Ongoing PG&E power outages

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Comments

  • Lerxst1992Lerxst1992 Posts: 6,094
    brianlux said:
    brianlux said:
    We caught a break!  23 hours later, power restored!  Hallefuckinlujah! :smiley:
    Do not take offense.  But California is starting to resemble a banana republic...those places you expect hydro disruptions.  But California???  Not a good look.

    No offense taken.  There are a lot of great things to be said for California- beautiful coast line, great mountains, superb deserts.  But this state has been harmed by being over-populated (relative to the amount of rainfall), abused by encroachment on natural habitat, draining of aquifers, turning absolutely gorgeous places like Yosemite into crowded theme parks, and saturating with agricultural related chemicals, and mismanaged through greedy power companies putting profits before customer service.  Not to mention pollution from outside sources such as oil spills that have darkened the beach sands and global warming which has increased the devastating wildfires we have seen in recent years.

    Before the Gold Rush of 1849, California was a nearly pristine Garden of Eden.  A mere 170 years later it is (in many ways at least) a disaster. 

    Didn’t California get more rain before 1849? Overdevelopment and lack of rain seems to be the biggest culprits.

    Heard the Yorba Linda fire quadrupled in size in one day. Yikes. 


  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    why has California not regulated the industry better...for example, hire inspectors to inspect high-risk burn area to minimize the risk of fire.  It seems to me the politicians need to step up as well.  But it comes down to money...and how much does that power company spend lobbying?  

    Brian and Hedo...all I can do are send positive thoughts.


    Give Peas A Chance…
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,593
    brianlux said:
    brianlux said:
    We caught a break!  23 hours later, power restored!  Hallefuckinlujah! :smiley:
    Do not take offense.  But California is starting to resemble a banana republic...those places you expect hydro disruptions.  But California???  Not a good look.

    No offense taken.  There are a lot of great things to be said for California- beautiful coast line, great mountains, superb deserts.  But this state has been harmed by being over-populated (relative to the amount of rainfall), abused by encroachment on natural habitat, draining of aquifers, turning absolutely gorgeous places like Yosemite into crowded theme parks, and saturating with agricultural related chemicals, and mismanaged through greedy power companies putting profits before customer service.  Not to mention pollution from outside sources such as oil spills that have darkened the beach sands and global warming which has increased the devastating wildfires we have seen in recent years.

    Before the Gold Rush of 1849, California was a nearly pristine Garden of Eden.  A mere 170 years later it is (in many ways at least) a disaster. 

    Didn’t California get more rain before 1849? Overdevelopment and lack of rain seems to be the biggest culprits.

    Heard the Yorba Linda fire quadrupled in size in one day. Yikes. 



    More rain before 1849?  Very possibly.  But also periods of extended drought.  And a lot depends on where in California.  Death Valley and the Mojave desert have long been arid, and the northwest counties have long been rain forests.   Because the state is prone to extended droughts, the over-development is hugely unwise.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,593
    why has California not regulated the industry better...for example, hire inspectors to inspect high-risk burn area to minimize the risk of fire.  It seems to me the politicians need to step up as well.  But it comes down to money...and how much does that power company spend lobbying?  

    Brian and Hedo...all I can do are send positive thoughts.



    Yep, money money money!

    And hey, thanks for the good thoughts!  :smile: 
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • hedonisthedonist standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
    edited October 2020
    I believe that many are paid off in various ways - from the utility companies to the politicians to anyone who has something to gain by looking the other way. 

    Happens in every state.
  • Lerxst1992Lerxst1992 Posts: 6,094
    brianlux said:
    why has California not regulated the industry better...for example, hire inspectors to inspect high-risk burn area to minimize the risk of fire.  It seems to me the politicians need to step up as well.  But it comes down to money...and how much does that power company spend lobbying?  

    Brian and Hedo...all I can do are send positive thoughts.



    Yep, money money money!

    And hey, thanks for the good thoughts!  :smile: 

    I read 70% of the undeveloped land at risk of fire is federally owned.

    So when trump blames California for not raking, it’s mostly land he is responsible for.  
  • Lerxst1992Lerxst1992 Posts: 6,094
    why has California not regulated the industry better...for example, hire inspectors to inspect high-risk burn area to minimize the risk of fire.  It seems to me the politicians need to step up as well.  But it comes down to money...and how much does that power company spend lobbying?  

