ERCOT Admits Wind, Solar Power Alone Can’t Keep Texans Warm During Record-Breaking Arctic Blast

For the millions of Texans who ERCOT stranded in 2021, demands to reduce electricity usage look like another potential power grid collapse.

Schumer mocks Texas over deadly energy crisis, blames 'ignored climate change': 'Hope they learned a lesson'



Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer disparaged and mocked Texas on Sunday as the Lone Star State battles the crisis triggered by record-breaking winter weather last week.

What happened in Texas?

When snow, ice, and blistering arctic air engulfed Texas and the deep south last week, millions of Texans were left in the dark and cold for days.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas — which is responsible for supplying the majority of the state's electricity for more than 25 million Texans — has come under fire for vulnerabilities in the Texas power grid. In fact, Texas was just "seconds and minutes" away from experiencing catastrophic failure with its energy grid that would have left the state in the dark for months, the Texas Tribute reported.

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Texas is the only state in the continental US to run its own stand-alone electricity grid and had not been forced to weatherize because it is not subject to federal oversight.

The exact number of people who died from the extreme cold is not yet known.

What did Schumer say?

The New York Democrat said he hopes Texas "learned a lesson," attributing the significant energy issues to officials who have "ignored climate change."

"The bottom line is, Texas thought it could go it alone and built a system that ignored climate change," Schumer said while speaking in Manhattan, the New York Post reported.

"It was not what's called resilient, and now Texas is paying the price," he mocked. "I hope they learned a lesson."

Schumer went on to bash Texas officials for allegedly not considering the effects of climate change when constructing their energy systems.

"When we build power, when we build anything now, we have to take into account that climate change is real, or people will have to be caught the way the people in Texas were," Schumer said.

"When I wrote the [Hurricane] Sandy bill, $60 billion for New York, we made sure everything was resilient," he added. "When they built back the subways, built back this, built back that, they were going to be resistant to climate changes, and we have to do that."

Historic winter storm freezes Texas wind turbines; millions without power



Millions are without power in Texas after a historic winter storm blasted the state over the weekend, creating freezing conditions that have made the roads dangerous and knocking out nearly half of Texas' installed wind power generation.

Texas grid operators who spoke to the Austin American-Statesman said freezing rain and historically low temperatures caused wind turbines in West Texas to freeze to a halt, knocking out some 12,000 megawatts of energy production. Wind farms in Texas typically generate up to 25,100 megawatts of energy, almost half of which is currently out of production as the state works to thaw out the turbines.

"This is a unique winter storm that's more widespread with lots of moisture in West Texas, where there's a lot of times not a lot of moisture," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the nonprofit corporation that manages the power grid. "It's certainly more than what we would typically assume."

According to the American-Statesman, wind power is the fastest-growing source of energy in Texas' power grid. In 2013, Texas lawmakers approved a $7 billion plan to subsidize wind energy production. Wind farms now provide 23% of Texas energy and are the second-largest source of energy after natural gas.

Some of the lost wind power in West Texas has been offset by coastal wind farms to the east that are still operational and spinning faster, propelled by storm gusts. But the frozen turbines have contributed to rolling blackouts that have put more than 2.7 million people out of power Monday.

ERCOT reported Monday that electricity demand hit a new winter peak record. In response to the demand, ERCOT asked residents to attempt to reduce their electricity use as much as possible in a news release statement.

"We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas," ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness said. "At the same time, we are dealing with higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available to generating units. We are asking Texans to take some simple, safe steps to lower their energy use during this time."

#ERCOT set a new winter peak demand record this evening, reaching 69,150 MW between 6 and 7 p.m. This is more than… https://t.co/toX6VvpKFx
— ERCOT (@ERCOT)1613356674.0

Residents are asked to turn down their thermostats to 68 degrees to conserve energy. ERCOT also recommends turning off and unplugging nonessential lights and appliances, avoiding the use of large appliances like ovens or washing machines, and closing shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) assured Texans on Monday that the power grid "has not been compromised."

"The ability of some companies that generate the power has been frozen," the governor tweeted. "This includes natural gas & coal generators. They are working to get generation back on line."

The Texas power grid has not been compromised.The ability of some companies that generate the power has been froz… https://t.co/Ug1QQMAafw
— Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott)1613417735.0

For many people, the loss of power means no heat at a time when temperatures are well below freezing statewide.

The Houston Office of Emergency Management told residents to prepare for power to remain out throughout Monday and Tuesday.

"We are experiencing winter weather for which we have not experienced in decades," the office tweeted.