Texas Needs More Distributed Solar
Dear Friends & Neighbors,
(Please click on red links & note magenta)
For updated global info & data on COVID-19, please click HERE.
For updated global data & graphs on COVID-19, please click HERE.
For COVID-19 cases and death counts in USA by state, please click HERE.
For COVID-19 cases in Florida via Florida COVID Action, please click HERE.
For COVID-19 cases in Florida, via Florida state government, please click HERE.
As a result of the winter storm on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, there was a record demand of 69,000 MW of power needed for Texans, which was 34,000 MW shortfall in generation, causing about 4 million Texans to be without power from one hour to 4 days. Millions are without electricity in Texas as an intense freeze paralyzes the state. What’s causing the power outages? And who is in control? In the video published on Feb. 16, 2021, “What is causing statewide power outages in Texas“, below:
If Texas and ERCOT want to maintain their independence and do not want to become part of the national grid, then they need more distributed solar and solar farms because solar and electronics perform better in the cold than any of the other forms of energy sources. With more distributed solar on individuals’ homes’ rooftops, fallen snow may be easily taken care of by home owners to ensure solar efficiency (not being blocked by snow flakes), and these distributed solar rooftops would help to reduce the pressure on the Texas grid and prevent problem from past week from ever occurring again. With climate change, more and more extreme weather conditions will be expected in decades to come, so it is important for all of us, Texas or other states, to be prepared. The best solution to be prepared and reduce extra demand on the grid is installing solar on every rooftop. With solar and battery in every home, problems that occurred in Feb. in Texas will never need to happen again.
In Houston, authorities are responding to more calls for possible carbon monoxide poisoning and the city is telling residents to boil water, if they have any, as the situation remains dire in Texas, in the video published on Feb. 17, 2021, “Millions still without power as a new winter storm moves across US, WNT“, below:
To better understand what ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) is, please refer to the excerpt from wikipedia, in italics, below:
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power on the Texas Interconnection[3] that supplies power to more than 25 million Texas customers – representing 90 percent of the state’s electric load.[4] ERCOT is the first independent system operator (ISO) in the United States[5] and one of nine ISOs in North America.[6] ERCOT works with the Texas Reliability Entity (TRE),[7] one of eight regional entities within the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) that coordinate to improve reliability of the bulk power grid.[8]
As the ISO for the region, ERCOT dispatches power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units.[9] ERCOT also performs financial settlements for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for 7 million premises in competitive choice areas.[9]
ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation,[10] and its members include consumers, electric cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers), and municipally owned electric utilities.[11]
Power demand in the ERCOT region is highest in summer, primarily due to air conditioning use in homes and businesses. The ERCOT region’s all-time record peak hour occurred on July 19, 2018, when consumer demand hit 73,259 MW.[12] A megawatt of electricity can power about 200 Texas homes during periods of peak demand.
During a major cold-weather event in mid February 2021, ERCOT declared a statewide emergency due to a 34,000 MW shortfall in generation that caused widespread blackouts.[13] On February 16, shortages caused the price of electricity to spike to over $9000 per 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of power,[13][14][15] while the week before the lowest price of power was less than $30.[16][17] Some retail electricity providers might be facing huge losses or bankruptcy,[18] and Griddy customers have reported receiving absurdly high electric bills.[19][20]
Approximately 4 million customers in Texas were without electricity for various times during the multi-day storm.[13] At first, rotating outages lasting from 10 to 40 minutes were imposed on millions of customers, but ultimately these outages lasted many hours for some and over 48 hours for others, while millions of others were completely spared from any hardship.[21][22]
On February 16, ERCOT reported that 87% of total power shortages was caused by natural gas and coal generator outages, while only 13% of the shortages was caused by wind turbine outages.[23] Governor Greg Abbott declared that ERCOT reform is an emergency priority for the state legislature, and there will be an investigation of the power outage to determine long-term solutions.[24] Previously, a 357 page report was written after the 2011 power outage in Texas,[25] though it seems to be ignored, because too many critical generators lacked weatherization in 2021.[16][26]
Texans outside the ERCOT-controlled grid had a different power experience,[3] relatively few electric customers lost power in those regions. In counties around El Paso in western Texas, El Paso Electric reported that 3000 customers lost power for less than five minutes, as a result of investing millions in cold weather upgrades after the 2011 cold snap. In counties around Beaumont in eastern Texas, Entergy suffered relatively few outages too, because of previous winterization efforts.[27]
If Texas and ERCOT want to maintain their independence and do not want to become part of the national grid, then they need more distributed solar and solar farms because solar and electronics perform better in the cold than any of the other forms of energy sources. With more distributed solar on individuals’ homes’ rooftops, fallen snow may be easily taken care of by home owners to ensure solar efficiency (not being blocked by snow flakes), and these distributed solar rooftops would help to reduce the pressure on the Texas grid and prevent problem from past week from ever occurring again. With climate change, more and more extreme weather conditions will be expected in decades to come, so it is important for all of us, Texas or other states, to be prepared. The best solution to be prepared and reduce extra demand on the grid is installing solar on every rooftop.
“But to the purveyors of the big lie—Republicans like Greg Abbott and his friends on Fox News—this very real and acute suffering is just a vehicle for their political objectives,” says Chris Hayes of the GOP blaming the Green New Deal as millions of Texans freeze, in the video published on Feb. 17, 2021, “‘Brazen Lie’: Chris Hayes Calls Out Gov. Abbott, Fox News For Texas Power Grid Lies, All In, MSNBC“, below:
If Texas and ERCOT want to maintain their independence and do not want to become part of the national grid, then they need more distributed solar and solar farms because solar and electronics perform better in the cold than any of the other forms of energy sources. With more distributed solar on individuals’ homes’ rooftops, fallen snow may be easily taken care of by home owners to ensure solar efficiency (not being blocked by snow flakes), and these distributed solar rooftops would help to reduce the pressure on the Texas grid and prevent problem from past week from ever occurring again. With climate change, more and more extreme weather conditions will be expected in decades to come, so it is important for all of us, Texas or other states, to be prepared. The best solution to be prepared and reduce extra demand on the grid is installing solar on every rooftop.
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com
We Need Fair Value of Solar
~Let’s Help One Another~
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