    Brian and Hedo...all I can do are send positive thoughts.



    Who owns PG&E? Mutual and hedge funds. Start laying an undue burden on the utility and where are these owners going? They are selling? No way they are staying. Then the ratepayers are stuck figuring out how to rebuild the utility infrastructure or convince someone new to take over. Good luck with that one.

    Utilities are not like normal capitalistic companies. All of their revenue and expense needs to be approved by....the state. That would explain the lobbying.

    And it gets worse. Utilities have to front the costs for severe events. Extremely expensive. And let’s say the weather forecasters are wrong and the storm or fires dont hit. Who pays? Yep, the utility. Paying literally for nothing. The system is designed to address the risk after the fact.
  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    why has California not regulated the industry better...for example, hire inspectors to inspect high-risk burn area to minimize the risk of fire.  It seems to me the politicians need to step up as well.  But it comes down to money...and how much does that power company spend lobbying?  

    Brian and Hedo...all I can do are send positive thoughts.



    Who owns PG&E? Mutual and hedge funds. Start laying an undue burden on the utility and where are these owners going? They are selling? No way they are staying. Then the ratepayers are stuck figuring out how to rebuild the utility infrastructure or convince someone new to take over. Good luck with that one.

    Utilities are not like normal capitalistic companies. All of their revenue and expense needs to be approved by....the state. That would explain the lobbying.

    And it gets worse. Utilities have to front the costs for severe events. Extremely expensive. And let’s say the weather forecasters are wrong and the storm or fires dont hit. Who pays? Yep, the utility. Paying literally for nothing. The system is designed to address the risk after the fact.
    LMFAO...

    That's ridiculous.  You said they would sell?  And then you say they'd walk away?  They'd find willing buyers... And no way are they walking away from billions of dollars in assets because the government decides that maybe they should be better regulated.

    Only banana republics let industry regulate themselves...and they let them regulate themselves because the politician pockets are being lined.  Sounds like the US has a lot of banana republic traits...
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,593
    brianlux said:
    why has California not regulated the industry better...for example, hire inspectors to inspect high-risk burn area to minimize the risk of fire.  It seems to me the politicians need to step up as well.  But it comes down to money...and how much does that power company spend lobbying?  

    Brian and Hedo...all I can do are send positive thoughts.



    Yep, money money money!

    And hey, thanks for the good thoughts!  :smile: 

    I read 70% of the undeveloped land at risk of fire is federally owned.

    So when trump blames California for not raking, it’s mostly land he is responsible for.  

    Exactly! 
    If I recall correctly, Governor Newsom pointed that out when he met with Trump who promptly ignored him.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • Lerxst1992Lerxst1992 Posts: 6,094
    why has California not regulated the industry better...for example, hire inspectors to inspect high-risk burn area to minimize the risk of fire.  It seems to me the politicians need to step up as well.  But it comes down to money...and how much does that power company spend lobbying?  

    Brian and Hedo...all I can do are send positive thoughts.



    Who owns PG&E? Mutual and hedge funds. Start laying an undue burden on the utility and where are these owners going? They are selling? No way they are staying. Then the ratepayers are stuck figuring out how to rebuild the utility infrastructure or convince someone new to take over. Good luck with that one.

    Utilities are not like normal capitalistic companies. All of their revenue and expense needs to be approved by....the state. That would explain the lobbying.

    And it gets worse. Utilities have to front the costs for severe events. Extremely expensive. And let’s say the weather forecasters are wrong and the storm or fires dont hit. Who pays? Yep, the utility. Paying literally for nothing. The system is designed to address the risk after the fact.
    LMFAO...

    That's ridiculous.  You said they would sell?  And then you say they'd walk away?  They'd find willing buyers... And no way are they walking away from billions of dollars in assets because the government decides that maybe they should be better regulated.

    Only banana republics let industry regulate themselves...and they let them regulate themselves because the politician pockets are being lined.  Sounds like the US has a lot of banana republic traits...

