Green Energy- Welcome to Rolling Blackouts During Bitter Cold!

[Esq.]

Texas is experiencing rolling blackouts today. They are cycling the power off for 1/2-1 hour at a time in several service areas due to the increased demand the bitter winter weather has placed on the grid. Surprisingly to me, they are actually stating that a big part of the reason for that- half of Texas's Wind Power is off line- it's FROZEN!

We need more of this wonderful new power! If only it was 100% of our energy, well at least 50% because, we can't forget about Unicorn Farts as part of the enviro sensitive mix.....

They should tie a greenie to the windmill and light them on fire to un thaw the turbines!

Welcome to Third World America- and we are doing it to ourselves!

https://abc13.com/texas-power-grid-outages-rolling-blackouts-brownouts/10340431/

[BoringGuy45]

I have no problem with finding energy that is cleaner and more efficient than coal, and less prone to potential disaster than nuclear. The problem is trying to implement now before it can be a seamless transition, simply because of this myth that we are less than a decade away from an extinction level event due to climate change.

[Esq.]

I have no problem with finding energy that is cleaner and more efficient than coal, and less prone to potential disaster than nuclear. The problem is trying to implement now before it can be a seamless transition, simply because of this myth that we are less than a decade away from an extinction level event due to climate change.

Here in Texas we flare a shit ton of natural gas. Literally just let it burn away at the wellhead. Natural gas is the perfect solution. But NO, Unicorn Farts are going to save us all- and the Polar Bears Too!

In actuality, I don't give a damn how the lights stay on (I have nothing against "alternative energy" per se)--- AS LONG AS THEY STAY ON!

[Arik]

I'm in the NE and lived without heat for two weeks a few years ago. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. House never dropped below 50 and it's a pretty shitty built (modern construction) house. I walked around in sweat pants and a t-shirt. Evening time I'd throw on a sweatshirt

Not saying one should live without heat just that houses retain a surprising amount of heat even after a week. With it being in the teens during the day and single digits at night the temp hovered around 52° in the morning and got as high as 59° during the day if it was sunny out. That was on the main floor. Upstairs was a little warmer

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[Grand58742]

I have no problem with finding energy that is cleaner and more efficient than coal, and less prone to potential disaster than nuclear. The problem is trying to implement now before it can be a seamless transition, simply because of this myth that we are less than a decade away from an extinction level event due to climate change.

Nuclear power these days is generally safe if you don't:

1. Put it on the most geologically active area of the planet (the Pacific Rim of Fire)

2. Let the Soviets design the reactor

Three Mile Island taught us a metric butt-ton about nuclear safety and I have a lot of faith in nuclear plants these days. Yet each and every time someone brings up building a new nuclear plant, Chernobyl gets brought up and the idiot environmentalists start bringing fear into everyone's minds. Not even realizing our designs were never even close to operating that close to the safety margins.

Add in the idiots in Nevada that decided the Yucca Flats repository was a danger so we can't safely and securely store spent fuel and we end up where we are at in regards to nuclear power.

Anyway, rant over.

[LMT Shooter]

The only green energy that is economically viable is hydroelectric, and the tree huggers won't let any new ones be built here in the US. The cost per kilowatt hour for solar, wind, and biomass are a joke compared to coal, natural gas, nuclear, & hydroelectric. Nobody would do it without the government subsidies. A small local business got a wind turbine a few years ago. One of the guys there said if it ran for 30 years with zero maintenance costs, it would pay for itself, but that the subsidies made it worth it.

Green energy should be pursued as a research project, but it's nowhere near being a real source of cost efficient electricity.

Today green energy is just another leftist lie.

[Don't Tread On Me]

Something to consider, if you have children and do not have working HVAC, CPS can come and take said children on grounds of neglect. So now, you have green energy rammed down people's throats because we don't know what's good for us, and when it doesn't work, there is no recourse. If your kids are cold, you'll be told that it's a natural disaster, albeit a completely avoidable one if investments in natural gas infrastructure were made. Just "be prepared for no power" folks are told.

This is a major reason why I invested in an efficient, top of the line wood burning stove.

[Arik]

Something to consider, if you have children and do not have working HVAC, CPS can come and take said children on grounds of neglect. So now, you have green energy rammed down people's throats because we don't know what's good for us, and when it doesn't work, there is no recourse. If your kids are cold, you'll be told that it's a natural disaster, albeit a completely avoidable one if investments in natural gas infrastructure were made. Just "be prepared for no power" folks are told.

This is a major reason why I invested in an efficient, top of the line wood burning stove.

I'm pretty sure that's for those who won't not for those who can't because the gov turned off all electricity. City turned off the power. They're not going to take your kids if the power outage has nothing to do with you.

In 2014 we had a massive ice and snow storm. Knocked out power to millions of people. So many trees fell on power lines that even with the help of out of state power line workers working 24/7 it took over a month to get power to everyone. So they're just going to go and take children from millions of families? That's a lot of kids all at once

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[Don't Tread On Me]

No they aren't going to come and take everyone's kids. The point I'm making here is the state doesn't believe it's people have the mental capacity to do or think for themselves so they decide what's right and which path to follow, hence the massive amounts of subsidized money dumped into green energy. When you fail, the state has the ability to come after you with everything they have. If they **** up, tough luck, so sorry.

[Esq.]

Something to consider, if you have children and do not have working HVAC, CPS can come and take said children on grounds of neglect. So now, you have green energy rammed down people's throats because we don't know what's good for us, and when it doesn't work, there is no recourse. If your kids are cold, you'll be told that it's a natural disaster, albeit a completely avoidable one if investments in natural gas infrastructure were made. Just "be prepared for no power" folks are told.

This is a major reason why I invested in an efficient, top of the line wood burning stove.

Oh, don't worry "The Village" of trannies will raise your children for you!

I have an old woodstove, its in decent shape but 40 years old. Right before the election I spent $4,000 on a new Lopi Liberty because I figured new woodstoves were done for once the Unicorn Fart Sniffers took over...

[Co-gnARR]

This highlights the exact reason I am budgeting for battery back up on my house. I want some semblence of being independent of the power company. On top of that, I am looking at options for heating my home with good old fashioned fire places, as a back up for now, but also as a hedge against rising prices as gas becomes a political target. As for green energy vs carbon based, there is no perfect solution. Nuclear is zero carbon but storaing the waste is problematic. Add in the hysteria and fear factor from bad media and ignorance, and nuclear is a hard option to sell. Hydro is no carbon but damming rivers to create resevoirs destroys habitat. Solar is high cost, low yield since it is functional only in sun light. Same with wind- doesn't work when it's calm. If the so called progressives were actually trying to save humanity they'd acknowledge this and create meaningful, forward looking bipartisan solutions. In the meantime, I am making my home and my habits more energy efficient.

