulated pipelines and gas wells froze, the Tribune reports.

After a 2011 winter storm knocked out power to about 3 million Texans, a federal report warned Texas the same grid debacle would happen again if it didn't adequately weatherize its power infrastructure and increase fuel reserves — and reminded Texas that "many of those same warnings were issued after similar blackouts 22 years earlier and had gone unheeded," The Associated Press reports."

So at whose feet do they lay the blame? The politicians? The private companies that run the entire power grid? The voters and people of Texas for putting in power dumb asses that can't do their job? Or all of them? Seems to me if they were warned and ignored it they are all to blame, the politicians for not mandating the private companies do something, the companies that own the grid because for whatever reason (and I can guess it was $$$) they refused to do anything about the warning, or the voters for being blind?

Yeah, there's plenty of blame to go around, but pointing a finger at "renewable energy that failed" when it comprised less than 10% of the power generation and only a fraction of that failed, is something that seems to be popular right now. Blame everything and everyone except those who are responsible. FFS.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-power-grid-failed-mostly-065217364.html

Comshaw

Another issue that gets in the way when trying to blame renewables is that, aside from geo-thermal and hydro-electric they are intermittent, meaning they are current sources, not voltage sources. The Texas grid should be able to keep up and running with zero input from renewables. Renewables contribute when they are available, they do not create the grid.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

This is just too delicious a story. Schadenfraude for Texas Dumb Fucks!

Don't forget denial of global warming has to be added into the mix.

This is what you get LMAO

And thus proving once again Rethuglicans can't govern.

 

[CornusKousa]

...with a whole lot of EC votes that will be going blue now that CA tech firms are moving there. Let's hope Californians keep moving to other states. Nearly one in eight Americans live in CA. We can spare a lot of them.

Whatever....again, then they will suffer the same fate they ran from.

Do it federally.

I'll just leave, enjoy eating your pets.

 

[AlexBailey]

Whatever....again, then they will suffer the same fate they ran from.

Do it federally until we're all Venezuela.

I'll just leave, enjoy eating your pets.

Have fun in Panama.

 

[CornusKousa]

Have fun in Panama.

Ewwww....tropical.

No, if I do heat it will be a dry heat.

But I'm not doing heat.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Another issue that gets in the way when trying to blame renewables is that, aside from geo-thermal and hydro-electric they are intermittent, meaning they are current sources, not voltage sources. The Texas grid should be able to keep up and running with zero input from renewables. Renewables contribute when they are available, they do not create the grid.

You bring up an interesting point with the word "intermittent'.

Under NERC's legislation, these types of generation sources ( intermittent) cannot be used to supply the designated base load, supplied to the "grid".

Base load is the minimum power needed to keep the essentials powered up. IE think if you added up all the energy required to keep hospitals energised 24/27 per say.
The list is long and detailed of what constitutes "base load".

This is why renewables, make up only a small percentage of the name plate power generation that is used in the "grid'. In an equitable supply mix equation, that figure is usually less than 30% of the total generation capacity.

Surprisingly, there is no generation source that can be used to offset the total needed base load, that is not either fossil fuelled, with the exception of nukes.

Renewable's, such as wind,solar, and hydro are forms of dispatchable power, which if used correctly by the system operators can run to power "on demand" requirements, such as say AC or Heat when those requirements exceed the calculated base loads.

Under certain NERC rules, they can also be used to offset base load generation.
This allows for base load units to be offline for various reason such as maintenance etc.

Also, the rate of unit cost payed to the producer for renewables is often higher than that which is paid to fossil/nuke energy producers. This payment scheme is often used to encourage renewable generation to be built.

I have a suspicion that ERCOT has been playing the numbers game on the way base load generation is being utilised in the supply mix, and got caught with their pants down and could not bring up steam generation fast enough to meet the rising demand, as wind power etc dropped off.

 

[bhurry]

You bring up an interesting point with the word "intermittent'.

Under NERC's legislation, these types of generation sources ( intermittent) cannot be used to supply the designated base load, supplied to the "grid".