     Yes I am referring to selling their stock. They are hedge and mutual funds and if it’s their burden to pay for climate change without ratepayer support they are selling.  someone then has to buy the stock and additionally invest to rebuild the infrastructure in a state that will require you to pay for the damage caused by extreme climate change. If that’s you, pony up a hundred billion or so to get started instead of hurling insults.
  • Lerxst1992Lerxst1992 Posts: 6,094
    Another example of extreme weather having an extreme impact on utilities. But in this case, republicans are smart enough to blame the green new deal. Of course windmills do not work in the extreme cold, just ask Denmark. Truth is, Texas prides itself on bucking regulations and the federal govt, and in this case, built its own power grid its own way, and takes full accountability when it crashes 

    /s


    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi4kMrI_vDuAhVRnOAKHeYiD0MQFjAsegQIUxAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texastribune.org%2F2021%2F02%2F16%2Ftexas-wind-turbines-frozen%2F&usg=AOvVaw3tS9qZT8av9gfmeEbIVDPU
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,412

    Business Insider

    'I got no defense': Ted Cruz responds after viral tweet mocking California energy policies resurfaces amid Texas storm

    esnodgrass@businessinsider.com (Erin Snodgrass,Grace Panetta)
    11 hrs ago
    Ted Cruz wearing a suit and tie Sen Ted Cruz of Texas speaking with reporters on Saturday Alex BrandonAP © Alex Brandon/AP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas speaking with reporters on Saturday. Alex Brandon/AP
    • Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas responded Tuesday morning to online criticism over a resurfaced tweet.
    • In August, Cruz mocked what he described on Twitter as California's "failed energy policies."
    • His post resurfaced Tuesday as millions of Texans went without electricity during a winter storm.
    • Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

    Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas struck a rare conciliatory tone Tuesday after Twitter users lambasted him for a resurfaced August tweet in which he mocked what he described as California's "failed energy policies."

    Millions of Texans have been left without electricity for sometimes-lengthy periods of time over the past few days because of severe winter weather.

    Many accused Cruz of hypocrisy for criticizing California's power infrastructure over the wildfires and extreme heat waves that plagued the West Coast last summer when his state's infrastructure had proved unable to handle its own inclement weather.

    "I got no defense," Cruz tweeted Tuesday, responding to the critiques. "A blizzard strikes Texas & our state shuts down. Not good."

    In August, Cruz responded to a tweet from the California governor's office urging people in that state to turn off unneeded lights and limit their use of appliances. He described the state as "unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity."

    He then said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York as well as the Biden-Harris presidential ticket wanted to make what he called California's "failed energy policy" the national standard.

    "Hope you don't like air conditioning!" he tweeted last year.

    Now, Texas' power grid has been overwhelmed, with a higher-than-usual demand for electricity coinciding with a supply threatened by large amounts of ice and snow and freezing temperatures. As of Tuesday evening, more than 3 million Texans were without power, according to the outage-tracking site PowerOutage.us.

    The power outages, which have included rolling blackouts meant to limit the strain on the system, have affected designated warming centers and shelters.

    Cruz's concession received a mixed response, with some urging the lawmaker to seek legislative action to help the millions across the region affected by the freezing temperatures.

    "Stay safe!" he tweeted.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
    Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.



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  • HughFreakingDillonHughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 35,808
    Another example of extreme weather having an extreme impact on utilities. But in this case, republicans are smart enough to blame the green new deal. Of course windmills do not work in the extreme cold, just ask Denmark. Truth is, Texas prides itself on bucking regulations and the federal govt, and in this case, built its own power grid its own way, and takes full accountability when it crashes 

    /s


    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi4kMrI_vDuAhVRnOAKHeYiD0MQFjAsegQIUxAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texastribune.org%2F2021%2F02%2F16%2Ftexas-wind-turbines-frozen%2F&usg=AOvVaw3tS9qZT8av9gfmeEbIVDPU
    and the fox news lemmings will just lap it up like everything else they are fed. 
    Darwinspeed, all. 

    Cheers,

    HFD




  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,593
    What's happening in Texas this week is sad.  People are cold, struggling, and in some cases dying.  Meanwhile, power company execs have been raking in the dough while infrastructure crumbles.  That's why 80 some people died in the Camp Fire in Paradise and Magalia, California in 2018.