[Grand58742]

Apparently, these rolling blackouts are affecting Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Just saw it on the local news.

Luckily, I'm on the same grid as the city hall and police department. Normally, I don't have power out for long if it comes down to it.

[Jellybean]

Texas is experiencing rolling blackouts today. They are cycling the power off for 1/2-1 hour at a time in several service areas due to the increased demand the bitter winter weather has placed on the grid. Surprisingly to me, they are actually stating that a big part of the reason for that- half of Texas's Wind Power is off line- it's FROZEN!
............................

They should tie a greenie to the windmill and light them on fire to un thaw the turbines!

Call Firefly, stat! :laugh:

Otherwise, color me shocked. Our infrastructure has been sliding downhill for quite some time now. I always find it mildly hilarious/infuriating that no politicians, prez candidates, etc, ever seem to make maintaining that a campaign promise...


Nuclear power these days is generally safe if you don't:
[do idiotic shit]....

I don't know crap about nuclear, but I remember hearing something a while back about a "pebble reactor" being quite safe, especially if you put it underground?
What do you know about that?

[Diamondback]

This is a major reason why I invested in an efficient, top of the line wood burning stove.
All well and good until the tards in power hit you with a nonsensical refusal to lift burn-bans at the end of fire season...

[Todd.K]

There are reactor designs that don’t require water cooling, auto shutdown without power, make less waste, are not a step towards weapons, etc.

A new generation of nuclear power plants is the ONLY viable option if you believe the weather is going to kill us. But of course the problem is actually the point, it’s about power rather than fixing the weather.

[Diamondback]

Nuclear waste management in this country is a fustercluck--a lot of the waste is "spent" fuel that COULD be reprocessed and reburned except for policies set by the Peanut Eating Retard in the '70s. One of my mom's old bosses was a peer of his that went through the same Nuclear Engineer training program in the Navy at the same time, and Cap'n B. would turn the air a shocking shade of blue everytime Carter's name or the subject of nuclear-energy policy came up.

[Co-gnARR]

Call Firefly, stat! :laugh:

I don't know crap about nuclear, but I remember hearing something a while back about a "pebble reactor" being quite safe, especially if you put it underground?
What do you know about that?

Pretty sure that is a dead technology. It was supposed to be a cheaper alternative to boiling water and pressurized reactor plants. Essentially the fuel was in the form of pellets that could be loaded and removed via an auger. This was offered as a cheaper alternative to large commercial plants. I think (but cannot confirm) the pebble bed concept was mothballed in part due to security concerns in the wake of 9/11. Many smaller plants are much harder to protect than fewer large plants. The spent fuel is perfect for all kinds of bad things like dirty bombs.
The problems with nuclear are the high level of skill and training it takes to safely operate a nuclear power plant, and the challenges of handling and disposal of spent fuel. France has a well developed nuclear system that provides the majority of the nation’s power. The benefit of the French central planning is that all nuclear plants in that country are the same design, which in turn simplifies the engineering, and the logistics of plant maintenance & training/qualifying operators. With all French plants being the same design, operational costs are reduced. Critical spare parts are identical across the country, and operators can relocate without extensive training & requalification. I think the biggest hurdle to mainstreaming nuclear power in this country is bad press and worse fear mongering from environmentalist lobbies. The public is afraid of what they don’t understand. Politicians are not green lighting anything their constituents are afraid of. The second obstacle is consistency across plant design- as in, all plants In operation are the result of individual bids from plant designers. If each plant is unique, plant operators cannot simply move from plant to plant without significant familiarization training and qualification. Add to that the specialized critical equipment needed to run the plant- isolation valves and coolant pumps are not automatically compatible with equipment from another plant, even if they are functionally the same. The final major obstacle is the industry is very heavily regulated. NOTHING HAPPENS without multiple layers of regulation, documentation and approval. All these factors drive cost. With cheaper, less regulated, politically safe options available, commercial nuclear is hamstrung.

[LMT Shooter]

If we were serious about this, hydroelectric is the only real answer in the present day. Plus, how many water shortages would be eliminated by all the reservoirs created?

Green energy is a red herring, it's a scam.

[Diamondback]

If we were serious about this, hydroelectric is the only real answer in the present day. Plus, how many water shortages would be eliminated by all the reservoirs created?

Green energy is a red herring, it's a scam.

And then you have the Left Coast playing dambuster wherever they get half a chance...

[SomeOtherGuy]

All well and good until the tards in power hit you with a nonsensical refusal to lift burn-bans at the end of fire season...

You will be hearing "TWO WEEKS TO FLATTEN THE SMOG" for the entire winter, and beyond...


If we were serious about this, hydroelectric is the only real answer in the present day. Plus, how many water shortages would be eliminated by all the reservoirs created?
Green energy is a red herring, it's a scam.

Hydro isn't great either. Apart from the immediate environmental damage, reservoirs fill in with silt and there's no realistic way to remove it. In other words, the dams become useless after a period of time. It may be many decades, but the initial investment is huge for a time-limited power source. In the US and most developed countries, all realistic hydro power has already been harnessed, and a fair chunk of it will be going offline in the next 30-50 years because of reservoir siltation.

Coal is horrible and dirty, but it did work. It's pretty much going away now regardless of environmental issues though.

Solar can be a useful part of the overall supply, but for some obvious reasons it can't be everything or even the majority of the supply. Most of the other "green" options are poor, windmills in particular.

Nuclear is the realistic option for any country that wants to stay in the 21st Century. The USA has squandered its inheritance in a dozen ways and I don't think that's in the most likely future for large parts of the current USA. Some technologies only work if your entire population is capable of operating at first world levels, and both the US and France have some challenges in that area. China does too, but might be moving in the right direction on that, despite being a authoritarian nightmare in other ways.

[morbidbattlecry]

Texas is experiencing rolling blackouts today. They are cycling the power off for 1/2-1 hour at a time in several service areas due to the increased demand the bitter winter weather has placed on the grid. Surprisingly to me, they are actually stating that a big part of the reason for that- half of Texas's Wind Power is off line- it's FROZEN!

We need more of this wonderful new power! If only it was 100% of our energy, well at least 50% because, we can't forget about Unicorn Farts as part of the enviro sensitive mix.....

They should tie a greenie to the windmill and light them on fire to un thaw the turbines!

Welcome to Third World America- and we are doing it to ourselves!

https://abc13.com/texas-power-grid-outages-rolling-blackouts-brownouts/10340431/

Texas' Grid and turbines aren't designed to handle large spikes and colt temperatures. Here in Ohio we have Several wind farms and our turbines are running just fine.

[lowprone]

On top of that California's last two remaining nuclear reactors producing electric power ( Diablo Canyon Nuclear Generating Station )
are scheduled to be decommissioned in 24-25, no more electricity for you !

