The Texas "rolling blackout" discussion thread

[touchdown]

Regardless of the cause of the Texas power problems, one thing is abundantly clear. We cannot move towards 100% renewable energy in parts of the country where cold and snow is common in the winter.

Environmental documentary film, ‘The Planet of the Humans,' absolutely “skewers the renewable energy industry,” Mr Kenny said.

“The film goes on to attack major corporations for their pretense, their virtue-signalling on renewable energy”.

Mr Kenny said the stance taken in the documentary is “kinda strange” given the executive producer is Michael Moore, who is a “millionaire, leftist, academy award winning director”.

 

[yimyammer]

Anywhere, ever. Period. Not if reliability is anywhere in the equation.

IIUC, we can make a huge dent in the problem by creating modernized nuclear plants that used spent fuels being stored in locations across the US (which also causes fear and loathing)

Ive read some interesting claims about miniature reactors from the same fuel would utilize the waste and because the reactors are so small the risk of radiation dispersal in a failure is possibly not a concern

**full disclosure, Im regurgitating shit Ive read and watched over the years and given my failing memory may have completely botched conveying the accurate story

 

[Doomsday]

IIUC, we can make a huge dent in the problem by creating modernized nuclear plants that used spent fuels being stored in locations across the US (which also causes fear and loathing)

Ive read some interesting claims about miniature reactors from the same fuel would utilize the waste and because the reactors are so small the risk of radiation dispersal in a failure is possibly not a concern

**full disclosure, Im regurgitating shit Ive read and watched over the years and given my failing memory may have completely botched conveying the accurate story

In Japan they use greyhound bus sized nuclear power plants where the pile itself is already buried 400 feet deep encased in concrete, these are spent after 50 years and are sealed off, and the next one in line is activated. The boiler plant above ground never moves.

People don't understand nuclear power. All we're doing is boiling water to make high pressure steam to drive turbines which in turn drive generators. The heat source is the controlled nuclear reaction instead of combustion. It is clean, reliable stable and by far the most safe way to make electricity. In Japan they do it right.

Mitsubishi Electric makes the bus sized reactors, for anyone wanting to look it up.

 

[Doomsday]

modernized nuclear plants that used spent fuels

Yeah, nuclear physics says no to this. Spent fuel is exactly that - spent. Just because it's still radioactive doesn't mean it can still make heat or be reactive. It can't and it's not, otherwise it would be utilized.

 

[yimyammer]

In Japan they use greyhound bus sized nuclear power plants where the pile itself is already buried 400 feet deep encased in concrete, these are spent after 50 years and are sealed off, and the next one in line is activated. The boiler plant above ground never moves.

People don't understand nuclear power. All we're doing is boiling water to make high pressure steam to drive turbines which in turn drive generators. The heat source is the controlled nuclear reaction instead of combustion. It is clean, reliable stable and by far the most safe way to make electricity. In Japan they do it right.

Mitsubishi Electric makes the bus sized reactors, for anyone wanting to look it up.

exactly and its a crying shame its never even discussed publicly, from what I gathered, miniature reactors would seem capable of solving the entire worlds energy isues.

Did you read about the 14 year old who built a nuclear reactor (or a reaction, cant recall exactly) in his garage?



IIRC, he suggested making a small reactor using spent fuel could be made and buried under ground and serve like 10,000 houses and could be placed in the middle of no where like undeveloped places in Africa

Bill Gates has funded the development of a new design for a nuclear reactor and was set to have China work on building but I think the trump administration stopped it which I wouldn't have a problem with if he had gone one step further and got Gates to build it in teh US. Its a damn shame the US isn't leading the world on this technology. You can hear Gates discussing it on the Netflix show Inside Bills Brain

 

[yimyammer]

Yeah, nuclear physics says no to this. Spent fuel is exactly that - spent. Just because it's still radioactive doesn't mean it can still make heat or be reactive. It can't and it's not, otherwise it would be utilized.

then I'm using the wrong terminology, some type of nuclear waste was suggested, it appears it was from old bombs

Eighteen-year-old Taylor Wilson has designed a compact nuclear reactor that could one day burn waste from old atomic weapons to power anything from homes and factories to space colonies.

article here: US teen designs compact nuclear reactor

 

[Doomsday]

it appears it was from old bombs

The Uranium or Plutonium pit from weapons would be excellent fuel. Near me is the one plant in the entire US that disassembles our nuclear weapons. These pits get shipped to Nevada for storage. Could still be used for fueling SMRs.

