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

Apparently the southern winds which usually come up from Gulf and dry the air at ground level are not blowing,
Ugh
 
It appears hydro, coal and nuclear are not graphed in the above graph (for the missing balance of ~25%).
 
For the summer, the solution is more solar:



How do conclude from that graph that we need more solar? Look at those huge dips in the solar curve. People still need power during that dip and the dip starts WAAAY before the temperature starts going down. I have heard industry professionals talk about this being a huge problem with solar. Batteries are way too expensive to be a solution too. The only answer is deployable affordable natural gas, coal, and then nuclear. If all the capacity existing today was from deployable sources ERCOT would have no concern about meeting demand.

Anything other than 0 MWh of wind and solar added to the grid is betrayal of the people of Texas. Get ready to be betrayed.
 
How do conclude from that graph that we need more solar? Look at those huge dips in the solar curve. People still need power during that dip and the dip starts WAAAY before the temperature starts going down. I have heard industry professionals talk about this being a huge problem with solar. Batteries are way too expensive to be a solution too. The only answer is deployable affordable natural gas, coal, and then nuclear. If all the capacity existing today was from deployable sources ERCOT would have no concern about meeting demand.

Anything other than 0 MWh of wind and solar added to the grid is betrayal of the people of Texas. Get ready to be betrayed.
To offset the wind loss during daytime, I thought that was obvious since that was the topic in the prior email. I said nothing about the issue you mentioned. This is twice you jumped on one of my posts for an imagined topic I did not comment on.
 
Oh sure
Go to a dry heat.:ousucksnana:


the humidity is what is making it a killer
I actually prefer 110 and no humidity in Vegas to our weather...

I also have no problem with the ERCOT request, but I keep my thermostat around 80 and run the ceiling fans. Oh and I still have the down comforter on the bed...
 
And massive storm just blew through and took out power...guess I should blame ERCOT for a storm. Oh wait...this is normal with high winds. And I have the common sense to recognize such things.
 
To offset the wind loss during daytime, I thought that was obvious since that was the topic in the prior email. I said nothing about the issue you mentioned. This is twice you jumped on one of my posts for an imagined topic I did not comment on.

What prior email? I can't include something that I am not aware of.

I know you didn't mention my point. I was raising my point to add some additional context to the discussion. I thought that was the point of these threads.

Grid professionals say that raising solar can help for peak times but there is a 1-3 hr window everyday where sunlight goes down before the temperature does. The person I listened to proposed batteries as a solution, but batteries are way too expensive. The flip side is that adding more solar does nothing for the winter storm events. Industry experts will admit they have no proposed solution for that using wind and solar. So even if you could solve the summer problem with more solar you will still have people freezing to death in the winter.

We need more natural gas, coal, and nuclear. Those sources can be deployed as needed. They also cost less when they are allowed to run at a steady state. Turning them off and on to compensate for wind and solar production degrades their efficiency and lifetime.
 
What prior email? I can't include something that I am not aware of.

I know you didn't mention my point. I was raising my point to add some additional context to the discussion. I thought that was the point of these threads.

Grid professionals say that raising solar can help for peak times but there is a 1-3 hr window everyday where sunlight goes down before the temperature does. The person I listened to proposed batteries as a solution, but batteries are way too expensive. The flip side is that adding more solar does nothing for the winter storm events. Industry experts will admit they have no proposed solution for that using wind and solar. So even if you could solve the summer problem with more solar you will still have people freezing to death in the winter.

We need more natural gas, coal, and nuclear. Those sources can be deployed as needed. They also cost less when they are allowed to run at a steady state. Turning them off and on to compensate for wind and solar production degrades their efficiency and lifetime.
You hijacked my post about a specific point to make a bigger point about grid stability. You can do that on your own without replying to my post.
 
Apparently the southern winds which usually come up from Gulf and dry the air at ground level are not blowing,
Ugh
This is the prior post. More solar during the day offsets loss of wind during sunlight hours. Not every post about power production needs to be hijacked to make a point about grid stability.
 
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And massive storm just blew through and took out power...guess I should blame ERCOT for a storm. Oh wait...this is normal with high winds.

So basically, we have a power grid that does just fine as long there isn't a lot of rain, wind, heat, or cold....

To add. Before I got married I kept the thermostat on 66* in the winter. The wife can't handle it that cold.

If it were up to me I'd have it at down at 60 in the winter, but yeah, that would freeze my wife (and child) out. And before that, it would have frozen one of my roommates out.

The closer you keep the thermostat set to outdoor Temps, the better off your allergies are

The only formula that works for me is the farther I get away from central Texas the better off my allergies are....
 
So basically, we have a power grid that does just fine as long there isn't a lot of rain, wind, heat, or cold....

Oh please. This had nothing to do with the ERCOT grid. We had winds north of 80MPH with IAH clocking 97.

Line failures are going to occur at those speeds which impact even areas like mine with underground lines.

From the crews I saw this AM, it looked like we had a lot of wind damage to a substation.
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/11/08/power-grid-blackouts-texas/

Nov. 8, 2023

"A sweeping portion of the country that extends from Texas to the Canadian border is not adequately equipped for tough winter conditions, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warned in a forecast released Wednesday.
...
In Texas, where lawmakers vowed to fix their grid after dozens of Texans died during prolonged blackouts triggered by severe winter weather in 2021, the grid remains unstable heading into the upcoming cold season. NERC warned the state, where voters Tuesdayapproved a sweeping plan to fund more power generation, is at higher risk of energy shortages this winter than last because it is not bringing enough new power online to meet the state’s surging demand, and its existing infrastructure has not been adequately weatherized."

https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F49d46dd7-3363-47b0-89b6-fb0211d05c33.jpg
 
Texas grid seeks more power capacity to avoid winter shortages

Oh, so NNNNOOOOOWWWWW we're seeking more generation capacity...

Well, maybe they've learned something since the last big freeze.


"Texas grid seeks more power capacity to avoid winter shortages"

"ERCOT's market notice said offers from mothballed or decommissioned units could include a more than 10% "Incentive Factor that reflects the revenues the unit owner determines would be necessary to bring the unit back to operation.""
 
So ERCOT wants us to believe power plants that have been shut down can quickly be brought back online?
And they haven't even started?:facepalm::brickwall::cursing2::smh::herring:
 
So ERCOT wants us to believe power plants that have been shut down can quickly be brought back online?
And they haven't even started?:facepalm::brickwall::cursing2::smh::herring:
Your furnace comes on every year after being dormant for 8 months with zero maintenance. Maybe 2 months for a gas-powered power plant.
 
mc
Yes.but some of the plants mentioned in link have been dormant for 5 years. I don't know much about how power plants operate but they seem like they might be more complicated than my furnace.
If new parts are needed are they available.
And from link have the RFP gone out? Have any been accepted ?
Has any plant started rejuvenation yet?
 

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