Texas power issues. Windfarms getting iced up. 67

[Alistair_Heaton]

That's a lot of capacity that's been lost. Must admit being Aberdonian we always associate Texas with hot and humid... Not snow storms.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...nd-turbines-texas-power-outages-b1802596.html

 

[LittleInch]

The whole article though starts by saying that the "IT glitch" or "low" price contributed to the blackout but then all the quotes say the opposite.

The more interesting quote was that they (Public Utility commission) manually set the price to the max level and left it there for a week "...with the commission's order possibly just resulting in higher wholesale electricity prices for those able to buy it."

Or for many people those contracted to buy it without warning of the price who now have a (v) large bill to pay.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[RedSnake]

You TERRORIST EUROPE guys need a USA VPN to access ERCOT.

I am on a USA VPN tunnel does not help
And I am not even a guy ;-)

Best Regards A

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[1503-44]

Same for you terrorist EU females! "Guys" in the US has the meaning of the collective of all humanity. Sorry if I offended you. Not intended. I could have said "ya'll", but that would have give away my TX ethnicity. Which do you prefer?

VPN
They must know it is a VPN commonly used by EU terrorists of all ya'll.

STATESMAN ARTICLE
Exactly. The article pretty much exposes that everyone is lying, because none of it makes sense..The RR commissioners are elected, meaning no competence required, other than knowing how to serve their energy mafia election contributors, the other guys in the room. RR and PUC can't point fingers that-a-way.

RUN COSTS
So I'm pretty sure, with those capital and running costs they don't need 9.00/kWh to make money.

 

[dik]

NordVPN allows me in... using an 'American' address... you need a VPN outside of Five Eyes jurisdiction at very minimum...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[dik]

We'd already guessed... wasn't difficult...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[1503-44]

Darn!

 

[RedSnake]

Hmmm do I get offend if you call me a terrorist...... hmm lets see ...... hmm let me think
No, I am a rebel at heart so that okey ;-)

When you have explained to some on the phone for the 5:th time that your name is Alfa, November, November, Alfa and they stil tries to call you Anton or Andre or something because you introduced your self as an electrician, you can't do much else then laugh at it.

So no prob. guy or female EU terrorist it's all fine
But ya'll is much funnier ;-)

Best Regards A



“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[electricpete]

Yeah, all that blocking is strange. You wouldn't think the website that ERCOT uses to serve information to the public would be a vector for attack. But we live in a strange cyber world, who knows.

Different subject
A bailout for the Texas energy market? A domino effect after the winter storm and crazy high bills...

ERCOT owes Texas power plants $1.3 billion for the energy they supplied during the blackouts.

ERCOT said it’s still waiting for more than $2 billion in payments from retail providers.

Experts said that if ERCOT can't come up with the money, it may have to be bailed out by the state.

=====================================
(2B)+(2B)' ?

 

[1503-44]

I think the FERC might take a stab at sorting that market out first. How can anyone justify raising rates at all, never mind by 10,000%, during a declared emergency. Back during the regulation era, utilities were allowed to charge not more than approved costs + 10% for their profit margin. That was outrageous at times, but nothing like this.

 

[dik]

Things are bigger in Texas... including price gouging...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[Fischstabchen]

Here is an article that states how each region's mitigations for market power manipulation. See page 32. I can't work back to the number but I have seen multiple articles state MISO's cap is around $3,500 per MWH.

http://deep.ucdavis.edu/uploads/5/6/8/7/56877229/deep_wp017.pdf

 

[1503-44]

Certainly more reasonable, but I think still high. If running cost is prorated at half capital expense, half admin, maintenance, taxes and running expense, and half of that is natgas fuel ..(is that reasonable, or too much for Capex?) in TX highest gas price was $24, say usually $3, 25% of costs went x7. Say $0.175 is normal run cost, then I get a new run cost of almost $0.43/kWh, still way way less than $3.50/kWh and that gas price didn't stay that high for more than a day.

 

[JohnRBaker]

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

This state something and then contradict when there is a screw up seems to be pretty standard around where I am as well. And its pretty obvious even if you use google translate to read the local news.

We are getting a lot of it about covid and vaccination rollout at the moment. It seems to be used to generate the headline which is then displayed everywhere, depending on the political bent of the news agency they will rearrange the information flow to support their readership inclination.

It works the other way round as well. If something is a success they will headline with a criticism just because they hate the entity that is involved. I suppose the Guardian in the UK is the perfect example of this.

I suppose it works on the premise that most readers only read the headline and if your lucky the first paragraph. So if you put the facts after that it won't effect your political agenda but you can't be pulled for out right lies. Or its to maximise hit rate on the internet and advertising revenue.

 

[dik]

Looking at the source of power in Texas, there are going to be some drastic changes to switch from carbon based to more environmentally friendly. It's going to come as a rude awakening...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

To be honest I think they are doing pretty good already in global stakes with alternatives to carbon power to be fair.

Its the big picture setup how all the different methods fit together which needs reworking. But as we learned in the 80's in Aberdeen changing a Texans method of working is like herding cats. They basically all cleared off after Piper Alpha.

 

[1503-44]

North Sea is too cold and no crawfish on Fridays.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Everything was too cold..... As a kid get in there swimming ya big girls blouse.... freezing ya nuts off on Aberdeen beach holding out you could go to cordonas before you go home.

12 years later in the RGIT near death simulator. 7 mins in the North sea without a survival suit and your dead apart from you ya fatty, reckon you might have 10 mins. Confused Texan driller wondering WTF is going to happen never mind the causal insults and banter which is normal in Scotland. Then the wind blower starts up and the lights go out and the wave machine starts going....

 

[Fischstabchen]

Dik,

About 25% of the electrical energy produced in Texas comes from renewables. If you take out hydro, which Texas doesn't have much of, Texas gets close to an equal share of its energy from renewables ss California. Texas is a very green state energy production-wise but that wouldn't fit your stereotype of Texas.

 

[1503-44]

You forgot ... Then the helicopter flips upside down.
Fortunately the effects of the high quality scotch of the previous night have been by then long forgotten.