OMG...Here we go!!

originally posted by: Lumenari
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

SoOo....

The left is trying to say that "de-regulation" or a lack of regulations in Texas caused this.

So let's look at the left's model... one of the most regulated states in America.

California.

Do THEY ever suffer from rolling blackouts because of power consumption?

Oh wait.

They do.

EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

So it doesn't seem that more regulations is the cure, does it?

I live in Northern California. Specifically, in the redwood forest within about 10 miles of where the Santa Cruz complex fires were last summer. I've lived here a little over 20 years. With that as background, here are a few facts:

1) we do not have rolling blackouts due to power consumption EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. In fact the blackouts due to inadequate power availability that occurred last summer were the first ones in 20 years. The reason for that particular set of rolling blackouts is not because there wasn't enough energy available to purchase--there was plenty. The reason for the blackouts was because the state planners didn't think it could get that hot for that long so they didn't reserve enough power from the providers. Pretty similar to the problem in Texas where the planners didn't think it could get that cold for that long.

2) However, we have been having what are called Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) multiple times per year since the big fire in 2018 that destroyed the town of Paradise. The origin of that fire was quickly traced not to Jewish space lasers, but to a downed PG&E power line that came off its tower and sparked the dry grass into flames. The reason that particular line came down was because of PG&Es failure to modernize or even maintain their infrastructure. There were other similar events in 2018 (and even back in 2017) that were traced to PG&E equipment and the financial liability created by the billions of dollars in losses caused PG&E to file for bankruptcy in January of 2019. Of course, everybody wants the lowest possible electricity bills, so it becomes almost impossible to raise the money (either through taxes or higher electricity rates) to actually repair the existing infrastructure, much less modernize it by going underground, for example. So PG&E decided to just shut off the power at those times and locations where they believe their power lines would put them in further jeopardy of losing money. Those conditions occur regularly during the hot summers and in the fall when hot, dry winds come roaring out of the Great Basin area, flow over the Sierras East to West and make wild fires almost impossible to control. The 2018 Paradise fire was one of those.

3) Whatever the reason for this state of affairs, it is NOT because California over-regulates PG&E. In fact, the California legislature voted unanimously in 1996 to deregulate PG&E under then Republican governor Pete Wilson. According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, it was that deregulation that led to the first major California blackouts in 2000. At the time those occurred, the demand for electricity was 28 GW but the generating capacity of California was 45 GW, so the problem was NOT a shortage of generating capacity. The problem was that the deregulation allowed major energy companies--Enron chief among them--to manipulate the energy market so as to create artificial shortages.

en.wikipedia.org...–01_California_electricity_crisis

Whenever there are shortages, the marginal price of additional electric power that the energy companies can charge can go through the roof. This is why some Texas home owners are discovering that they are being charged $10,000 for the electricity they consumed last week.

www.thedailybeast.com...

4) Which brings us to Texas. Seeing how well deregulation of the state's energy sector worked in California, Texas followed California's lead and deregulated their energy grid in 2002 under then Republican governor Rick Perry who, you may recall, went on to work his magic as Secretary of Energy.

And the rest, as they say, is history

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I thought they moved to texas to get away from the world they created there. It wont be long until texas is the next California. At least in texas they can foster a family coming over the border. Oh wait

originally posted by: Lumenari
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

SoOo....

The left is trying to say that "de-regulation" or a lack of regulations in Texas caused this.

So let's look at the left's model... one of the most regulated states in America.

California.

Do THEY ever suffer from rolling blackouts because of power consumption?

Oh wait.

They do.

EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR.

So it doesn't seem that more regulations is the cure, does it?

Alright, just stop.

Please.

If you're going to use rational thinking and common sense then we might as well just end this thread right now.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Sadly the most sensical thing I've read all day.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
The left's propaganda and spin doctoring machine has spun up into overdrive now in Texas!!

Now the lefties are trying to blame the right for the disaster in Texas by blaming them for their determination for energy independence...through none other than solar and wind (both left / climate change / green initiatives which were forced on Texas by the anti-oil / fossil fuel industry)!

Unbelievable! Wait...not unbelievable...actually totally PREDICTABLE!

NYT Article

ETA - They should really change the name of this political party from 'Democrat' to...'The Finger Pointing Lynch Mob'!

Come on! G.W. (Texas) started the deal on this back in friggin' 1999..except his concept of deregulation wasn't up to scratch...a free for all, a lesson to be learned in fact, while Texas bummed about wind turbine success...which it has been...but something needing exploration was left out, probably because it required using the noodle, cold weather, and some $

a reply to: DBCowboy

How am I supposed to interpret your post?

My OP is totally NOT "rational thinking and common sense"???

...or, did I misread you?

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: DBCowboy

How am I supposed to interpret your post?

My OP is totally NOT "rational thinking and common sense"???

...or, did I misread you?

You misread.

Regards. . .

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Screw them. Oh, no! My power was out for a long time, and it was really cold. *yawn*

Cordon off an area with blankets, burn some candles, layer your clothes and cover up, and eat some pop-tarts. For goodness sake turn off your water and drain the lines after you fill up your sinks and tubs. Ride it out.

The biggest issue everyone had was not having internet access. Read a book or play a board game.

I'm a native Texan who "survived the great winter hell of 2021". I hate when people play the blame game and espouse indignation on my behalf (so-to-speak). Whatever, just figure out the solution for future events.

The federal government has no business investigating Texas energy, who cares if Ted Cruz took his family to Mexico or wherever, and the everyone (left and right) need to stop politicizing everything.

Man, when did everyone turn into such big cry babies?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Are you reading something different to the link you provided, or did you just not read it?