[Diamondback]

On top of that California's last two remaining nuclear reactors producing electric power ( Diablo Canyon Nuclear Generating Station )
are scheduled to be decommissioned in 24-25, no more electricity for you !

And then no doubt they'll come demanding more of our Bonneville hydropower that by statute is supposed to be ONLY for WA/OR/ID...

[Grand58742]

Apparently, I'm seeing report that the commercial areas of some of the major cities (Houston and DFW) were still going full blast while the rolling blackouts were going on.

Anyone in those areas that can confirm?

[Esq.]

Texas' Grid and turbines aren't designed to handle large spikes and colt temperatures. Here in Ohio we have Several wind farms and our turbines are running just fine.

The Texas grid handles summer spikes just fine. The issue is that literally half of the wind power is off line and this has been an ever increasing portion of our power. I don't really give a shit WHY its off line, its unacceptable for power supplies to be unreliable.

That's third world level bullshit. If the grid is nearly always at capacity the solution--because this is America, is to build MORE CAPACITY. Anything else is fi'ng stupidity. Reliable power isn't negotiable in a supposed First World nation.

[Esq.]

Apparently, I'm seeing report that the commercial areas of some of the major cities (Houston and DFW) were still going full blast while the rolling blackouts were going on.

Anyone in those areas that can confirm?

Just saw news footage of downtown Houston lit up like a damn Christmas tree while at the same time they were reporting 6 dead due to trying to stay warm running vehicles in their garages and people charging medical devices off car batteries. My dad in Austin hasn't had power for 2 days now, house is 42 degrees!

[HardToHandle]

The Texas grid handles summer spikes just fine. The issue is that literally half of the wind power is off line and this has been an ever increasing portion of our power. I don't really give a shit WHY its off line, its unacceptable for power supplies to be unreliable.

That's third world level bullshit. If the grid is nearly always at capacity the solution--because this is America, is to build MORE CAPACITY. Anything else is fi'ng stupidity. Reliable power isn't negotiable in a supposed First World nation.

Well, this is what Texas votes for. Elections have consequences. Texas also walled most of the state off from the rest of the US electric grid. This evening, Texas government keeps having to admit their “free market” is broken...two days in a row. http://www.ercot.com/news/trendingtopics/2021/february2021

My understanding, subject to the coming autopsy, is on Monday, nearly 70% of the “lost” generation due to cold was natural gas. 12% lost was wind. So if that is accurate, the wind issue is almost a nonsequiter and a red herring at best.

65212
Right now the Southwest Power Pool, which includes East Texas all the way to Canadian border is running 13% wind.
https://marketplace.spp.org/pages/generation-mix

All I can gather is four days warning is not enough for Texas to prepare. Leave the rest of us out of your self inflicted wounds.

[Ironman8]

You realize that SPP is only a small slice of Texas (panhandle and east), right. And I’d bet that a good percentage of that 13% wind generation from SPP comes from the panhandle area. Lots of wind farms out that way.

ERCOT is actually 23.4% wind and 2.1% solar as of 2019. Judging by the amount of wind farms being built (and on the books to be built) last year and this year, that number will be higher. And neither of those are doing well during this freeze.

Compounding the issue is the lack of preparations to winterize or at least prepare the coal and gas plants for this weather, plus there was a down nuclear reactor at the nuke plant in south Texas, which feeds much of central Texas and Houston. So, yes, ERCOT and other plant planners dropped the ball bigly, but you can’t tell me that wind and solar isn’t an issue.

Everyone in my industry (electric utilities), who isn’t building these wind/solar farms and/or doesn’t have an agenda, will tell you that it’s a farce and isn’t near as effective (cost or output) as gas or coal. Until something changes in technology with those, it’s really just a joke to think they’re dependable or in any way “green”.

[Leaveammoforme]

"They are cycling the power off for 1/2-1 hour at a time in several service areas.."

Lol.

We have had a total of 9 hours of electricity in the last 72 hours. I'm even about to swap batteries on my Field Pro that doesn't exactly have a small battery.

Third world country crap right here.

[HardToHandle]

SPP’s record wind penetration was 72%, in the last year. It was 13% actual today. Some limited brownouts but they have adequate planning to cover the gaps.

Same story in the non-SPP Midwest, which was way colder and way more dependent on wind than Texas or the SPP. Why can they handle way more wind % but not Texas?

It is only Texas/ERCOT that messes this up regular with Texas-sized consequences. It has been a few days more than a decade since Texas exported its energy problems in the 2011 fiasco - https://www.nerc.com/pa/rrm/ea/Pages/February-2011-Southwest-Cold-Weather-Event.aspx.
Effectively the exact same scenario is playing out, natural gas and poor maintenance screwing the pooch during cold weather that was forecast a week ago.

ERCOT can f’up a wet dream. Wind is not the problem, it is the unwillingness of Texas to fix what is ailing them. Very California-esque.

[Esq.]

You realize that SPP is only a small slice of Texas (panhandle and east), right. And I’d bet that a good percentage of that 13% wind generation from SPP comes from the panhandle area. Lots of wind farms out that way.

ERCOT is actually 23.4% wind and 2.1% solar as of 2019. Judging by the amount of wind farms being built (and on the books to be built) last year and this year, that number will be higher. And neither of those are doing well during this freeze.

Compounding the issue is the lack of preparations to winterize or at least prepare the coal and gas plants for this weather, plus there was a down nuclear reactor at the nuke plant in south Texas, which feeds much of central Texas and Houston. So, yes, ERCOT and other plant planners dropped the ball bigly, but you can’t tell me that wind and solar isn’t an issue.

Everyone in my industry (electric utilities), who isn’t building these wind/solar farms and/or doesn’t have an agenda, will tell you that it’s a farce and isn’t near as effective (cost or output) as gas or coal. Until something changes in technology with those, it’s really just a joke to think they’re dependable or in any way “green”.

Further, why are gas pipelines offline? One issue? Emissions standards that forced the conversion of gas compressing stations from gas power to electricity.

In the past, compression stations were 100% run on their own gas. Very simply the compressors would bleed off gas directly from the pipelines they were servicing and use it as fuel to run the compressors. Very simple, very efficient, worked reliably for decades.

But then the enviro retards started pissing and moaning about the emissions from all the compressor stations burning gas to move the gas.....So, many were converted to electric power.....If you can't make electricity to run the compressor stations you not only lose the ability to power gas fired power plants but also to deliver gas for home heating. Brilliant, a cascading failure. Never, ever should have been done....

Generally, I like natural gas, but its much easier to store many days worth of coal on site.