Base load is the minimum power needed to keep the essentials powered up. IE think if you added up all the energy required to keep hospitals energised 24/27 per say.
The list is long and detailed of what constitutes "base load".

This is why renewables, make up only a small percentage of the name plate power generation that is used in the "grid'. In an equitable supply mix equation, that figure is usually less than 30% of the total generation capacity.

Surprisingly, there is no generation source that can be used to offset the total needed base load, that is not either fossil fuelled, with the exception of nukes.

Renewable's, such as wind,solar, and hydro are forms of dispatchable power, which if used correctly by the system operators can run to power "on demand" requirements, such as say AC or Heat when those requirements exceed the calculated base loads.

Under certain NERC rules, they can also be used to offset base load generation.
This allows for base load units to be offline for various reason such as maintenance etc.

Also, the rate of unit cost payed to the producer for renewables is often higher than that which is paid to fossil/nuke energy producers. This payment scheme is often used to encourage renewable generation to be built.

I have a suspicion that ERCOT has been playing the numbers game on the way base load generation is being utilised in the supply mix, and got caught with their pants down and could not bring up steam generation fast enough to meet the rising demand, as wind power etc dropped off.

Hello real world

 

[Wrong Element]

The Republicans are blaming it on the windmills
Frozen windmills .. lol

Every goddam state has windmills. Lots of states have freezing temps right now. Just one state has millions without power.


Look in the mirror, Texas.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Every goddam state has windmills. Lots of states have freezing temps right now. Just one state has millions without power.


Look in the mirror, Texas.

*chuckles*

And the lights are not out because of wind generators....

 

[Emerson40]

The Republicans' margins have been slipping there for three straight elections now. Only a matter of time until people who do care about infrastructure get elected. But they'll have an awfully big mess to clean up.

So basically, the same thing that happens every time the Democrats take over after a Republican administration.

 

[stickygirl]

Can you help me understand something I read about the energy suppliers in Texas - this $9k energy charge. Is this a charge made to distributors of energy - corps, or do charges for home users go up and down depending on overall demand and price?

In the UK we have a dumb system of individual corps using the same grid infrastructure to sell kWh at different prices, but they'll normally be a two year fixed price contract with the consumer.

 

[BoyNextDoor]

Can you help me understand something I read about the energy suppliers in Texas - this $9k energy charge. Is this a charge made to distributors of energy - corps, or do charges for home users go up and down depending on overall demand and price?

In the UK we have a dumb system of individual corps using the same grid infrastructure to sell kWh at different prices, but they'll normally be a two year fixed price contract with the consumer.

In a word - Deregulation

https://tcaptx.com/reports/deregulated-electricity-texas-market-annual-2018-edition

 

[nowisthetime]

One day Texas will turn blue.

Repugs are useless....except if you have low melanin levels AND are rich.

 

[jaF0]

^^^ Usta' be. Ann somebody or other was a (D) Governor. The place still sucked. It's always going to be America's asshole.

 

[PaxNurgle]

Shit infrastructure. Shit healthcare. Shit education. No investment in their citizens, roads, bridges, or schools..

Cannot even keep the lights on.

Good job Republicans. Way to run a state

I blame the fact that it's a warm climate state whose power grid and infrastructure was simply not designed for snow and cold. Much like, if an earthquake hit in, say, Iowa, the damage would be far more catastrophic than if an earthquake with similar magnitude hit in California. Reason being, California has building and structural engineering codes that call for buildings being able to withstand earthquakes.

Similarly, in Texas, the power grid was not designed for snow and ice loads which cause wires to sag and break- because Texas has a warm climate. Idaho- a Republican state incidently- has similar storms all the time, with far less frequent massive power outages- because the grid was built to withstand such winter storms. Has nothing to do with which political party is in power.

So I'm not trying to defend Texas republicans, as much I am trying to explain why this storm took such a toll on a state whose infrastructure was not built to withstand extreme cold weather, because such exrreme cold weather almost never occurs there.