Our state leaders continue to hand out more money to big business while claiming it will benefit us. In this case, the Texas Senate “voted to set aside $3.9 billion for escalating costs being pushed onto customers.” While this sounds like a good idea, this money would go directly to businesses; it is unclear how…
Category: Energy
If California is Our Energy Future, be afraid, be Very Afraid, America
by Chuck DeVore When Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session in December to tax California’s oil refiners out of their “excessive” profits, he was following a well-trod path of Golden State governors blaming the oil and gas industry for the state’s high energy prices. Newsom should look in a mirror to see…
Sen. Bob Hall’s Renewable Bill Shows the Folly of the Texas Senate’s “Energy Insurance Program”
Everyone knows that the Texas electricity grid has problems. And just about everyone knows that the problems with the grid have been caused by government intervention. The question becomes, then, why would Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate reveal a plan this week to fix the grid with MORE government intervention? Of course,…
Texas Politicians Should Let the Electricity Market Work
The Public Utility Commission of Texas recently voted to proceed with a redesign of the Texas electricity market despite opposition concerned about its high cost and poor chances to improve reliability. Independent evaluations of the PUC’s plan show that the most likely outcome of the PUC’s current direction is higher costs for consumers with no…
The Death of Texas’ Energy-Only Electricity Market
The Texas PUC is Going to Replace Competition and Market Prices with a Capacity Market Download the .pdf version of this here. Download a .pdf version of a PowerPoint presentation on this topic. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) last week released the E3 report on the market redesign of the Texas electric grid….
Why Texans are Paying More for Less Reliable Electricity
Problems with generation adequacy in Texas were once rare occurrences. But no more. As everyone knows, Texas had the worst blackout in its history during the winter of 2021, when 10 million Texans went without power and 12 million without water. After the Texas Legislature passed a number of bills in response, Texas Gov. Greg…
Model Legislation: Eliminate Texas’ Renewable Portfolio Standard
Download Model Legislation: Eliminate Texas’ Renewable Portfolio Standard Texas Renewable Portfolio Standard forces Texas retail electric providers to purchase either renewable energy or renewable energy credits. The renewable energy credits trading program has already costs Texas $627 million, and will cost Texas consumers another $27 million in 2023.
A Rough Road Ahead for the Texas Grid
Texans might be forgiven for thinking they have it better than the Brits when it comes to keeping the lights on. After all, they live in the energy capital of the world. However, the destructive nature of renewable energy like that used in Great Britain knows no borders, especially when American politicians push subsidies and…
The Decline and Fall of Reliability, Affordability, and Competition in ERCOT
The Energy Alliance, of which I am the policy director, just released a new study, The Decline and Fall of Reliability, Affordability, and Competition in ERCOT, that explains the connection between political interference and the decline in generation adequacy and reliability in the Texas grid. In response to the Texas’ blackouts, Texas politicians and regulators…
A Bad Day for Wind in Texas
Yesterday, ERCOT (the electric grid manager for Texas) issued a Conservation Appeal to Texans and Texas businesses “asking Texans and Texas businesses to voluntarily conserve electricity” today. Why? Well, it is going to be hot today, with temperatures reaching perhaps as high as 108 in parts of the state. But the big problem Texans are…