[Ironman8]

Snip

It seems you have some sort of weird satisfaction out of seeing ERCOT/Texas step on their Texas-sized 3rd leg over this. Not sure what your beef is but fact of the matter is:

1) Wind and solar are still second rate sources of energy, and I’m being nice.
2) You're trying to compare wind utilization for relatively (mostly) small population centers in the Midwest against the multiple huge population centers in Texas. Wind just won’t keep up, reliably.
3) Texas doesn’t get this kind of weather very often, whereas the Midwest does and is better prepared for it, as they know that it will happen yearly. Texas experiences this maybe once every 10-20 years.
4) #3 does not excuse the fact that multiple failures to prepare for this happened and should be remediated. I’m not apologizing for these failures, at all.

[Ironman8]

Further, why are gas pipelines offline? One issue? Emissions standards that forced the conversion of gas compressing stations from gas power to electricity.

In the past, compression stations were 100% run on their own gas. Very simply the compressors would bleed off gas directly from the pipelines they were servicing and use it as fuel to run the compressors. Very simple, very efficient, worked reliably for decades.

But then the enviro retards started pissing and moaning about the emissions from all the compressor stations burning gas to move the gas.....So, many were converted to electric power.....If you can't make electricity to run the compressor stations you not only lose the ability to power gas fired power plants but also to deliver gas for home heating. Brilliant, a cascading failure. Never, ever should have been done....

Generally, I like natural gas, but its much easier to store many days worth of coal on site.

Outside my lane, but if that’s the case, then it would make sense that it’s the cause of some gas lines going down, and obviously a failure of foresight for how that might go wrong. Not surprised if this is a result of enviro idiots causing a stink over it.

I don’t have power right now, but gas and water are still working for me, so either some stations don’t run on electricity, or the stations are put on an “emergency circuit” where they get power from the grid by priority.

[chadbag]

One wind problem that Texas has, from another forum I am on, is that wind turbines designed to work in the extreme cold are less efficient and more costly, so in areas that don't generally have extreme cold, they seem to have built the more efficient less-cold resistant turbines... Don't know if this is true, but it was something I read in another forum that seems plausible.

[Grand58742]

Honestly, I think between this and the continual problems in California is showing a far larger infrastructure problem in this country. And most certainly a national security weakness that has been exposed. People have been saying for years how vulnerable our power grid is and a winter storm (even the severity of two storms in a row) causing these kinds of problems is certainly something that has to be addressed.

[Ready.Fire.Aim]

Texas Grid has Several issues.

1. It does not have a guaranteed capacity market like most regional grids. Pure deregulated Supply & Demand. Thought was high prices during shortages would spur construction of peak generators. Didn’t happen.

2. Demand was at a record high of 75,000 MW. It’s the biggest power producing state. Texas big four electrical power fuel sources are are Natural gas 50%, Coal 19%, Wind 18%, and Nuclear ( 4 units) 8%.
Only 3 showed up for work, Wind played hooky. Texas Wind units are cheap without de icing heaters. Blades iced up. So only 700 megawatts of 31,000 Megawatts made power on Monday.
FWIW, solar units were covered in sleet and snow and were at half capacity.

3. Wind Tax Incentives have destroyed the wholesale power business for thermal generation. Wind dominates the nighttime market in normal times and drastically undercuts market prices. As a result thermal units are unprofitable, being retired and maintenance is marginal.

You don’t have civilization without electricity. The time needed for correcting errors in a pure capitalistic market resulted in freezing homes and dead people. Regulated power worked well preserving civilization for 80 years but was economically inefficient. We experimented and failed. Now the Texas legislature has blood on their hands. Market design will have to change.

4. Most Texas power plants and homes are not like up north. Power Plants often have open decks. Houses have exposed, uninsulated PVC pipes and minimal insulation. Many are all electric. It’s usually HOT. temps will be 20 degrees Friday morning and back in the 70s Saturday and all next week.

I worked in the business for 34 years and was a senior manager at a nuke. Now retired.
Knowing the mess of an Electrical Market ( ERCOT) we have, I have a 20KW generator, propane tank, and a wood stove.
Been without grid power many hours this week.
Been under an elderly church member’s house this evening in the mud fixing her busted PVC water lines.
Wife has been inviting dozens of friends and family over for warmth, showers, food. Real first tier Maslov Hierarchy needs.

We got ourselves here. We are pissed. We will fix it without advice from Washington DC. The New Green Deal can KMA. You’ll see more natural gas combined cycle units built and more natural gas pipelines laid in this state.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Further, why are gas pipelines offline? One issue? Emissions standards that forced the conversion of gas compressing stations from gas power to electricity.

In the past, compression stations were 100% run on their own gas. Very simply the compressors would bleed off gas directly from the pipelines they were servicing and use it as fuel to run the compressors. Very simple, very efficient, worked reliably for decades.

But then the enviro retards started pissing and moaning about the emissions from all the compressor stations burning gas to move the gas.....So, many were converted to electric power.....If you can't make electricity to run the compressor stations you not only lose the ability to power gas fired power plants but also to deliver gas for home heating. Brilliant, a cascading failure. Never, ever should have been done....

Generally, I like natural gas, but its much easier to store many days worth of coal on site.

So just put a small NG electricity generator to power the electricity... ;)

What a cluster fudge, because even if the electrical power goes down, NG would still flow- I guess not anymore.

Someone on FOX last night was saying that soon in New York State, you won't be able to put in gas HVAC heaters... That isn't going to go well. I'd install new gas HVAC the last day and have a spare put away for a rainy day. But then they'll just shut off the gas at some point...

[Averageman]

It seems you have some sort of weird satisfaction out of seeing ERCOT/Texas step on their Texas-sized 3rd leg over this. Not sure what your beef is but fact of the matter is:

1) Wind and solar are still second rate sources of energy, and I’m being nice.
2) You're trying to compare wind utilization for relatively (mostly) small population centers in the Midwest against the multiple huge population centers in Texas. Wind just won’t keep up, reliably.
3) Texas doesn’t get this kind of weather very often, whereas the Midwest does and is better prepared for it, as they know that it will happen yearly. Texas experiences this maybe once every 10-20 years.
4) #3 does not excuse the fact that multiple failures to prepare for this happened and should be remediated. I’m not apologizing for these failures, at all.

That is an excellent summary.

[The_War_Wagon]

MORE windmill powered automobiles - THAT'LL fix everything!!! :jester:

https://i.ibb.co/fvTfjvF/windpower.jpg

[Ironman8]

Texas Grid has Several issues.

1. It does not have a guaranteed capacity market like most regional grids. Pure deregulated Supply & Demand. Thought was high prices during shortages would spur construction of peak generators. Didn’t happen.

