Wind turbines are great source of renewable energy...until they're NOT!

[Miloch]

Historic winter storm freezes Texas wind turbines; millions without power

https://www.theblaze.com/news/historic-winter-storm-freezes-texas-wind-turbines

Nearly half of Texas wind energy production has frozen to a halt

Millions are without power in Texas after a historic winter storm blasted the
state over the weekend, creating freezing conditions that have made the roads
dangerous and knocking out nearly half of Texas' installed wind power
generation.

Texas grid operators who spoke to the Austin American-Statesman said freezing
rain and historically low temperatures caused wind turbines in West Texas to
freeze to a halt, knocking out some 12,000 megawatts of energy production. Wind
farms in Texas typically generate up to 25,100 megawatts of energy, almost half
of which is currently out of production as the state works to thaw out the
turbines.

"This is a unique winter storm that's more widespread with lots of moisture in
West Texas, where there's a lot of times not a lot of moisture," said Dan
Woodfin, senior director of system operations for the Electric Reliability
Council of Texas, the nonprofit corporation that manages the power grid. "It's
certainly more than what we would typically assume."

According to the American-Statesman, wind power is the fastest-growing source of
energy in Texas' power grid. In 2013, Texas lawmakers approved a $7 billion plan
to subsidize wind energy production. Wind farms now provide 23% of Texas energy
and are the second-largest source of energy after natural gas.

Some of the lost wind power in West Texas has been offset by coastal wind farms
to the east that are still operational and spinning faster, propelled by storm
gusts. But the frozen turbines have contributed to rolling blackouts that have
put more than 2.7 million people out of power Monday.

ERCOT reported Monday that electricity demand hit a new winter peak record. In
response to the demand, ERCOT asked residents to attempt to reduce their
electricity use as much as possible in a news release statement.

"We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold
temperatures that have gripped Texas," ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness
said. "At the same time, we are dealing with higher-than-normal generation
outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available
to generating units. We are asking Texans to take some simple, safe steps to
lower their energy use during this time."



*

[Mitchell Holman]

Post by Miloch
Historic winter storm freezes Texas wind turbines; millions without power
https://www.theblaze.com/news/historic-winter-storm-freezes-texas-wind-
turbines
Nearly half of Texas wind energy production has frozen to a halt
Millions are without power in Texas after a historic winter storm
blasted the state over the weekend, creating freezing conditions that
have made the roads dangerous and knocking out nearly half of Texas'
installed wind power generation.
Texas grid operators who spoke to the Austin American-Statesman said
freezing rain and historically low temperatures caused wind turbines
in West Texas to freeze to a halt, knocking out some 12,000 megawatts
of energy production. Wind farms in Texas typically generate up to
25,100 megawatts of energy, almost half of which is currently out of
production as the state works to thaw out the turbines.
"This is a unique winter storm that's more widespread with lots of
moisture in West Texas, where there's a lot of times not a lot of
moisture," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations for
the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the nonprofit corporation
that manages the power grid. "It's certainly more than what we would
typically assume."
According to the American-Statesman, wind power is the fastest-growing
source of energy in Texas' power grid. In 2013, Texas lawmakers
approved a $7 billion plan to subsidize wind energy production. Wind
farms now provide 23% of Texas energy and are the second-largest
source of energy after natural gas.
Some of the lost wind power in West Texas has been offset by coastal
wind farms to the east that are still operational and spinning faster,
propelled by storm gusts. But the frozen turbines have contributed to
rolling blackouts that have put more than 2.7 million people out of
power Monday.
ERCOT reported Monday that electricity demand hit a new winter peak
record. In response to the demand, ERCOT asked residents to attempt to
reduce their electricity use as much as possible in a news release
statement.
"We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the
extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas," ERCOT President
and CEO Bill Magness said. "At the same time, we are dealing with
higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and
limited natural gas supplies available to generating units. We are
asking Texans to take some simple, safe steps to lower their energy
use during this time."

Texas should just tap into the national
grid. Opp, it can't, the Legislature insists
on "energy independence". You know, "we can
go it alone".



Texas’ power grid crumples under the cold
2/15/2021

Texas is unusual in that almost the entire
state is part of a single grid that lacks
extensive integration with those of the
surrounding states. That grid is run by an
organization called ERCOT, the Electric
Reliability Council of Texas, a nonprofit
controlled by the state legislature.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/texas-power-grid-crumples-under-
the-cold/