World’s ‘solar and wind capital’ freezing due to snow ‘blanketing millions’ of solar panels

Discussion in 'Current Events' started by Steve N, Feb 15, 2021.

  1. Chrizton

    Chrizton Well-Known Member

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    Green energy accounts for about a third of the drop and coal, gas and nuclear combined for 2/3'rds. It does not change that the green grid is just as failing as the rest of the industry. When it is cold, **** freezes.
     
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  2. HTownMarine

    HTownMarine Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Gas WAS the culprit after the state lost half of its energy, which comes from wind.

    There weren't enough alternate supplies to meet demand.

    That's like saying Japan wasnt at fault for having a nuke dropped on them... but that happened AFTER they attempted to take over the Pacific.
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
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  3. TomFitz

    TomFitz Well-Known Member

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    And the facts don’t differ at all. Offshore wind is making up the difference. The shortfall is in natural gas due to frozen lined and coal, which can’t meet the spike in demand.

    And antiquated one way AC high tension system can’t distribute the energy efficiently or with much flexibility.

    This problem was known twenty years ago. But Texas left it to an unregulated private sector.
     
  4. TomFitz

    TomFitz Well-Known Member

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    What?

    What green grid? Where did you get that from?
     
  5. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    but if the north doesn't have this problem, then that means Texas designed them that way, same with natural gas lines

    they did not spend the extra money to make them able to take the cold... you get what you pay for
     
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  6. TomFitz

    TomFitz Well-Known Member

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    I fully expect this to be the case.

    Five years from now, there will be large battery farms feeding wind power to the grid at peak times and in shortages like this.

    Assuming that Texas does something it isn’t accustomed to doing. Actually setting expectations on the industries it regulates (instead of functioning as a price fixing mechanism, as the Texas Railroad Commission did, and still tries to)..

    It is very clear that the electric power grids in the US won’t be modernized without some sort of government regulation or incentive.

    This has been an ongoing discussion for nearly two decades.

    And this storm demonstrates the failure of leaving the private sector to do as it pleases when the record shows that it won’t make the necessary investments.
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
  7. Jack Hays

    Jack Hays Well-Known Member Donor

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    We shall see. I believe the heart of the Texas problem is the decision to keep the Texas grid separate from the US national grids. That was a Texas government decision, not a private sector decision.
     
  8. dairyair

    dairyair Well-Known Member

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    As usual, post crap news sources get crap threads.
    Yes, wind generation failed, so did all the others.


    ... The grid began preparing for the storm a week ahead of time, but it reached a breaking point early Monday as conditions worsened and knocked power plants offline, ERCOT president Bill Magness said. Some wind turbine generators were iced, but nearly twice as much power was wiped out at natural gas and coal plants. Forcing controlled outages was the only way to avert an even more dire blackout in Texas, Magness said.
    ...
    https://www.startribune.com/a-complete-bungle-texas-energy-pride-goes-out-with-cold/600024044/
     
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  9. Louisiana75

    Louisiana75 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Not buying that either, how is putting the same people out of power for 30-48 hours a "controlled" outage or rolling blackouts?
     
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  10. dairyair

    dairyair Well-Known Member

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    https://www.startribune.com/a-complete-bungle-texas-energy-pride-goes-out-with-cold/600024044/

    ...
    The grid began preparing for the storm a week ahead of time, but it reached a breaking point early Monday as conditions worsened and knocked power plants offline, ERCOT President Bill Magness said. Some wind turbine generators were iced, but nearly twice as much power was wiped out at natural gas and coal plants.
    ...


    Nothing is reliable if it isn't maintained.
     
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  11. dairyair

    dairyair Well-Known Member

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    It's republicans refusal to spend money.
    They in Tx, wait for the fed gov't to bail them out. Just like always.

    They don't maintain their infrastructure. They want big bad big brother to fix all their problems.


    ...
    The grid began preparing for the storm a week ahead of time, but it reached a breaking point early Monday as conditions worsened and knocked power plants offline, ERCOT President Bill Magness said. Some wind turbine generators were iced, but nearly twice as much power was wiped out at natural gas and coal plants.
    ...
    https://www.startribune.com/a-complete-bungle-texas-energy-pride-goes-out-with-cold/600024044/
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
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  12. Phyxius

    Phyxius Well-Known Member

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    When the natural gas stopped flowing to the power stations control went out of the window.
     
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  13. dairyair

    dairyair Well-Known Member

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    That has nothing to do with the story.
    It's how Tx has bungled their engery.

    The blackouts were tried, but they failed..

    The OP tries to blame the wind and solar power. But as the President of ERCOT says, 2x as many COAL and Gas powered plants have also failed.
     
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  14. Phyxius

    Phyxius Well-Known Member

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    Iowa gets 40% of its power from wind, and the only part of the state seeing blackouts depends on natural gas. Go figure...
     
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  15. grapeape

    grapeape Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ummm..."warming period".........
     
  16. TomFitz

    TomFitz Well-Known Member

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    Well, that’s the flat earth narrative.

    I’m not sure why we should place credence in a twelve year old essay posted in a local blog. You seem to think this is current expertise, as you’re trying to pass it off as an intelligent review of current technology (seen from the vantage point of twelve years on the past).

    And, of course, you’ve clearly never heard of a battery farm, or understand how electric distribution works.

    If this is your idea of “facts” you either shopped for this hoping you could pass it off, or you’re very poorly informed on this particular issue.
     
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  17. grapeape

    grapeape Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    BS.

    It isn't because of the wind energy. Wind is less than 25% of Texas power grid. The problem is that their main source, natural gas, which is also used to create electricity, is built on a delivery system that isn't conducive to cold temps.
     
  18. Ddyad

    Ddyad Well-Known Member

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    Texas clearly needs to build a lot of backup coal plants so long as they rely on alternative energy generation.
     
  19. Shinebox

    Shinebox Well-Known Member

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    thread fail ...
     
  20. HereWeGoAgain

    HereWeGoAgain Banned

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  21. FreshAir

    FreshAir Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    the problem with both in Texas, is that Texas is normally a warmer place, they did not want to spend the extra money to weatherize gas and wind equipment

    and of course the grid could use an upgrade
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
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  22. TomFitz

    TomFitz Well-Known Member

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    Yes it is. It is the central reason.

    Texas decided to adopt a statewide grid in order to escape Federal regulation. That is still the Texas’ grid’s primary reason for existence.
     
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  23. Oh Yeah

    Oh Yeah Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Seems to me someone forgot to figure out how to attach heaters to those wind turbines to keep them from freezing up. Backup heater coils in the glass panels like in car windows could be used to keep a build up of snow. Then again that would have to admit that we need more than just wind turbines and solar panels. The folly of men never ceases to amaze.
     
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  24. TomFitz

    TomFitz Well-Known Member

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    What’s the difference? It is a grid problem. It was the last time, too. Before there were any significant number of windmills.

    Power shortages like this have recurred periodically across Texas for many decades now.

    The last major one was in 2011. The same thing happened, for the same reason.

    And it’s not wind power.
     
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  25. Phyxius

    Phyxius Well-Known Member

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    Or mandate LNG power plants keep a 72 hour reserve of fuel on-site.
     
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