Texas at a Higher Risk of Blackouts Than We Have Ever Been

By Karla Florez — Austin News

Texans continue to point the finger at various parties to shift the blame for blackouts across the state, including at Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts or lack thereof to strengthen the state’s power grid.

“It’s Day Two of conservation warnings from @GregAbbott_TX delicate power infrastructure,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler tweeted. “It’s still technically spring and Texas is experiencing late-summer temperatures, power plants offline, and the governor is tweeting about a border wall that he can’t fund.”

Bill Peacock, Policy Director of The Energy Alliance, has determined the cause of unreliable power grids to be the region’s dependence on the weather for power. Sources have become vulnerable through a combination of small mechanical problems and extreme weather changes, causing an inability for wind- and solar-power sources to generate electricity.

The effects the weather has had on the power grids, serving as the primary culprits, were noted early on after wind generation declined significantly and investors began transitioning from traditional, natural gas generation to renewable energy alternatives, posing risks for the potential power loss in the summertime.

The Houston Chronicle reports that ERCOT’s call for conservation when wind generation shut down is a clear indication that the Texas Legislature did not address the primary cause of the Texas blackouts earlier this year: Texas’ growing reliance on renewable energy, as suggested by Abbott’s statement on the topic.

Read the rest of the story