What part of texas u live in? There is enough wind and sun to power texas,la,ms,ok,ks easily. When u have solar, u also have storage cells for use. Saying that we can't do it, but we can put a man on the moon and clone mammals just don't add up. The politicians just have to get oil companies off payroll.
Interesting thread to revisit. ______ "Texas is, by rhetoric, anti-renewables. But frankly, renewables are bailing us out," said Michael Webber, an energy expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "They're rocking. That really spares us a lot of heartache and a lot of money." Despite the Texas Republican rhetoric that wind and solar are unreliable, Texas has a massive and growing fleet of renewables. Zero-carbon electricity sources (wind, solar, and nuclear) powered about 38% of the state's power in 2021, rivaling natural gas at 42%. https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/14/us/texas-energy-record-solar-wind-climate/index.html
So at what point is this great news while otoh a problem if another freeze out happens? I ask because people blamed renewables on the last freeze even when shutdowns in gas plants were the main culprit. So while that was a head fake, it's still a legit concern due to climate instability.
Thanks for the bump. 2008 was also the shale revolution and gas prices and gas price volatility fell after 2008. Things have changed a lot because of wind and gas, especially in Texas. Renewables aren't dispatchable, so they're a reliability risk especially in times of disaster. Their industry is looking at more transmission to be the solution. I think that'll help a little, but we can't really forsake gas-fired power until we have a lot more energy storage. Those CCGTs have to at least exist -- and be paid to exist -- and be ready even if they're just backup power for when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine.