The idea of SMRs is catching on and has been subject of major study. Good paper on it here.

 

[InternetKing]

Has no relation to this and isn't even remotely associated. Enron was securities fraud and internal accounting fraud. Not customer billing fraud.

But more to the point, ALL of these people getting the jacked up bills AGREED to it by signing up with these esoteric "providers" and gambling on demand never having a drastic increase and rates never having a drastic increase. The trade-off was much lower bills every month than people signed up through the utility were getting.

No doubt our legislature will put the quietus to these monster bills. The Rs and the Ds all seem agreed on this.

I read something about them, they did pass their loss due to fraud on to customers who use them for services like electricity and internet, etc into a major increase to recoup and cover their fraud according to docs at justice.gov docs.

 

[Doomsday]

I read something about them, they did pass their loss due to fraud on to customers who use them for services like electricity and internet, etc into a major increase to recoup and cover their fraud according to docs at justice.gov docs.

It's not in any way related. There's not any type of fraud here.

they did pass their loss due to fraud on to customers who use them for services like electricity and internet, etc into a major increase to recoup and cover their fraud

If you're going to make this claim, pony up a link.

They had LOSSES due to fraud? Why don't you just give up on it. It's too stupid to even reply to. The SHAREHOLDERS lost their shirt, the INVESTORS lost their shirt, when the stock got short sold. This was BEFORE the massive fraud was even discovered.

Nowhere even in the most stupid way does it have anything to do with this. Are we really gonna screw up a current events thread by rehashing something that happened 20 years ago that has nothing to do with it?

 

[touchdown]

CBS Texas - Breaking Local News, First Alert Weather & I-Team Investigations

Latest breaking news from CBS11 KTVT-TV | KTXA-TV.

dfw.cbslocal.com

Because the transmission owners had to cut-off power for more customers at once than they ever had to before, some power plant operators and gas companies lost power themselves.

Morgan said the problem was after a 2011 storm wreaked havoc to a less extent, the industry and state agencies never updated their critical infrastructure lists. “You’re turning off my power plant, calling up the TDU’s and saying why are you turning off our power plant. You weren’t on our critical infrastructure or you’re at the bottom of our list.”

He and other CEOs said natural gas companies experienced problems beginning at the wellheads which froze, and transporting the gas to power plants.

Earlier in the week, the President of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, Todd Staples, told CBS 11 that many producers in the field lost production because of power outages and hazardous travel conditions made it impossible to move equipment and crews.

Morgan said, “The big story here in my opinion was the failure of the gas system to perform.
He said between 60% and 70% of the power in Texas is natural gas generation.
“We do not have an integrated and seamless gas and power system, and if we don’t have a seamless gas and electrical power system, what happened last week, will happen again.”

Staples said members of their trade group were conducting a top-to-bottom review of what happened. Despite the challenges, Staples said natural gas provided about 66% of the power mix last week, which he said was higher than the 45% provided during a normal year.

“We think that natural gas did step up, did carry the load in a very big way.”
The CEOs said they winterized their plants.

Morgan of Vistra Corporation said they spent an extra $10 million on weatherizing their facilities once they realized how severe the winter storm would be.

Gutierrez of NRG Energy said they prepared their plants as well, but that in some cases, the unprecedented weather experienced statewide, proved too much. “We had icing on four inches of dry air that should never have icing.”

Governor Abbott has said he wants state lawmakers to mandate winterizing the power system.
After the 2011 storm, changes were recommended but not required in Texas.

Hearings continue today:

TLO

Website for the Texas Legislature. Provides information on legislation, committees, house, and senate.

capitol.texas.gov

 

[Doomsday]

Morgan said, “The big story here in my opinion was the failure of the gas system to perform.

Except, that it DID perform. As the numbers posted earlier clearly show.

 

[Doomsday]

Griddy loses access to Texas power grid, all its customers

Griddy was the power marketer that sold consumers power at wholesale rates, which rose to $9,000 per megawatt hour for days as cold weather struck the state last week. A request for comment was not…

www-mercurynews-com.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[InternetKing]

What we hoped to never say
An update from the Griddy family.
To our loyal Griddy members,
‍
It was not a choice we made.

