USA 2020 Elections: Thread

[grarpamp]

Foolish mismanaged rush of early hydrocarbon disinvestment mandates
by Liberals and Globalists to "Green New Deal", which Biden also lied
about "No Green New Deal" then in office cut energy, among other causes,
leads both regulators and commercial operators to warn of pending summer
of electricity blackouts...


Summer Heat Could Wreak Havoc On Texas' Grid

https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_SRA_2022.pdf
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/power-grid-challenges-17185682.php

Texans need to be prepared for the grid to fail. Again. A new
bombshell report from the North American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC) shows that while Texas has made some progress in
increasing surplus energy flow to the grid for times of heightened
demand, power is going to be extremely tight this summer, and Texans
should prepare to expect rolling blackouts during the hottest months
of the year.

The recently released 2022 Summer Reliability Assessment found that
Texas, along with parts of California and the Southwest, are in an
“elevated risk category of energy emergencies.” The extra pressure on
the grid comes from a combination of abnormally high temperatures and
doubt conditions, poor upkeep and maintenance of generators across
Texas, persistent supply chain issues, and increasing demand. NERC
also sighted cyber threats, wildfires, and a shortage of coal
generation inputs as major issues that they will be monitoring as the
days grow hotter and sufficient energy supply to the grid becomes more
vulnerable.

While Texas still lacks the energy capacity necessary to meet demand
at its highest points during extreme weather conditions, NERC
acknowledges that Texas has made concerted efforts to mitigate the
issue. The Lone Star State has increased its anticipated reserve
margins, largely thanks to the increased installation of solar and
wind power capacity. Overall, Texas’ renewable energy capacity is
4,100 megawatts higher than last year. This increase in solar and wind
capacity does not come without its own challenges, however. The
industry is still working out what to do about “solar trips,” when
solar resources shut off due to circuit problems or grid disturbances
such as lightning or fires.

Texas's much-maligned grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council
of Texas (ERCOT), was touting the recent increases in reserve energy
capacity just the day before NERC dropped its sobering report.

    "Two years ago we had 12%,” said ERCOT interim President and CEO Brad Jones.

    “Last year we had 15 to 16 and this year we have 23% reserves. So,
you can see our reserves have grown over each of those years. We feel
very confident about our position this summer."

That confidence now rings as ironic in the face of Texas’ elevated
risk category for summertime energy emergencies.

Despite ERCOT’s gains, University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs
says Texas has not done enough. "We have less dispatchable power on
the grid than we did last summer,” Hirs said. “We have about 63,000
plus megawatts available. That's about a thousand megawatts less than
we had last summer. Demand is growing." And at the same time that
ERCOT is boasting that it’s ready for summer, they had to call for
energy conservation over the weekend as several generators failed.

Texas needs to invest in generators in a big hurry. Typically spring
provides a respite from extreme temperatures and an opportunity to
work on the grid and generational capacity, but early heat waves have
already put a near-maximum strain on the grid in 2022. What’s more,
generators are loath to invest in expansion at a time when inflation
is high, cash is tight, and they’re not sure who is going to pick up
the bill. The Houston Chronicle reports that so far, Texan consumers
are bearing the brunt of it.

The long and short of it is that the grid just can’t keep up with
increasing pressures of demand and market volatility. The old rulebook
for planning and operating energy reserves for the summer months is
out the window. “Now we’re really looking at extreme weather,” NERC
Director of Reliability Assessment and Performance Analysis John Moura
said Wednesday. “And what we’ve all learned in recent history, is that
extreme doesn’t mean rare.”