    The first time I remember reading about crumbling infrastructure was probably close to 40 years ago.  Little has been done to alleviate the problem, but some people have gotten stinking rich anyway.  My, how time flies. 
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • FiveBelowFiveBelow Lubbock, TX Posts: 1,167
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.
  • mace1229mace1229 Posts: 8,956
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.
    I would actually think its colder than that. No power with 0 degree temps, its going to be way below freezing after 30 hours. I'd be filling all my pipes with antifreeze if I lived in TX.
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,593
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.

    I read somewhere that most of Texas is powered through ERCOT  (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) which manages the deregulated market for energy for something like 75% of the state and that the areas not serviced by ERGOT have gotten through this cold snap generally much better than those who are tied into ERCOT.  Sounds like ERCOT is not managing things there very well.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • FiveBelowFiveBelow Lubbock, TX Posts: 1,167
    mace1229 said:
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.
    I would actually think its colder than that. No power with 0 degree temps, its going to be way below freezing after 30 hours. I'd be filling all my pipes with antifreeze if I lived in TX.
    When we built our current house I had all of the exterior walls & roof foamed along with adding a recirculating pump so hot water is instant. Energy is easy to waste here with the extremes in temperature.
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,593
    FiveBelow said:
    mace1229 said:
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.
    I would actually think its colder than that. No power with 0 degree temps, its going to be way below freezing after 30 hours. I'd be filling all my pipes with antifreeze if I lived in TX.
    When we built our current house I had all of the exterior walls & roof foamed along with adding a recirculating pump so hot water is instant. Energy is easy to waste here with the extremes in temperature.

    Smart man, well done!
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • HughFreakingDillonHughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 35,808
    my cousin lives in austin. Hope she's ok. 
    Darwinspeed, all. 

    Cheers,

    HFD




  • FiveBelowFiveBelow Lubbock, TX Posts: 1,167
    brianlux said:
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.

    I read somewhere that most of Texas is powered through ERCOT  (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) which manages the deregulated market for energy for something like 75% of the state and that the areas not serviced by ERGOT have gotten through this cold snap generally much better than those who are tied into ERCOT.  Sounds like ERCOT is not managing things there very well.
    Yes, our area is on SPP (Southwest Power Pool). I get the frustration about ERCOT but this is also not a common weather event for the majority of the state and since they switched from coal burning plants to natural gas (which was a good move) unfortunately without the full production of renewable energy there is nothing to supplement the shortage. A return to normal temperatures for those areas is key so the renewable energy pool is back.
  • PJPOWERPJPOWER In Yo Face Posts: 6,499
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.
    Same here, we had a 30 minute blackout a couple mornings ago, but everything has been up and running otherwise.  You are 100% right, south/east of the Caprock is not used to this kind of cold at all.
  • static111static111 Posts: 4,889
    FiveBelow said:
    brianlux said:
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.

    I read somewhere that most of Texas is powered through ERCOT  (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) which manages the deregulated market for energy for something like 75% of the state and that the areas not serviced by ERGOT have gotten through this cold snap generally much better than those who are tied into ERCOT.  Sounds like ERCOT is not managing things there very well.
    Yes, our area is on SPP (Southwest Power Pool). I get the frustration about ERCOT but this is also not a common weather event for the majority of the state and since they switched from coal burning plants to natural gas (which was a good move) unfortunately without the full production of renewable energy there is nothing to supplement the shortage. A return to normal temperatures for those areas is key so the renewable energy pool is back.
    Hopefully they winterize all of the generator stations after this. Blaming windmills is ridiculous as some have done.  There are windmills in use in plenty of places that are winterized and so don’t get stressed with this type of event.  It’s a massive failure and if they don’t invest in improvements it will happen again, but hey what’s a handful of folks dead and thousands out of work of the shareholders get profit from their deregulated market.   I’m going on 60+hrs, no heat no power.  Foraging in the green belt for dead logs to process into firewood.. government failure and private business failure big time.
    Scio me nihil scire

    There are no kings inside the gates of eden
  • Meltdown99Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    It’s called freakish weather.  You do not design your electrical grid fro a freakish storm...

    The wimps without power and are whining will survive.  My in laws lived through the kingston ice storm with no power for days with 2 little ones...

    They are all alive with awesome stories...

    https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1785475133
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • FiveBelowFiveBelow Lubbock, TX Posts: 1,167
    edited February 2021
    static111 said:
    FiveBelow said:
    brianlux said:
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.