2. Demand was at a record high of 75,000 MW. It’s the biggest power producing state. Texas big four electrical power fuel sources are are Natural gas 50%, Coal 19%, Wind 18%, and Nuclear ( 4 units) 8%.
Only 3 showed up for work, Wind played hooky. Texas Wind units are cheap without de icing heaters. Blades iced up. So only 700 megawatts of 31,000 Megawatts made power on Monday.
FWIW, solar units were covered in sleet and snow and were at half capacity.

3. Wind Tax Incentives have destroyed the wholesale power business for thermal generation. Wind dominates the nighttime market in normal times and drastically undercuts market prices. As a result thermal units are unprofitable, being retired and maintenance is marginal.

You don’t have civilization without electricity. The time needed for correcting errors in a pure capitalistic market resulted in freezing homes and dead people. Regulated power worked well preserving civilization for 80 years but was economically inefficient. We experimented and failed. Now the Texas legislature has blood on their hands. Market design will have to change.

4. Most Texas power plants and homes are not like up north. Power Plants often have open decks. Houses have exposed, uninsulated PVC pipes and minimal insulation. Many are all electric. It’s usually HOT. temps will be 20 degrees Friday morning and back in the 70s Saturday and all next week.

I worked in the business for 34 years and was a senior manager at a nuke. Now retired.
Knowing the mess of an Electrical Market ( ERCOT) we have, I have a 20KW generator, propane tank, and a wood stove.
Been without grid power many hours this week.
Been under an elderly church member’s house this evening in the mud fixing her busted PVC water lines.
Wife has been inviting dozens of friends and family over for warmth, showers, food. Real first tier Maslov Hierarchy needs.

We got ourselves here. We are pissed. We will fix it without advice from Washington DC. The New Green Deal can KMA. You’ll see more natural gas combined cycle units built and more natural gas pipelines laid in this state.

Great synopsis and breaking it down in more detail. Especially the behind the scenes workings of ERCOT and how the market works.

The bolded part is exactly why people in this industry know it’s a joke. If it was so efficient and reliable, why would it need to be subsidized?

I can also attest to the maintenance facilities at coal and older gas plants being understaffed and limping along on a shoestring budget. I’ve been to several of them and the tools and equipment they use to keep the plant running are decades old in some cases. I can’t tell you where money is going in their budgets, but it is true that they are not as profitable due to market forces -ERCOT- and I believe that is tied to the wind market, like you said. Some of these plants are basically just waiting to be decommissioned in some cases.

If “authorities” are planning on replacing them with “green” energy, the we’re in trouble. I hope you’re right that this will spur more combined cycle plants to be constructed properly to pick up the slack.

[Esq.]

Great synopsis and breaking it down in more detail. Especially the behind the scenes workings of ERCOT and how the market works.

The bolded part is exactly why people in this industry know it’s a joke. If it was so efficient and reliable, why would it need to be subsidized?

I can also attest to the maintenance facilities at coal and older gas plants being understaffed and limping along on a shoestring budget. I’ve been to several of them and the tools and equipment they use to keep the plant running are decades old in some cases. I can’t tell you where money is going in their budgets, but it is true that they are not as profitable due to market forces -ERCOT- and I believe that is tied to the wind market, like you said. Some of these plants are basically just waiting to be decommissioned in some cases.

If “authorities” are planning on replacing them with “green” energy, the we’re in trouble. I hope you’re right that this will spur more combined cycle plants to be constructed properly to pick up the slack.

Easy fix? Mandatory minimum delivery contracts. You tell me you're going to deliver X number of watts and I base my business decisions around that, when you fail to deliver, it costs you Y dollars for every minute that you don't deliver.

Thats a common feature in industrial contracts.

For example, the Toyota plant in San Antonio has co located suppliers. For every minute that Toyota truck line is operating and those subs don't deliver product its a $10,000 penalty. Guess what? Those companies almost universally have not one but TWO standby generators and some have Three---any ONE of which is sufficient to power their operations. Same thing with fiber optic networks --huge penalties for failure to deliver services.

That would very quickly wipe out any subsidy advantage of renewable or ensure adequate back up capacity. Wind doesn't blow, sun doesn't shine-tough shit, you better get me my power or your done.

[Todd.K]

...Wind Tax Incentives have destroyed the wholesale power business...

...a pure capitalistic market resulted in freezing homes and dead people...

This jumped out at me. I feel like the first quote completely eliminated the second being possible.

I would say that the poorly considered (or known but ignored) second order effects of central planning subsidies of less reliable power is the real problem.

[Grand58742]

Hey Texas guys and gals. AOC says you would have been fine if we had more green energy!

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-says-green-new-deal-would-have-helped-prevent-texas-blackouts-during-winter-storm


Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said passing the Green New Deal would have helped to prevent the devastating power outages in Texas that have left millions struggling to find warmth in their homes amid a brutal winter storm and record-shattering cold temperatures.

"The infrastructure failures in Texas are quite literally what happens when you *don’t* pursue a Green New Deal," Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tweeted on Tuesday night.

But Ocasio-Cortez said policy failures such as the lack of investment in the nation's crumbling infrastructure, political leaders who do not believe in climate change and the abandonment of low-income, minority and indigenous communities are to blame for the dire situation.

"Weak on sweeping next-gen public infrastructure investments, little focus on equity so communities are left behind, climate deniers in leadership so they don’t long prep for disaster," Ocasio-Cortez added. "We need to help people *now.* Long-term we must realize these are the consequences of inaction."

[ChattanoogaPhil]

No surprise that the ditzy barmaid would think the answer is more frozen wind turbines and snow-covered solar panels.

[Honu]

Well of course its because global warming that wold happen says the loons

OH I meant climate change not sure what the word of the week is but HEY lets tax you more and it will be OK

They will use their backup generators cause they are important and need to keep the jets in fuel I do wonder when we see them flying solar electric jets all over the world to keep us poor folk in line

No surprise that the ditzy barmaid would think the answer is more frozen wind turbines and snow-covered solar panels.

[AndyLate]

MORE windmill powered automobiles - THAT'LL fix everything!!! :jester:

https://i.ibb.co/fvTfjvF/windpower.jpg

My neighbor, who I consider a reasonably intelligent man, told me he thought the wind powered generators had electric motors to turn them when it wasn't windy.

Andy

[The_War_Wagon]

"Diversity Lane" was a cartoon strip ahead of its time.

https://i.ibb.co/sRRt55c/diversitylane-turbines-for-blog.jpg

[hotrodder636]

I have no problem with finding energy that is cleaner and more efficient than coal, and less prone to potential disaster than nuclear. The problem is trying to implement now before it can be a seamless transition, simply because of this myth that we are less than a decade away from an extinction level event due to climate change.—Unfortunately the majority of society is not educated much on nuclear. It is not as disaster-prone as one may think, but not that there haven’t been issues.