It mentions the Republican governor of the state supporting calls for the head of ERCOT to resign over their handling of the power failures. That's talking about him - Greg Abbot - taking the company to task and there is no criticism for him doing so.

Does that make him a finger pointing lynch mob and does it make you someone who doesn't actually read the articles they post?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Though I'm in the UK I want to ask a really important question everybody in Texas aught to be asking.
If the power grid cannot handle this situation, how in the name of god, are they going to handle the lefts push for green energy when there will be thousand if not millions of cars dragging power out of the grid?

originally posted by: MRinder
This is what is wrong with this country. Everything is a #ing blame game. How about just saying what can we learn from this and move on.

Agreed. Wind and solar are sht, go back to coal and natural gas. Then when someone loses electricity it'll be because of snapped power lines or blown transformers.

originally posted by: crayzeed
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Though I'm in the UK I want to ask a really important question everybody in Texas aught to be asking.
If the power grid cannot handle this situation, how in the name of god, are they going to handle the lefts push for green energy when there will be thousand if not millions of cars dragging power out of the grid?

Exactly. And less and less smartasses like this guy...

California, please show us the way!

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Lumenari

Actually...no, what I'm saying is, the swamp is trying to spin this such that it looks like Texas did all of this in the spirit of de-regulation,

Texan here.

We did. Yes indeed.

when in fact they did it as concessions to the bureaucracy of climate change, as a concession.

Au contraire. We declared "independence" from the US energy grid so that the power companies wouldn't have to spend money making the infrastructure adjustments that the US government wanted.

Then, Texas being Texas, tried to wrest control of all of it for their own

Not "tried." Did.

Along the way, Texas lost sight of their "bigger picture".

The "bigger picture" was "free market" rather than "regulation." We don't connect to the US grid, which means (unlike California) when we have a crisis, we cannot draw excess electricity from other states (and return the favor when they need help).

Yeah, California has problems... but it would be far worse if they weren't connected to the US grid. We wouldn't have had as widespread blackouts if Texas had been hooked up to the national grid.

originally posted by: crayzeed
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Though I'm in the UK I want to ask a really important question everybody in Texas aught to be asking.
If the power grid cannot handle this situation, how in the name of god, are they going to handle the lefts push for green energy when there will be thousand if not millions of cars dragging power out of the grid?

First, you really need to understand the situation.

IF we had been part of the US system, we would have winterized the wind turbines AND the gas and coal power plants AND strengthened the infrastructure. So it would be a "no-starter" there.

Other states have a lot of electric cars and have green energy. Because they've regulated infrastructure and upgraded plants, they don't have problems (unless actual power stations are destroyed, and even then they can pull power from the rest of the US grid.

Next... there's no way we'll go to all electric cars within the next three or four years. It will take about 20 years to get everyone into electric cars (and then there'll still be some gas holdouts.) Each year sees new improvements in battery power, charging times, and so forth. By the time we get to where everyone's driving electric, the infrastructure will be ready for it.

...unless the area you live in has decided to go "independent." Companies tend to not want to spend money to fix things unless the government demands it -- so those areas will be in the same sad shape as Texas is today.

originally posted by: chr0naut
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Of course, they are a Democratic party run state.

Oh, wait...

LOL.

Most of the big cities are and that means there's plenty of infiltration at high levels of policy 😃

originally posted by: xuenchen

originally posted by: chr0naut
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Of course, they are a Democratic party run state.

Oh, wait...

LOL.

Most of the big cities are and that means there's plenty of infiltration at high levels of policy 😃

Actually, no.

The problem is one of the whole state grid. If one city had been the cause of problems, or had been a holdout against state policies, it could still draw from the state grid.

If I'm not mistaken, the wind farms were not forced upon the state, but adopted wholeheartedly because they make good business sense: free "fuel" and low operations and maintenance costs. Ranchers love 'em because they can continue to run cattle around the turbines and earn royalties. Solar is another story. You see very few solar power farms in Texas, even though it's much better suited for solar energy than most other states.

What the Left won't admit is that Texas, thanks to private industry, is the energy king of America, and nicely situated for the future. Abundant electricity is essential for a thriving modern economy; everyone knows that except the Left apparently.

Texas has 60 percent more installed electric generating capacity than second-place California, which has a third more people. Texas' energy sources are diversified, with 23 percent from wind power and 11 percent nuclear, or about one-third with zero greenhouse emissions.

About half comes from gas-fired plants. Abundant natural gas from fracking has led to 20 percent of the state's electricity production shifting to much cleaner gas from coal-fired plants, reducing greenhouse gas emissons enormously. About 20 percent still comes from coal-fired plants and a little over 1 percent from solar.

The recent hard freeze was a freakish event, and the electric energy system wasn't prepared for it. But power has been restored to almost the entire state (only 30,000 without it Sunday evening) and boil water notices are rapidly lifting. I suspect we'll be better prepared if such an event happens again.

"Data Shows Wind Power Failure was Chief Cause of Massive Texas Power Shortage"
www.thegatewaypundit.com...

Wind failed as “Ice storms knocked out nearly half the wind-power generating capacity of Texas on Sunday as a massive deep freeze across the state locked up wind turbine generators, creating an electricity generation crisis.”
Natural gas made up the difference for a while
But then everything else followed down
Oil and natural gas producer Texas could not keep up with the power needed last week because their Chinese wind mills froze up in the cold.

opinions seems to be all over the place.

Like katrina, and other places without drainage, disaster waiting to happen.

Interesting watching federal politicians play the blame game as that 30 Trillion debt looms over every monetary decision. What will be their excuse for ignoring it when it finally blows up in our face?

I doubt it will be the truth - We sold your kids future out for our short term political gain..