Blackouts Cascade Beyond Texas in Deepening Power Crisis

[Rasulis]

I don't think you understand how lacking regulations are, and how easily the few that exist can be skirted.

Imagine building houses in a hurricane area and not even bothering to put hurricane clips on the roof trusses. The things that would cost a couple hundred bucks at most.

Texas is supposed to be using International Building Code (IBC) 2015 with local amendments. However, as you said, enforcement probably varied widely across the state.

California uses California Building Code (CBC) 2019 which is based on IBC 2018 & ASCE 7-16 for structural loadings.

[wunksta]

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry says that Texans find massive power outages preferable to having more federal government interference in the state's energy grid.

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/ric...-fed-oversight

I guess that settles it.

[Edge-]

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/ric...-fed-oversight

I guess that settles it.

It's curious that it's the wealthy and powerful folks who still have power saying that Texans are glad to make that sacrifice on their behalf.

[Zan15]

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/ric...-fed-oversight

I guess that settles it.

they will gladly take the billions in disaster aid and funding, just no oversight please!

- - - Updated - - -

Things are about to get really interesting since it seems like its legal to pass on the cost and it was legal for cost to increase 10,000% in a day.





$450 dollar bill for one day. $2,869.11 total for a few days.

Now, his bill has skyrocketed over $4,000 over the last two days, he said. As of Wednesday, Pierce owes Griddy $5,152.06 for the month of February—a shocking price considering his bill for his two-story house last month was $387.70. Last February, Pierce said he only paid $330.





https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/5-...se/ar-BB1dLKDE

But data from ERCOT suggests the price of getting the lights back on might be too steep for some Texans. As first reported by Reuters, the market prices on the power grid spiked more than 10,000 percent on Monday in the aftermath of the deep freeze. Prices skyrocketed to more than $9,000 per megawatt-hour—compared to the pre-storm prices of less than $50 per hour.

The amped-up wattage costs have affected Griddy customers in particular because of the company’s distinctive business model. In Texas’ hypercharged market for electricity, Griddy makes money by debiting its subscribers a flat $9.99 monthly fee—and then selling them raw power at its going wholesale value, effectively stripping out any insulation between consumers and the oscillations in supply and demand.

Often this saves Griddy customers money. But the wild surge in costs due to failures across ERCOT’s grid has juiced bills up to astounding levels. Griddy initially urged its customers to switch to another power provider, but few companies are accepting new accounts.

[wunksta]

they will gladly take the billions in disaster aid and funding, just no oversight please!

Sure, why not? Operate on razor thin margins and when there's a problem, the Feds will bail them out and there will be no one in the PUC, ERCOT or government held responsible for playing fast and loose with peoples' lives. They still made a profit by ignoring regulations.

[pathora44]

They still made a profit by ignoring regulations.

They wouldn't be Republicans if they didn't scoff at regulations. Regulations are for socialists and the gays while red blooded, women banging, God fearing men live like real men and don't worry about regulations. Maximize profits and push the consequences off to tomorrow so tomorrows red blooded, women banging, God fearing men can maximize profits and push those consequences off to tomorrow and so on forever.

[Poopymonster]

In what way could a public declaration on the topic in question taken out of context?

Do Trump supporters just throw out the first lame-ass limp-dick excuse they can think of, knowing that the rabid fanbase will defend them to their death in the cold?

They didn't post the opening and closing. It started with "Freeze you commie pinko fags." and ended with "Fuck all y'all."
Without that for context, he only seems like a selfish conservative prick. With context, he's a fucking evil selfish conservative prick.
/s

[Nihilist74]

Why was this such a bad load on the electrical infrastructure there? Don't a lot of these people in these states use a ton of air conditioning? in the summer? Do they have a lot of blackouts in states like Texas?

[Elegiac]

Why was this such a bad load on the electrical infrastructure there? Don't a lot of these people in these states use a ton of air conditioning? in the summer? Do they have a lot of blackouts in states like Texas?

1) Grid demand is geared towards a summer peak, not a winter one.
2) Texas is heavily reliant on natural gas for much of its power, which has a high water content and can freeze easily.
3) Texas' power plants are mostly not winterized; most natural gas pipes are above ground and exposed to the cold, for instance.
4) Much of Texas is on a grid separate from the rest of the country and Mexico, meaning power can't be easily diverted from unaffected areas.

Basically it comes down to the corrupt shitheels in the state government wanting a grid separate from the rest of the country to escape regulations and as a result Texan citizens are paying the price for it.

[Nihilist74]

1) Grid demand is geared towards a summer peak, not a winter one.
2) Texas is heavily reliant on natural gas for much of its power, which has a high water content and can freeze easily.
3) Texas' power plants are mostly not winterized; most natural gas pipes are above ground and exposed to the cold, for instance.
4) Much of Texas is on a grid separate from the rest of the country and Mexico, meaning power can't be easily diverted from unaffected areas.

