What‘s Happening?
Images of frozen wind turbines in Texas have been making the headlines as the state experiences rolling blackouts. Due to unusually cold temperatures, the Texas power grid experienced widespread system failure, impacting around 75% of the state’s generation capacity and leaving millions without heat and electricity.
Many on the right are using this as an opportunity to criticize renewable energy, particularly wind, claiming that renewables cannot provide the reliable energy Americans need – especially in such extreme conditions. Many on the left, meanwhile, are reversing the argument and blaming fossil fuels. Others are even blaming Texas’ independent and deregulated energy grid, which they claim precludes it from drawing energy from outside the state.
Why It Matters
It’s important to clarify that neither of these partisan arguments is completely accurate. The reality is that no energy source was immune to the extreme weather on display. Yes, wind turbines froze over, but so did natural gas pipelines and coal production. In fact, wind production had already decreased given the time of year, and accounted for only 13% of the 30-35 gigawatts of outages. Moreover, Texas’ grid independence made minimal difference here: other grids in adjacent states such as the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) or Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) also experienced intense grid pressure, and didn’t have any spare electricity to send to Texas. And if they did have spare energy, ERCOT (the Texas grid regulator) has emergency “interconnection” provisions under which it can pull electricity from external grids, such as it did from the Mexican grid during the blackouts in 2011.
Experts in Texas have said that extreme weather events, paired with peak demand occurring at the same time as a supply slump, were the true cause of the blackouts. Ultimately, it was an unfortunate confluence of unlikely events.
My Take
The truth is that all energy sources have their pros and cons. Relying too heavily on one source or the other will weaken a grid’s ability to withstand extreme events. This is why we need an all-of-the-above energy approach that complements traditional energy sources with nuclear and renewables.
Furthermore, the real problem in Texas (and other states) is an outdated energy grid that needs innovation and modernization to overcome issues such as were experienced these last few days. The Texas grid was able to meet peak demand last summer that was 7% higher than this last week, but became paralyzed due to extreme winter weather. In particular, smart grid infrastructure is necessary to ensure greater flexibility, reliability, and accessibility of energy at all times, including additional safeguards to account for such unexpected events. This is only going to become more critical in the fight against climate change.
Quote Me On It
“The blackouts in Texas should not be an excuse for partisan bickering and finger-wagging as no energy source was immune from the unfortunate combination of extreme weather and peak electricity demand. More than anything, this is a good argument for an all-of-the-above energy portfolio, as well as grid modernization to better withstand extreme weather events.” – National Policy Director Christopher Barnard