Can some of you guys from Texas explain to me why your power companies have to shut off power during this cold spell? I heard some windmills froze but it has to be more than that. I know schools and some businesses in North Dakota had their power turned off to help with the rolling blackouts in Texas. Do you guys rely on renewable energy too much and that’s what is causing this?
Unfortunately, Texas decided to go big time renewables with wind turbines in the western part of the state. Wind supplies 23 percent of electricity now, displacing reliable coal and nuclear generation. Of course, freezing rain, snow, and cold hammered both windmills and solar. To be fair, some gas turbines also shut down due to cold.
I blame climate change paranoia, frankly. Renewables have a long history of being expensive & unreliable, both in Europe and California. CO2 models predicted temps to keep on warming, especially in winter, so nobody thought much of what could happen if they didn't. Just my two cents.