Basically it comes down to the corrupt shitheels in the state government wanting a grid separate from the rest of the country to escape regulations and as a result Texan citizens are paying the price for it.

Good explantion.

[Deja Thoris]

Not read too much here but the front page but holy shit a lot of replies are dumb.

Yea we get it. Its colder where you are. You design for it because of that. Its unusual there and so they haven't designed for it. This is normal.

[Milchshake]

Rafael Edward Cruz seen here, fleeing Texas for the warmth of Cancun.

[Shadowferal]

Yea we get it. Its colder where you are. You design for it because of that. Its unusual there and so they haven't designed for it. This is normal.

Also normal; TX ignoring every damn warning they were told beforehand.
And Rick Perry saying the death toll is worth it.

[Breccia]

Desperate to avoid blame for the situation, Abbott calls the Texas power company "opaque" about when it'll be working again.

Texas Gov. Hey Abbott (R-DUH) said Wednesday the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has not provided information on which geographic locations will regain power, calling the agency "opaque."

A freezing winter storm has led to power outages for more than two million households in Texas.

"It’s kind of opaque, the way it’s run," Abbott said of ERCOT at a press conference.

He emphasized the need for transparency to ensure "the state will be able to withstand cold spells like what happened this time."

The Texas legislature will begin investigating ERCOT next week, according to Abbott.

Critics have slammed Abbott for pointing fingers at ERCOT, arguing that the agency operates under his leadership.

ERCOT is under the jurisdiction of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC).

The governor appoints three PUC commissioners, including the chair.

"We know millions of people are suffering," ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness said in a press release Wednesday. "We have no other priority than getting them electricity. No other priority."

I've heard on these forums that Texas power is basically deregulated. I'm not sure that's a valid excuse that protects Abbott here, and not just because of the above quote. If I give my teaching assistant carte blanche to grade Homework 3 and she gives everyone 20% because they spelled her name Crystal instead of Krystal, at some point, that's my fault for giving her that freedom.

[Crissi]

Hello everybody! I finally got my power back yesterday after 36 hours, and my internet back 20 minutes ago. Did lose water when a pipe burst but luckily no damage to house since the pipe that burst was outside.

Anyways, Abbot and his cronies are a bunch of bullshit liars and we will not forget this. They managed to piss off everyone. Also, anyone with a variable electric plan needs to be bailed out, cause aint no way someones gonna be able to afford a multi thousand dollar bill.

[Rasulis]

Hey now! It hit 25 on Friday night... snowed for like two days, almost none stop... so what that it’s in the 50s and sunny right now...

Edit: It’s 44... the sunshine tricked me into thinking it was in 50s... stupid birds singing, making it seem warmer!!!

Now I felt bad for not doing yardwork last weekend because the high was only in the low to mid 50s.

- - - Updated - - -

Hello everybody! I finally got my power back yesterday after 36 hours, and my internet back 20 minutes ago. Did lose water when a pipe burst but luckily no damage to house since the pipe that burst was outside.

Anyways, Abbot and his cronies are a bunch of bullshit liars and we will not forget this. They managed to piss off everyone. Also, anyone with a variable electric plan needs to be bailed out, cause aint no way someones gonna be able to afford a multi thousand dollar bill.

Glad you get your power back and the water breakage is outside. You should have all the interior pipes checked though. Especially where you have copper to pvc connections.

[Crissi]

Now I felt bad for not doing yardwork last weekend because the high was only in the low to mid 50s.

- - - Updated - - -



Glad you get your power back and the water breakage is outside. You should have all the interior pipes checked though. Especially where you have copper to pvc connections.

yeah I think thats next on the list after the water gets fixed. Luckily, when we lost power we also lost water cause we use electric pumps to get our well water, so when the worst of the temps hit there shouldnt have been much water at all in the pipes.

[Rasulis]

Looks like ERCOT is at least holding the line.

Monday it was 34,000 MW offline.
Yesterday it was 45,000 MW offline.
Today was 46,000 MW offline at 7 am.
Today was 43,000 MW offline at 6 pm.

[s_bushido]

Anyways, Abbot and his cronies are a bunch of bullshit liars and we will not forget this.

If there is any lesson to be learned from 2020, it's that you can never underestimate the shockingly short memory of the American voter...

[Zan15]

Why was this such a bad load on the electrical infrastructure there? Don't a lot of these people in these states use a ton of air conditioning? in the summer? Do they have a lot of blackouts in states like Texas?

the load was not even that bad, but when you have 40% of the grid coming to a grinding halt.....your load max is much lower.

Put that on top of normal maintenece cycle which puts a lot of generation off line in the winter when they "thought" they could afford for them to be off line.

- - - Updated - - -

Not read too much here but the front page but holy shit a lot of replies are dumb.

Yea we get it. Its colder where you are. You design for it because of that. Its unusual there and so they haven't designed for it. This is normal.

tidal waves and meltdowns are unusual too, but they plan for them and we've seen what happens when they cheap out on the "planning"