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How About This Weather We've Been Having?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Cohete Rojo, May 4, 2015.

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  1. JumpMan

    JumpMan Contributing Member
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    The power has been out since Monday, 2 AM. Water has been out, as well. The worst has passed. Waiting for everything to thaw so I can see if there's any damage around the house. I will lose a lot of food if the power doesn't come back soon.
     
  2. OmegaSupreme

    OmegaSupreme Contributing Member

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    Lar likes this.
  3. JumpMan

    JumpMan Contributing Member
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    Really though, this hasn't been a big deal to me. Just around 1 1/2 nights of no power. That's when the lack of power really mattered. Spent some time with the family. At least 2 days off from work. I know people are stressing, but it'll all be over soon. :)
     
  4. T_Man

    T_Man Contributing Member

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    Sry, but I don't agree..
    Maybe all the blame doesn't g on Abbott, but a lot is on his hands...
    T_Man
     
  5. Kevooooo

    Kevooooo Member

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    lol okay
    You’re welcome to think it’s that simple. It’s not. It’s easy to sit are and go “why didn’t you plan for this!” Like why didn’t Houston plan for a storm to sit on top of it for a full week?! How could they not think of that?! This has little to do with under regulation.
     
  6. Kevooooo

    Kevooooo Member

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    You’re welcome to disagree. But it’s not reasonable. Abbott can’t make the weather warm up. He can’t appropriate money. He can’t predict a once in a generation storm will effect the entire state and therefore the entire grid. **** happens. It really is that simple. You try to improve and make reasonable changes for the LIKELY situation. You don’t prepare for rare occurrences like this. It’s not like building codes for earthquakes. ERCOT and the grid works just fine most of the time providing AFFORDABLE energy. We shouldn’t make energy unaffordable because in 40 years we might get another weather event like this...
     
  7. Amshirvani

    Amshirvani Contributing Member

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    so how do they improve and make reasonable changes from this? I think all evidence points to this occurring far more frequently than once every 40 years. De-regulation and moving away from a federal grid clearly had a huge negative impact here.
     
  8. Air Langhi

    Air Langhi Contributing Member

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    It also happened 30 years ago. Not arguing it isn't due to climate change, but it could just happen once in a while.

     
  9. zeeshan2

    zeeshan2 Member

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  10. Blatz

    Blatz Contributing Member

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    I just got power back but don't know for how long. A neighbor came by to check on me last night before I lost power again. He mentioned we might be on a rolling black out but really didn't know. Our internet and cell service has been spotty and not lasting long when it does. My power company doesn't have much info when I get through, just a recording. Thankfully I got enough wood to cook and for my crappy fire place that doesn't seem to put out much heat. Water is a no go but I got plenty to drink and I filled some buckets with snow for the toilets.
     
  11. Kevooooo

    Kevooooo Member

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    We didn’t move away from federal grid. We’ve basically always had our own grid. And it makes sense for a state our size with population centers further interior than border states. It’s not like we aren’t connected to the other grids, either. We’ve had to borrow power before. But everyone was having issues w the same weather system.

    I don’t think many of you understand how ercot or the energy grid operates... this didn’t happen because of deregulation. The feds gave recs for weather 30 years ago.

    y’all act like other parts of the country don’t go through occasional blackout/brownouts when we have abnormal weather. Surely improvements can be made, I just think it’s ridiculous to think this could have been entirely avoided or had to do with us deregulating.
     
  12. marky :)

    marky :) Member

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    [​IMG]

    NOOOOOOOOOOO! Found a bird I'm assuming froze to death on our porch.
     
  13. Juxtaposed Jolt

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    OmegaSupreme likes this.
  14. VanityHalfBlack

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  15. larsv8

    larsv8 Contributing Member

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    We lost power at 1:30 sunday night in Katy. Retreated to my parents house in sugar land. They never seem to lose power for some reason.
     
