Winter Storms, Summer Heat, and our 3rd World Electric System

Discussion in 'West Mall' started by Chop, Nov 24, 2021.

  1. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    So, is everybody comfortable now that our State's electric grid, generation facilities, and fuel sources have been properly winterized, such that Snowmeggeddon couldn't happen again?

    :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
     
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  2. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    I wish. They have incentivized reliability a little bit I think. That will help increase reliable sources in the future but not this quickly I don't think.
     
  3. SabreHorn

    SabreHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Living in Houston, we are stuck with Center Point, who needs over $2 billion in infrastructure replacement/repair. I was without electricity for 13 days after either Rita or Ike. We had workers from all over the country here. I talked to workers from Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida. All said the same thing - "We have never seen such an old, crappy infrastructure anywhere we have been."

    That's ok because Center Point keeps paying dividends.
     
  4. Crockett

    Crockett 5,000+ Posts

    Something good came of all the attention. We made political fundraising a lot easier for agents of inaction like Dan Patrick and Gregg Abbott.
     
  5. utahorn

    utahorn 500+ Posts

    This is one area where Abbot / Patrick are vulnerable. What have they done to fix this issue in Texas? I voted for them but could not imagine Beto (Beta) doing better.
     
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  6. Crockett

    Crockett 5,000+ Posts

    There would be trade-offs with Beto, but he wouldn't let the utility industry and regulators proceed as if nothing happened. Regulation can have unintended consequences... at least Patrick and Abbott prevented those.
     
  7. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    No. Beto would double down even quadruple down on wind and solar further pushing out all the reliable energy sources. The next winter storm would be complete and total disaster, the grid could even shut down. We would all be dead. Don't mess around and get Beto in charge. He will be doing kick flips and ollies while we all freeze and starve to death.
     
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  8. Hideo Gump Jr.

    Hideo Gump Jr. Summer Soldier and Sunshine Patriot

    upload_2021-11-25_6-20-59.jpeg
     
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  9. Crockett

    Crockett 5,000+ Posts

    Beto..even if he wins will be governing a conservative state with a conservative legislature. He can't take the state left. He can take it off the far right rail it's on now.
     
  10. Horn6721

    Horn6721 10,000+ Posts

    Croc
    How is that "far right rail" doing for the state's economy?
    Compared to any of the other top 10 states( of course we know Florida, another far right state is doing well too)?
     
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  11. Garmel

    Garmel 5,000+ Posts

    When the left says anything is far right it usually means, you know, people being and acting normal.
     
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  12. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    The infrastructure has not kept pace with the growth. Texas is a first class state. We need a first class electrical grid and supply system. It’s a glaring weakness and failure.

    Next up—more water sources and new lakes.

    The leadership is reactive and not proactive.
     
  13. guy4321

    guy4321 2,500+ Posts

    Short-term, one year, I don't expect it to get 10 degrees in Austin this winter. Long-term, several years, no they haven't done anything to fix the problem(s). It's what Beto will focus on.
     
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  14. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    If he was smart, that’s what he would focus on. But instead, I think his focus will be squarely on gun control and renewable energy.
     
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  15. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    Leftists don't abide by constitutions and precedent. They do everything they can get away with. And many of the Republican politicians in Texas are bootlickers. They would follow whoever is in charge, especially if they are being pressured by the governor and media.

    You f-ck around with Beto, you'll find out just how much destruction the Left is capable of.
     
  16. Crockett

    Crockett 5,000+ Posts

    Having watched Donald Trump's boots get a lone star licking might throw you off. It's not power in itself that they love ..it's deference to the reflexive right wingers that determine Texas Primary outcomes. Any routine courtesy extended to powerful Democrats can fatally impact their base.
     
  17. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    I don't know what to tell you in many areas of politics in Texas the Rs are very weakly conservative and in some areas not even.
     
  18. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    Power infrastructure seemed to have kept pace enough as long as half of it doesn't freeze over. We came close to major shutdowns in 1989 and 2011 and were warned and did nothing. Then we had the big problem we were previously warned about in 2020, and still have nothing. Consider how close we were to having the entire state in full-collapse that would have taken weeks or months to recover from, the lack of action is astounding. Need winterization for sure, probably need more nuclear if we can somehow get it, and also need a system whereby large consumers of wasted energy in an emergency can get shut off (all the empty office towers, malls, sports facilities, etc, that were draining tons of electricity 24/7 away from people huddled in their homes while building owners and facilities managers did nothing).
     
  19. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    Statalyzer, we need to replace solar and wind with coal and natural gas. Nuclear is too expensive right now strictly due to regulations. We have to get the regulations pared down to a reasonable level, then we can start building nuclear capacity and development new feed stocks.

    But wind and solar are a death sentence when it is really hot or really cold, which is precisely when we can't accept unreliability and expense.
     
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  20. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

  21. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    Definitely need more nuclear. 3 or 4 more STNPs should be on the drawing board already.
     
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  22. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    We’re a First Class State with some lingering Third World characteristics.
     
  23. Horn6721

    Horn6721 10,000+ Posts

    Abbott has guaranteed we won't have a repeat of large scale outages.
    Dangerous thing to do with elections coming up
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  24. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    While he has yet to announce anything approaching a coherent platform, somehow I doubt McConaughey would have sat on his a$$ for a year, doing next to nothing for our State’s electrical system—like our present regime has done.
     
  25. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Beto would probably do counter-productive things—like shut down a lot of fossil fuel generation, and curtailing drilling.

    I think McConaughey grew up in oil and gas country (Uvalde and Longview). His dad ran an oilfield supply company at one point. Not the sort of background that would make somebody anti oil and gas industry.
     
  26. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    And I’m all for West Texas landowners making $$$ off of wind turbine leases. I just want reliability for our State’s electrical system.
     
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  27. nashhorn

    nashhorn 5,000+ Posts

    Did Biden really raise oil lease rates by 50%? Wife just showed me something on that.
     
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  28. iatrogenic

    iatrogenic 2,500+ Posts

    Maybe Beto could put us on the same track as California’s Libs. Just shut off power when the wind blows.

    Could Beto be worse than Abbott? Is Biden exponentially worse than Trump?
     
  29. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    There'd be some pretty nasty things. First, he'd appoint crackpots to the judiciary if there were vacancies and as TEA Commissioner, which would lead to the Senate rejecting his nominees and leaving vacancies. Second, he'd push to expand Medicaid and green energy. He'd do so by vetoing bills (like the budget) that didn't contain his priorities. If that happened, you could see government shutdowns and some pretty ugly moments until he ultimately caved in.
     
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  30. SabreHorn

    SabreHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Biden released production in a big splash that the idiots in the media and the dumbasses in the general public think that he is improving his attitude and becoming more pro domestic oil.

    Truth is Biden's puppeteers used the 50 million number to an unsuspecting populous that is too ignorant to understand that number represents two and one half days use in the US. Not even a fraction of what needs to be done.
     
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