People on Turbine-Powered Grid Get a Shocking Notice When the Wind Stops Blowing
Texas’ reliance on unreliable green energy alternatives to fossil fuels led to citizens being asked to voluntarily conserve electricity Aug. 17 as temperatures rose across the state.
A state with vast natural resources in oil and gas notoriously failed to supply enough juice to keep some people alive during a brutal winter storm in February 2021.
Nearly 250 people died when the power failed.
According to Reuters, the state’s independent power grid generated about one-quarter of its power from wind last year.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the body that operates the state’s grid, announced last year it intended to beef that up to 29 percent by this year, which is confounding.
Just look at all the reliability in this video taken north of the state line in Oklahoma last summer:
This is near Cromwell, OK. Brent Havins shot this video of a wind turbine that got struck by lightning. pic.twitter.com/jBjUNas0yc
— Mike Collier (@MikeCollierWX) July 22, 2022
Writing for Reuters, reporter Gavin Maguire noted in June that Texas was at the time experiencing difficulty in producing power from wind. He cited a drop in “wind speeds” across the South.
That apparently didn’t dissuade grid managers from forging ahead.
“Over the longer run, Texas’ wind generation totals will play a decisive role in ERCOT system stability,” Maguire wrote.
“A rebound in wind generation levels due to new capacity and greater wind speeds will provide a major boost to ERCOT resilience and may enable the Texas grid to avert any further power scares from upcoming heat waves,” he said.
Two months later, when ERCOT sent out two messages on social media wherein Texans were asked to participate in California-like voluntary resource conservation efforts as the mercury rose.
“ERCOT has issued a Voluntary Conservation Notice for 3 – 8 p.m. today, Aug. 17, due to extreme temperatures, forecasted high demand, & lower reserves due to low wind generation,” the agency said Thursday on X, the platformer formerly known as Twitter.
“Texans are asked to voluntarily reduce electric use, if safe to do so,” it added.
(2/2) TXANS Update—8/17/23: ERCOT is not currently in emergency operations. For more information, energy-saving tips, and to sign up for #TXANS notifications, visit https://t.co/75DJRJjB5n
— ERCOT (@ERCOT_ISO) August 17, 2023
The managers of the Lone Star State’s power grid seem intent on emulating California, which can’t even manage basic services or enforce its laws.
The liberal state pushes its residents to rely on electric vehicles, only to also ask them to unplug the EVs to conserve energy.
It’s a California problem that appears to be making its way to a state that has always prided itself on independence, above all else.
But as climate alarmists entrench themselves into agencies such as ERCOT and Californians flee their state for greener pastures eastward, their former state’s problems are being exported to places such as Texas.
Asking Texans to turn off their air conditioners in 100-plus-degree heat would have been unthinkable not too long ago.
The state’s residents are finding out that, as in California, wind turbines are only as good as the breezes that make them turn.
Texas is experiencing not only a lack of wind but also a lack of common sense.
A state with plentiful resources and spirit should never leave itself vulnerable to unpredictable breezes and the judgment of people whose motives are arguably political.
Texas experienced an extended period of temperatures of up to 110 degrees in August.
Unfortunately, the heat will be here to stay into early next week with triple digit temperatures expected each day. The fire threat will remain elevated for the entire area but could approach critical levels west of I-35. Stay cool in the heat this weekend! #txwx #dfwwx #ctxwx pic.twitter.com/AT6S2WsiKt
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) August 17, 2023
If the grid goes down, the problem will be one that could have been avoided by ramping up the burning of natural gas.
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