    I read somewhere that most of Texas is powered through ERCOT  (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) which manages the deregulated market for energy for something like 75% of the state and that the areas not serviced by ERGOT have gotten through this cold snap generally much better than those who are tied into ERCOT.  Sounds like ERCOT is not managing things there very well.
    Yes, our area is on SPP (Southwest Power Pool). I get the frustration about ERCOT but this is also not a common weather event for the majority of the state and since they switched from coal burning plants to natural gas (which was a good move) unfortunately without the full production of renewable energy there is nothing to supplement the shortage. A return to normal temperatures for those areas is key so the renewable energy pool is back.
    Hopefully they winterize all of the generator stations after this. Blaming windmills is ridiculous as some have done.  There are windmills in use in plenty of places that are winterized and so don’t get stressed with this type of event.  It’s a massive failure and if they don’t invest in improvements it will happen again, but hey what’s a handful of folks dead and thousands out of work of the shareholders get profit from their deregulated market.   I’m going on 60+hrs, no heat no power.  Foraging in the green belt for dead logs to process into firewood.. government failure and private business failure big time.
    I haven't watched the news since all of this has taken place, but I did receive an informative text message from my electric provider. It did mention the turbines and solar shortages were partly to blame along with how many homes are on natural gas now which is the only other way to power these plants. Supply and demand in a nutshell. What is confusing about your area is how long they have been down, we were warned that if it got bad enough they would do controlled rolling blackouts to combat the issue. No power for 60 hours is insane. It makes me wonder if our area does winterize the equipment since we get 3-4 storms like this each winter and that is why we are not facing the same situation, who knows.

    Post edited by FiveBelow on
  • RunIntoTheRainRunIntoTheRain Texas Posts: 1,009
    It’s called freakish weather.  You do not design your electrical grid fro a freakish storm...

    The wimps without power and are whining will survive.  My in laws lived through the kingston ice storm with no power for days with 2 little ones...

    They are all alive with awesome stories...

    https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1785475133

    This made me angry. When you don't know anything about the situation, please don't speak.

    I'm 40 miles south of Dallas. I am extremely lucky that my power has stayed on. Millions are without it for DAYS!  People with kids are on FB asking for milk, firewood, a place to stay. Gas stations here in town are out of gas. Grocery stores are either closed due to no power or no employees. . The ones open have pretty empty shelves because they aren't getting deliveries. The domino effect of this is very bad and it isn't anywhere near over. So please, zip your lip if all you have to spew is ignorant insults.

  • HughFreakingDillonHughFreakingDillon Winnipeg Posts: 35,808
    edited February 2021
    It’s called freakish weather.  You do not design your electrical grid fro a freakish storm...

    The wimps without power and are whining will survive.  My in laws lived through the kingston ice storm with no power for days with 2 little ones...

    They are all alive with awesome stories...

    https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1785475133
    people have died
    [name calling removed by mod]
    Post edited by Sea on
    Darwinspeed, all. 

    Cheers,

    HFD




  • hedonisthedonist standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
    It’s called freakish weather.  You do not design your electrical grid fro a freakish storm...

    The wimps without power and are whining will survive.  My in laws lived through the kingston ice storm with no power for days with 2 little ones...

    They are all alive with awesome stories...

    https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1785475133

    This made me angry. When you don't know anything about the situation, please don't speak.

    I'm 40 miles south of Dallas. I am extremely lucky that my power has stayed on. Millions are without it for DAYS!  People with kids are on FB asking for milk, firewood, a place to stay. Gas stations here in town are out of gas. Grocery stores are either closed due to no power or no employees. . The ones open have pretty empty shelves because they aren't getting deliveries. The domino effect of this is very bad and it isn't anywhere near over. So please, zip your lip if all you have to spew is ignorant insults.

    Thank you for saying all of that. 

    (like it even needed to be said to begin with)
  • static111static111 Posts: 4,889
    FiveBelow said:
    static111 said:
    FiveBelow said:
    brianlux said:
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.