Nuclear power these days is generally safe if you don't:

1. Put it on the most geologically active area of the planet (the Pacific Rim of Fire)

2. Let the Soviets design the reactor

Three Mile Island taught us a metric butt-ton about nuclear safety and I have a lot of faith in nuclear plants these days. Yet each and every time someone brings up building a new nuclear plant, Chernobyl gets brought up and the idiot environmentalists start bringing fear into everyone's minds. Not even realizing our designs were never even close to operating that close to the safety margins.

Add in the idiots in Nevada that decided the Yucca Flats repository was a danger so we can't safely and securely store spent fuel and we end up where we are at in regards to nuclear power.

Anyway, rant over.—Correct, unfortunately when discussing nuclear power in 2021 people still say “but Chernobyl”, which was as disaster caused by improper testing, improper training and most importantly poor reactor design—design of which is way outdated and NOT used these days.


There are reactor designs that don’t require water cooling, auto shutdown without power, make less waste, are not a step towards weapons, etc.

A new generation of nuclear power plants is the ONLY viable option if you believe the weather is going to kill us. But of course the problem is actually the point, it’s about power rather than fixing the weather.—Truth


Nuclear waste management in this country is a fustercluck--a lot of the waste is "spent" fuel that COULD be reprocessed and reburned except for policies set by the Peanut Eating Retard in the '70s. One of my mom's old bosses was a peer of his that went through the same Nuclear Engineer training program in the Navy at the same time, and Cap'n B. would turn the air a shocking shade of blue everytime Carter's name or the subject of nuclear-energy policy came up.—The non-use of Yuca Mountain really hurt this. Problem is people don’t understand radiation and didn’t understand that the radiation that was ‘expected’ to be release to the environment was insignificant by all standards. Problem is people don’t understand and therefore said “not in my backyard” and it turned into a political shit show.


Pretty sure that is a dead technology. It was supposed to be a cheaper alternative to boiling water and pressurized reactor plants. Essentially the fuel was in the form of pellets that could be loaded and removed via an auger. This was offered as a cheaper alternative to large commercial plants. I think (but cannot confirm) the pebble bed concept was mothballed in part due to security concerns in the wake of 9/11. Many smaller plants are much harder to protect than fewer large plants. The spent fuel is perfect for all kinds of bad things like dirty bombs.
The problems with nuclear are the high level of skill and training it takes to safely operate a nuclear power plant, and the challenges of handling and disposal of spent fuel. France has a well developed nuclear system that provides the majority of the nation’s power. The benefit of the French central planning is that all nuclear plants in that country are the same design, which in turn simplifies the engineering, and the logistics of plant maintenance & training/qualifying operators. With all French plants being the same design, operational costs are reduced. Critical spare parts are identical across the country, and operators can relocate without extensive training & requalification. I think the biggest hurdle to mainstreaming nuclear power in this country is bad press and worse fear mongering from environmentalist lobbies. The public is afraid of what they don’t understand. Politicians are not green lighting anything their constituents are afraid of. The second obstacle is consistency across plant design- as in, all plants In operation are the result of individual bids from plant designers. If each plant is unique, plant operators cannot simply move from plant to plant without significant familiarization training and qualification. Add to that the specialized critical equipment needed to run the plant- isolation valves and coolant pumps are not automatically compatible with equipment from another plant, even if they are functionally the same. The final major obstacle is the industry is very heavily regulated. NOTHING HAPPENS without multiple layers of regulation, documentation and approval. All these factors drive cost. With cheaper, less regulated, politically safe options available, commercial nuclear is hamstrung.—It is in fact not a dead technology. Just last year two contracts were awarded for further development of 2 leading Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs. I don’t remember whom off the top of my head, but one is a ‘pebble bed’ design.

I say all of this as someone who has been a reactor operator in the Navy and Senior Reactor Operator licensed individual in the commercial nuclear field since 1999, soooo I am a bit biased but when properly researched one will find nuclear is actually inherently safe.

[Adrenaline_6]

—It is in fact not a dead technology. Just last year two contracts were awarded for further development of 2 leading Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs. I don’t remember whom off the top of my head, but one is a ‘pebble bed’ design.

I say all of this as someone who has been a reactor operator in the Navy and Senior Reactor Operator licensed individual in the commercial nuclear field since 1999, soooo I am a bit biased but when properly researched one will find nuclear is actually inherently safe.

Wasn't that Nuscale?

[Esq.]

The finger pointing etc...has begun in earnest.

Be sure when the morons try to blame Natural Gas for going down etc....that you explain to them why the pipelines went down and why no excess capacity has been built- about 80% of the entire problem was due directly to Wind Energy or the subsidies for it that impact the rest of the market choices- thermal, negatively.

[Diamondback]

—Unfortunately the majority of society is not educated much on nuclear.
Or much of anything beyond the latest Plop-Kulchur and Social Justice Jihadist bullshit...

I still don't understand why we can't sink geothermal power into hotspots as an additional option... Yellowstone alone could probably go a long way, and it could be sited out of the way so the Greentards wouldn't have it "ruining MUH VIEWZ and interfering with MUH WILDLIFE."

Tards. We're ruled by f---ing tards who it's a wonder they mustered the damn brains to learn to breathe unassisted...

[hotrodder636]

They were involved and working with a major player but they were not the ones rewarded the DOE funding. That said as I understand it NuScale and some major players in my neck of the woods are still working on the project, just not with the DOE funded project. Time will tell how that project goes.

The recent funding was announced in October 2020. The funding is to support “advanced reactor demonstration program”. The groups are TerraPower LLC and X-Energy. TerraPower will be working on a Natrium, sodium cooled fast reactor (burns fuel more efficiently using fast-fission) and X-Energy will be using the pebble bed design. Take a minute to google the X-Energy—it uses the fuel design as the “containment” building instead of the giant steel containments surrounded by a concrete shield building currently used by PWR and BWRs.



Wasn't that Nuscale?

[Adrenaline_6]

They were involved and working with a major player but they were not the ones rewarded the DOE funding. That said as I understand it NuScale and some major players in my neck of the woods are still working on the project, just not with the DOE funded project. Time will tell how that project goes.

The recent funding was announced in October 2020. The funding is to support “advanced reactor demonstration program”. The groups are TerraPower LLC and X-Energy. TerraPower will be working on a Natrium, sodium cooled fast reactor (burns fuel more efficiently using fast-fission) and X-Energy will be using the pebble bed design. Take a minute to google the X-Energy—it uses the fuel design as the “containment” building instead of the giant steel containments surrounded by a concrete shield building currently used by PWR and BWRs.

Interesting. I hope they get all the kinks out and offer a viable solution quick. This green deal sh*t they are trying to ram up our *sses - no lube, will be very damaging.