On February 16th we asked ERCOT for emergency help when our members needed it the most and they did not take action. This is after the PUCT mandated the maximum price for days – a decision they made to take the price out of the hands of the market in a 6-minute meeting.

Today, ERCOT took our members and have effectively shut down Griddy. On the same day when ERCOT announced that it had a $2.1 billion shortfall, it decided to take this action against only one company that represents a tiny fraction of the market and that shortfall.

We have always been transparent and customer-centric at every step. We wanted to continue the fight for our members to get relief and that hasn’t changed.

We will send you updates with more information as we get it. You will always be a Griddster.

A heartfelt thank you,
The Griddy Family

What now?

POLR FAQs

‍What do I have to do?

You do not have to do anything. ERCOT has already automatically switched you over to a new REP designated as a POLR.
‍
You will also receive notice from the POLR who will assume the responsibility of providing you service. The POLR will assume service for you as of February 26, 2021. You can leave the POLR’s assigned service by choosing a competitive product or service offered by the POLR, or another competitiveREP. If you would like to see offers from different REPs, please access www.powertochoose.org, or call toll free 1-866-PWR-4-TEX (1-866-797-4839) for a list of providers in your area. After you have transitioned to the POLR, you may accelerate a switch to another REP by requesting a special or out-of-cycle meter read.

You can contact us with any questions at support@griddy.com or 1-800-993-6207.

‍What happens to my account balance?

Winter Storm Uri resulted in uncertainty regarding the reliability of data received from meter reads and ERCOT concerning electricity actually used by customers. As such, we have paused further billing until we have more certainty regarding this data. We currently expect to issue final bills in less than 60 days indicating whether your account balance is positive or negative. When we determine a customer’s final account balance, if it is positive that amount will be refunded to you within 7 days.

‍Will I lose power?

No. You will not lose power. This transition will be seamless. You should not have any interruptions to your electricity service. If you experience any outage, contact your new REP.

‍Are we getting relief from high electricity costs?

We are hopeful that the state and federal governments will do the right thing and provide relief for all Texans. We are committed to providing credit for any relief we receive back to our customers, on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

What happens if I signed up for a Deferred Payment Plan with Griddy?

At the time final bills are issued, we will work with customers regarding deferred payment plans.

What does this mean for the future of retail electricity choice in Texas?

Many companies have already reported or will report massive losses due to the extreme circumstances last week. While Texas used to be able to boast hundreds of providers and thousands of plans, that freedom of choice could drop to a handful of the traditional, big players. Texas was a trailblazer in deregulation, but it seems we might be going back to the giant monopolies dictating the rules.

How can I speak up for Griddy and to be sure Texas allows wholesale electricity plans?

If you think this loss of choice and innovation is harmful to the future of energy, let your voice be heard. This doesn’t just affect Griddy and our members. It can have lasting impact for years to come. Email or call the PUCT or your local representatives and demand that they create a fair marketplace for innovation and choice.

PUCT info:

512-936-7120 or customer@puc.texas.gov
Go here if you want even more people to contact: https://www.puc.texas.gov/agency/about/contact/DepartmentSearch.aspx

Look up your representative: https://myreps.datamade.us/

source:

Griddy Energy

It was not a choice we made. Today, ERCOT took our members and has effectively shut down Griddy.

www.griddy.com

 

[Doomsday]

An update from the Griddy family

Looks bad from all sides. Thanks for posting their statement.

 

[touchdown]

The NG industry in Texas dropped the ball in not getting all of it's players, that rely on electricity to operate, to get signed up on the TDUs, (like Oncor), on their "Critical Infrastructure" List, so that if and when rolling blackouts or other electrical outages are forced, that these players are not left with out power.

An example of such NG players are: NG power stations, Texas NG compressing stations, and Texas NG refiners. Many well heads are heated by electricity, instead of NG, because, for the environment, electricity heat is cleaner than NG. Which is another way to say, that to save the environment, we almost lost the Power Grid, and if that had happened, the disruption of many things could have caused the death of thousands...

 

[Doomsday]

The NG industry in Texas dropped the ball

Even if so, STILL saved all your asses downstate. Because as you might have forgotten from the earlier post:

Even though the extreme cold had frozen cooling systems on coal plants and natural gas pipelines, the state’s coal plants still upped their output by 47% in response to increasing demand. Natural gas plants across the state increased their output by an amazing 450%.