  16. VanityHalfBlack

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  17. Amiga

    Amiga I get vaunted sacred revelations from social media
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    but weatherizing is a requirement under fed regulation and optional under TX because TX decided to not be regulated
     
    superfob and T_Man like this.
  18. Amiga

    Amiga I get vaunted sacred revelations from social media
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    Also posted this in the d&d...

    History repeat

    https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2021/02/15/dallas-winter-storm-freeze.html

    Equipment failure turned out to be a big part of the problem.

    "Beginning around 11:00 p.m. [Sunday night], multiple generating units began tripping off-line in rapid progression due to the severe cold weather," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at ERCOT, the organization that manages the state’s electric grid.

    What does that mean? Equipment literally froze in the single digit temperatures and stopped working.

    Then, as reserves diminished, ERCOT asked transmission providers to turn off large industrial users that had previously agreed to be shut down. But the situation deteriorated quickly, requiring rotating outages that have lasted hours for many Texans.

    Electric generating plants did not properlywinterize their equipment, said Dr. David Tuttle in the latest episode of the Y’all-itics political podcast. Tuttle is a research associate with the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

    "There are things that can be done, but it will cost some money," he added. "About every decade we have these long-sustained periods. And then, you know weatherization is supposed to happen, and then, it doesn't because it costs money."

    ERCOT said almost 34,000 megawatts ofelectricity has been forced off the system. On average, a single megawatt can power about 500 homes.

    This isn’t the first time that weatherization has been an issue with equipment failure and rotating outages in Texas.

    In August 2011, six months after an ice storm crippled much of the state and resulted in rotating outages, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation issued a report with recommendations.

    "Generators and natural gas producers suffered severe losses of capacity despite having received accurate forecasts of the storm," the report states. "Entities in both categories report having winterization procedures in place. However, the poor performance of many of these generating units and wells suggests that these procedures were either inadequate or were not adequately followed."

    That investigation revealed what happened in 2011, also happened in 1989, which is the first time ERCOT ever implemented rotating outages.

    "The experiences of 1989 are instructive, particularly on the electric side. In that year, as in 2011, cold weather caused many generators to trip, derate, or fail to start. The [Public Utility Commission of Texas] investigated the occurrence and issued a number ofrecommendations aimed at improvingwinterization on the part of the generators.

    These recommendations were not mandatory, and over the course of time implementation lapsed. Many of the generators that experienced outages in 1989 failed again in 2011," the investigation discovered.


    Fast forward a decade and here we are again.

    Winterizing equipment – making sure it can sustain extended periods of below-freezing temperatures – has never been a requirement in Texas like other states.

    "All of us would love to say, we want super reliable [electricity]," Tuttle said. "It would be millions to really bulletproof the system for that. How much do we want to pay to go protect ourselves with insurance policies for rare events?"

    It’s a fair point. Rotating outages are rare in Texas, only happening about every decade or so.

    But in dangerous cold, like much of what has enveloped the state this week, lives could be put at risk since many people are trapped at home, unable to leave because of treacherous travel conditions. Not to mention, some older individuals live in poorly insulated homes.

    But Texas lawmakers are asking questions, again.

    With the legislature currently in session, it’s likely that this situation will get the attention of state leaders.

    "The Texas power grid has not been compromised," wrote Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, on Twitter Monday afternoon. "The ability of some companies that generate the power has been frozen. This includes the natural gas & coal generators. They are working to get generation back online."

    As it manages the emergency, ERCOT defended its winter plan.

    "This event was well beyond the design-parameters for a typical or even extreme Texas winter that you would plan for," said Woodfin, with ERCOT. "They began as rotating outages but they’re [now] controlled outages and they are lasting longer than what would normally happen because of the magnitude."

    But history says Texas should have known better. But what’s the price we’re willing to pay?
     
    RocketWalta likes this.
  19. Fantasma Negro

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    Just found out why my water pressure has been so bad, pipes in the garage froze and burst. Home shield says they don't repair pipes damaged due to freezing so now working with homeowners insurance to get it fixed. Serviceman eta Saturday
     

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