This was a very difficult situation for many residents and customers in Texas. But it is also ridiculously oversimplified to assign little, if any, responsibility for this due to the lack of substantial connection to the eastern or western electric grids. At the time of the cutbacks, there was also increased demand and
almost no spare capacity from surrounding areas that could have been diverted to Texas' grid. The article below from today's Dallas Morning News highlights some of this, and the cost to "transfer" substantial power from Phoenix, Atlanta or St. Louis to Texas markets is quite astronomical relative to the benefits of a once per decade or so event. Much more effective spending could be done with the current system with updates and improvements on both the supply and demand side of the equation.
This op-ed is part of a series published by The Dallas Morning News Opinion section to explore ideas and policies for strengthening electric reliability. Find...
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Texas can and does generate enough power for itself, one of very few states with this capability - the lack of federal oversight or regulation both a positive and a negative, depending on your economic viewpoints. There certainly needs to be some changes in the system, and requirements for weatherization being mandated at some meaningful level rather than just recommended. I'm confident that even in Texas we can figure this out without further risk or damage to a system primarily working to our large advantage. Having said that, in other areas such as north Texas where TI has numerous fabs (as well as other semiconductor manufacturers), there was little or no interruption at those sites. So clearly the area around Austin maybe needs to do a little more work in resolving their specific power generation and supply/distribution issues.
Texas' unconnected (mostly) grid is hardly to blame, but it cannot be simply allowed to remain "as is" without addressing legitimate concerns. It's not a 20th or 21st century problem - it's more properly stated in direct economic terms. Fuels from here probably keep 75% of the country operating, year round, in some form or fashion. Not to mention, wind power generates more power than the next 4 states - but not winterized this fell to near zero. So plenty of room for improvement. But thank you for sharing your concerns about our leadership and antiquated power system. I'll put my trust in Austin and Texas politicians figuring out a better and more workable solution than some politicos from DC or other areas.