    I read somewhere that most of Texas is powered through ERCOT  (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) which manages the deregulated market for energy for something like 75% of the state and that the areas not serviced by ERGOT have gotten through this cold snap generally much better than those who are tied into ERCOT.  Sounds like ERCOT is not managing things there very well.
    Yes, our area is on SPP (Southwest Power Pool). I get the frustration about ERCOT but this is also not a common weather event for the majority of the state and since they switched from coal burning plants to natural gas (which was a good move) unfortunately without the full production of renewable energy there is nothing to supplement the shortage. A return to normal temperatures for those areas is key so the renewable energy pool is back.
    Hopefully they winterize all of the generator stations after this. Blaming windmills is ridiculous as some have done.  There are windmills in use in plenty of places that are winterized and so don’t get stressed with this type of event.  It’s a massive failure and if they don’t invest in improvements it will happen again, but hey what’s a handful of folks dead and thousands out of work of the shareholders get profit from their deregulated market.   I’m going on 60+hrs, no heat no power.  Foraging in the green belt for dead logs to process into firewood.. government failure and private business failure big time.
    I haven't watched the news since all of this has taken place, but I did receive an informative text message from my electric provider. It did mention the turbines and solar shortages were partly to blame along with how many homes are on natural gas now which is the only other way to power these plants. Supply and demand in a nutshell. What is confusing about your area is how long they have been down, we were warned that if it got bad enough they would do controlled rolling blackouts to combat the issue. No power for 60 hours is insane. It makes me wonder if our area does winterize the equipment since we get 3-4 storms like this each winter and that is why we are not facing the same situation, who knows.

    The maddening thing is downtown and all the office buildings have been lit up the entire time.  They aren’t rolling any power through our area at all.  It’s ridiculous.  We go out to the car to listen to the news and warm up and charge our phones.  NPR is reporting that some providers aren’t going online purposefully to drive up prices.  My area up north is mostly apartments, it really seems like areas that have low home ownership and more working class and mixed race neighborhoods have been hit the hardest and are going longest without power.
    Scio me nihil scire

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  • FiveBelowFiveBelow Lubbock, TX Posts: 1,167
    static111 said:
    FiveBelow said:
    static111 said:
    FiveBelow said:
    brianlux said:
    FiveBelow said:
    Living in a part of Texas that actually has 4 seasons we have experienced very little disturbance from this latest storm. I have friends in Dallas and Austin who have been without power for 30+ hours, thermostats showing inside temperatures of 45-50 degrees. Once you drop off of the Caprock and head east the state is not prepared to experience temperatures like this.

    I read somewhere that most of Texas is powered through ERCOT  (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) which manages the deregulated market for energy for something like 75% of the state and that the areas not serviced by ERGOT have gotten through this cold snap generally much better than those who are tied into ERCOT.  Sounds like ERCOT is not managing things there very well.
    Yes, our area is on SPP (Southwest Power Pool). I get the frustration about ERCOT but this is also not a common weather event for the majority of the state and since they switched from coal burning plants to natural gas (which was a good move) unfortunately without the full production of renewable energy there is nothing to supplement the shortage. A return to normal temperatures for those areas is key so the renewable energy pool is back.
    Hopefully they winterize all of the generator stations after this. Blaming windmills is ridiculous as some have done.  There are windmills in use in plenty of places that are winterized and so don’t get stressed with this type of event.  It’s a massive failure and if they don’t invest in improvements it will happen again, but hey what’s a handful of folks dead and thousands out of work of the shareholders get profit from their deregulated market.   I’m going on 60+hrs, no heat no power.  Foraging in the green belt for dead logs to process into firewood.. government failure and private business failure big time.
    I haven't watched the news since all of this has taken place, but I did receive an informative text message from my electric provider. It did mention the turbines and solar shortages were partly to blame along with how many homes are on natural gas now which is the only other way to power these plants. Supply and demand in a nutshell. What is confusing about your area is how long they have been down, we were warned that if it got bad enough they would do controlled rolling blackouts to combat the issue. No power for 60 hours is insane. It makes me wonder if our area does winterize the equipment since we get 3-4 storms like this each winter and that is why we are not facing the same situation, who knows.

    The maddening thing is downtown and all the office buildings have been lit up the entire time.  They aren’t rolling any power through our area at all.  It’s ridiculous.  We go out to the car to listen to the news and warm up and charge our phones.  NPR is reporting that some providers aren’t going online purposefully to drive up prices.  My area up north is mostly apartments, it really seems like areas that have low home ownership and more working class and mixed race neighborhoods have been hit the hardest and are going longest without power.
    Hopefully they get this all resolved soon for you guys, hang in there.
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