[hotrodder636]

Unfortunately we are limited with energy production based on our technological advancements, or lack of. With all current forms of electricity production there are pros and cons. Just have to weigh them out. Long term health of the planet and being able to support base load, nuclear is our best bet so some funding on new technologies will be beneficial—but nuclear waste create—improvement can be made there also. Coal/Fossil—yes support TONS of jobs—are dirty, pollute, CO2 emissions. Wind—the turbines don’t have the life cycle originally thought, fail a lot, don’t work with no wind and take a ton of real estate to produce equivalent MWe to coal or nuclear. If you have ever been through the Midwest states with the solar farms you can drive miles and see the vast majority not spinning/producing. Similar with solar—huge footprint, dirty dirty to produce and dispose of. The problem with renewables is that they just cannot support baseload (since wind is not always there and night time exists).



Interesting. I hope they get all the kinks out and offer a viable solution quick. This green deal sh*t they are trying to ram up our *sses - no lube, will be very damaging.

[Honu]

Maui has tremendous trade winds
the wind turbines have been a failure they fall apart need constant maintenance huge eye sore to top it off as noted kill so many birds etc...
and they are still running the huge generator fossil fuel run of course :)
they claim %41 by wind solar and biofuel :) hahahaha which is thrown in with the decayed dinos according to locals :) basically a huge flop but they put up more a few years ago so even in a insane daily windy spot the wind generators are pretty much a negative in the long run considering what it takes to produce them in the equation
but I am preaching to the choir I reckon

solar can work in some places but the offset of being made in china and what it does to the planet to mine the stuff needed the insane damage that will not be reversed that is used to produce the batteries that are so horrid to the earth :)

but hey try to reason and use logic with a lib who has none ? because they believe you are born racist and only whites are racist etc... and you are a science denier but a man can think he is a woman and that is science !

we truly live in crazy times :)

[Grand58742]

Maui has tremendous trade winds
the wind turbines have been a failure they fall apart need constant maintenance huge eye sore to top it off as noted kill so many birds etc...
and they are still running the huge generator fossil fuel run of course :)
they claim %41 by wind solar and biofuel :) hahahaha which is thrown in with the decayed dinos according to locals :) basically a huge flop but they put up more a few years ago so even in a insane daily windy spot the wind generators are pretty much a negative in the long run considering what it takes to produce them in the equation
but I am preaching to the choir I reckon

solar can work in some places but the offset of being made in china and what it does to the planet to mine the stuff needed the insane damage that will not be reversed that is used to produce the batteries that are so horrid to the earth :)

but hey try to reason and use logic with a lib who has none ? because they believe you are born racist and only whites are racist etc... and you are a science denier but a man can think he is a woman and that is science !

we truly live in crazy times :)

Speaking of places I likely wouldn't put a nuclear reactor lol

One might think the offshore hydro would be a good option for places like Hawaii.

[Diamondback]

Speaking of places I likely wouldn't put a nuclear reactor lol

One might think the offshore hydro would be a good option for places like Hawaii.

"B-b-but the tides! The fish! MUH ECOSYSDUMBZ!"

[Adrenaline_6]

Unfortunately we are limited with energy production based on our technological advancements, or lack of. With all current forms of electricity production there are pros and cons. Just have to weigh them out. Long term health of the planet and being able to support base load, nuclear is our best bet so some funding on new technologies will be beneficial—but nuclear waste create—improvement can be made there also. Coal/Fossil—yes support TONS of jobs—are dirty, pollute, CO2 emissions. Wind—the turbines don’t have the life cycle originally thought, fail a lot, don’t work with no wind and take a ton of real estate to produce equivalent MWe to coal or nuclear. If you have ever been through the Midwest states with the solar farms you can drive miles and see the vast majority not spinning/producing. Similar with solar—huge footprint, dirty dirty to produce and dispose of. The problem with renewables is that they just cannot support baseload (since wind is not always there and night time exists).

I am surprised they don't work with the space industry in designing cheap, reliable, garbage rockets that send the waste into the sun. Poof....problem solved. I know there are other things to be considered like a special remote launch site incase of disaster, but the risk can be mitigated.

[Grand58742]

"B-b-but the tides! The fish! MUH ECOSYSDUMBZ!"

Oh, I know. Each and every "new" type of energy that comes up, the enviro-nazis come up with an excuse of why it won't work.

One might think geothermal might work in Hawaii as well. It's reasonably "green" and abundant in the area. Iceland uses it quite a bit for power generation and home heating. Not that homes need to be heated in Hawaii.

[Grand58742]

I am surprised they don't work with the space industry in designing cheap, reliable, garbage rockets that send the waste into the sun. Poof....problem solved. I know there are other things to be considered like a special remote launch site incase of disaster, but the risk can be mitigated.

Literally, they have a perfectly acceptable depository ready to go...

Except Harry Reid doesn't like it and Obama supported him (shocker)

It's been a huge waste of money for something that will (probably) never be used.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_Mountain_nuclear_waste_repository#Delays_since_2009

[Adrenaline_6]

Oh, I know. Each and every "new" type of energy that comes up, the enviro-nazis come up with an excuse of why it won't work.

One might think geothermal might work in Hawaii as well. It's reasonably "green" and abundant in the area. Iceland uses it quite a bit for power generation and home heating. Not that homes need to be heated in Hawaii.

They have a geothermal venture (Puna Geothermal Venture) there and it got closed due to a lava flow surrounding the facility. They are in the process of reopening it. The problem is the State government of Hawaii is a complete clusterf*ck of retards who care nothing about the people or state. Just taking care of their unions and big businesses who keep their careers going. Anything they try and do results in astronomic over budgets because they need to make all those businesses and unions money. Yet the dipsh*ts keep voting the same f*cktards in over and over because their unions tell them to.

I love that place because it is where I am from, but the situation is hopeless. It's an island size California. I've said goodbye to it in my heart awhile ago because I know it is never coming back and stupid people there continue breeding.

[Grand58742]

it got closed due to a lava flow surrounding the facility.

What's life without a few challenges lol

[hotrodder636]

Funny thing, I thought the exact same thing years ago when I first got into nuclear. Maybe I can get Elon Musk looking into the idea since he does like to think and do things outside the box....


I am surprised they don't work with the space industry in designing cheap, reliable, garbage rockets that send the waste into the sun. Poof....problem solved. I know there are other things to be considered like a special remote launch site incase of disaster, but the risk can be mitigated.

[Ready.Fire.Aim]

Funny thing, I thought the exact same thing years ago when I first got into nuclear. Maybe I can get Elon Musk looking into the idea since he does like to think and do things outside the box....

Great idea until the rocket carrying radioactive waste blows up on the launch pad.

[hotrodder636]

You need to google some of the videos to see exactly what the casks that hold radioactive waste can handle. You will likely be surprise.