NG output was increased by 450 percent. Did you read that? That means there couldn't have been too many freezing problems or power problems at the NG plants themselves.

so that if and when rolling blackouts or other electrical outages are forced, that these players are not left with out power.

It was power plants themselves who were left without electricity. Without electricity you can't operate boilers, cooling systems, condensing systems, chemical feed pumps, etc. You are shut the fuck down.

Also, let's not forget this very important player in all of this - many gas and coal power plants were down for annual maintenance as they are every year during this time, since February is historically the lowest demand month we have in Texas, for electricity. When you have boilers open for inspection and repair you can't just throw them back together and fire them up in a week's time. Same for the gas fired turbines - if they're taken apart for inspection and repair it's at least a week to reassemble them and that's IF you have all the parts needed. And can go online only after they're tested and are performing to spec. Typically it's a two week deal, at best.

• Power Plants down for annual maintenance
• Wind power reduction due to cold - wind provided 42% of the state’s electricity on Feb. 7, it fell to 8% on Feb.11.
• Rolling blackouts shutting power off to power plants.

The above ARE the reasons for the power problem. Any natural gas problems were overcome and those problems obviously were not a major player.

 

[Creeper]

Yeah, nuclear physics says no to this. Spent fuel is exactly that - spent. Just because it's still radioactive doesn't mean it can still make heat or be reactive. It can't and it's not, otherwise it would be utilized.

He may be referring to a chemical process that can "extract" any remaining unspent fuel from the spend fuel rods. It is a process that is banned in the US. When fuel rods are removed, they still contain small amounts of unspent fuel. I don't know how the process works, of when after removing the rods the process can begin or how much fuel is extracted.

 

[Creeper]

In Japan they use greyhound bus sized nuclear power plants where the pile itself is already buried 400 feet deep encased in concrete, these are spent after 50 years and are sealed off, and the next one in line is activated. The boiler plant above ground never moves.

People don't understand nuclear power. All we're doing is boiling water to make high pressure steam to drive turbines which in turn drive generators. The heat source is the controlled nuclear reaction instead of combustion. It is clean, reliable stable and by far the most safe way to make electricity. In Japan they do it right.

Mitsubishi Electric makes the bus sized reactors, for anyone wanting to look it up.

Splitting uranium atoms produces heat (to boil water) AND radiation which is trapped in the fuel rods and other reactor parts. The fear is of the radiation obviously. And with good reason. Radiation kills and lasts for thousands of years.

The fear is two fold. First, what if an operating reactor is broken open by a core meltdown, bomb, natural disaster, or some other force? Of course new reactors make this highly unlikely and US power plants are constantly undergoing safety inspections and design updates. But still, what if? The consequences are unthinkable on a large scale.

We have the same problem with spent fuel rods. The more nuclear power we use, the more fuel rods will need to be cooled, then stored. Massive repositories of spent fuel become potential environmental disasters. That is the 2nd fear. No one wants nuclear fuel buried near their homes or in their state. No one even wants the trucks that transport the fuel rods driving on their highways. Accidents would catastrophic. Chernobyl certainly had an effect on how people think of nuclear power and even though modern reactors are so much more advanced than that Rube Goldberg reactor in Russia, the threat of a continental level extinction event is not presented by any other form of energy or manufacturing process. Fear is necessary in this case to ensure we do not have another Chernobyl.

Having said that, nuclear power makes far more sense than solar or wind on a large scale. We can produce enough fuel to last a long time even at the levels of energy consumption we have today or will have in the future. Nuclear incidents are few and far between and todays reactors are much more safe than the ones built in the 60s and 70s. It is a good solution until fusion reactors are developed - and we are always 10 years away from that.

 

[touchdown]

Paperwork failures worsened Texas blackouts, sparking mid-storm scramble to restore critical fuel supply​

Paperwork failures worsened Texas blackouts, sparking mid-storm scramble to restore critical fuel supply

Dozens of natural gas companies failed to do the paperwork that would keep their facilities powered during an emergency, so utilities cut their electricity at the very moment that power plants most needed fuel. The mid-storm scramble to fix the problem exposed a regulatory blind spot.

www.texastribune.org

 

[touchdown]

Texas death toll from February storm, outages surpasses 100

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas officials on Thursday raised the death toll from February's winter storm and blackouts to at least 111 people — nearly doubling the state's initial tally following one of the worst power outages in U.S. history.

apnews.com