[Grand58742]

You need to google some of the videos to see exactly what the casks that hold radioactive waste can handle. You will likely be surprise.

I think it's more of the principle of storing everything like that in one location instead of having it spread around the country. It's far more secure even if the dry casks can handle significant stresses.

[hotrodder636]

I agree, one location makes sense. Yucca Mountain is a good place and well designed so it reads. It has been a long while since I have looked into/read into it.
I think it's more of the principle of storing everything like that in one location instead of having it spread around the country. It's far more secure even if the dry casks can handle significant stresses.

[scottryan]

Texas is overpopulated.

Can't run coal fired power plants at full capacity due to pollution restrictions. Biden/EPA would not grand a wavier for this last week.

Shoddy building codes in Texas that have plumbing exposed to the cold. Shit construction so they can throw up houses as fast as possible for all the california transplants moving in.

2 inches of snow and the whole place shuts down. I had to drive in a foot a snow two weeks ago and it was -25F here, still had to go to work everyday.

Bunch of tough guys in TX in their 2WD trucks.

Moron city dwellers that do not know how their house works, and can't figure out how to shut off the water and drain pipes or run a generator.

Idiots in mile long lines for food.

[Esq.]

Texas is overpopulated.

Can't run coal fired power plants at full capacity due to pollution restrictions. Biden/EPA would not grand a wavier for this last week.

Shoddy building codes in Texas that have plumbing exposed to the cold. Shit construction so they can throw up houses as fast as possible for all the california transplants moving in.

2 inches of snow and the whole place shuts down. I had to drive in a foot a snow two weeks ago and it was -25F here, still had to go to work everyday.

Bunch of tough guys in TX in their 2WD trucks.

Moron city dwellers that do not know how their house works, and can't figure out how to shut off the water and drain pipes or run a generator.

Idiots in mile long lines for food.



I would agree with some of that. Texas is over populated with worthless transplants.

The building codes are adequate for normal Texas weather. I'm in Amarillo. No one currently ALIVE has ever seen it as cold as it was for as long as it was. Well over a Century....Hundred year flood plains etc...are a thing in building....

We had probably 9-10" of snow here. That's a decent snow for us, we probably get one in that neighborhood every other year. It's not "northern snow"....but Texas isn't a northern state, so....

My dad is 77. He was in Austin and without power for a little over 3 days. First thing he did was fill every water container and bath tub he had with water. He turned off the water at the street and drained everything. House got into the 40's but he ran his fireplace and used a sleeping bag etc....He cooked oatmeal (Buys it from the LDS in #10 cans) using his rocket stove on the deck using some small branches etc...Made it through just fine.

There are idiots everywhere unfortunately.

[Grand58742]

I would agree with some of that. Texas is over populated with worthless transplants.

The building codes are adequate for normal Texas weather. I'm in Amarillo. No one currently ALIVE has ever seen it as cold as it was for as long as it was. Well over a Century....Hundred year flood plains etc...are a thing in building....

We had probably 9-10" of snow here. That's a decent snow for us, we probably get one in that neighborhood every other year. It's not "northern snow"....but Texas isn't a northern state, so....

My dad is 77. He was in Austin and without power for a little over 3 days. First thing he did was fill every water container and bath tub he had with water. He turned off the water at the street and drained everything. House got into the 40's but he ran his fireplace and used a sleeping bag etc....He cooked oatmeal (Buys it from the LDS in #10 cans) using his rocket stove on the deck using some small branches etc...Made it through just fine.

There are idiots everywhere unfortunately.

I can understand a hundred year cold like that affecting South Texas in a big way. The thing is, a bit of preparation goes a long way to avoid a catastrophe during such an event. Heavy clothing, a gas grill (or camp stove), canned foods, stored firewood (for those idiots burning their kids' toys), water, etc would have made it easy for many of the population there. Even my boss, which isn't a preparedness minded individual in the least, asked me to bring him in some extra firewood just in case (I have plenty on the property to spare) between the storms. I was happy to oblige since at least he was thinking ahead.

It tends to take a disaster in order to wake people up. The problem is, only about 10% of them will learn the lessons they need to learn from this event and plan accordingly going forward. That 10% might be very optimistic on my part as well.

[AndyLate]

I can understand a hundred year cold like that affecting South Texas in a big way. The thing is, a bit of preparation goes a long way to avoid a catastrophe during such an event. Heavy clothing, a gas grill (or camp stove), canned foods, stored firewood (for those idiots burning their kids' toys), water, etc would have made it easy for many of the population there. Even my boss, which isn't a preparedness minded individual in the least, asked me to bring him in some extra firewood just in case (I have plenty on the property to spare) between the storms. I was happy to oblige since at least he was thinking ahead.

It tends to take a disaster in order to wake people up. The problem is, only about 10% of them will learn the lessons they need to learn from this event and plan accordingly going forward. That 10% might be very optimistic on my part as well.

I have a Coleman 2 burner propane stove and a Coleman propane lantern on hand for emergencies. They take up a small amount of space, but they and a few of the small propane bottles will certainly provide heat, light and food for the few days that Texas residents were out of power. A bigger propane bottle and a refill adapter would keep us going for a week, easily. Propane (which is not really propane) stores a long long time too.

You can usually pick up the stoves and lanterns for $10 or less at yard sales and can use them in your house as long as you crack a window or two to replace the oxygen they consume.

Andy

[Esq.]

I can understand a hundred year cold like that affecting South Texas in a big way. The thing is, a bit of preparation goes a long way to avoid a catastrophe during such an event. Heavy clothing, a gas grill (or camp stove), canned foods, stored firewood (for those idiots burning their kids' toys), water, etc would have made it easy for many of the population there. Even my boss, which isn't a preparedness minded individual in the least, asked me to bring him in some extra firewood just in case (I have plenty on the property to spare) between the storms. I was happy to oblige since at least he was thinking ahead.

It tends to take a disaster in order to wake people up. The problem is, only about 10% of them will learn the lessons they need to learn from this event and plan accordingly going forward. That 10% might be very optimistic on my part as well.

Yea, despite being a little older I wasn't worried about pops. He grew up on a farm in Illinois and lived in Wisconsin for several years etc...He knew exactly what he needed to do. He had a couple of Anker "batteries" so he could charge his cell phone and sent regular texts letting me know he was ok etc....

He used the hell out of the little rocket stove I gave him for Christmas a few years ago. He cooked oatmeal, bacon and eggs, some hamburgers, even did a stir fry on a Cowboy Wok etc...on it. Just set it up on his patio table, walked in the back yard- his lot is over 200' deep and the back side abuts a creek and is heavily treed, and grabbed several hand fulls of sticks and got to cooking. The neighbors gave him the stank eye he said....He just smiled and waived! :D