This weather is awful!! 2008-2021

[eytonxav]

This WSJ article provides a good explanation of what is going on in Texas, taking some of the political biases out of it that are coming from some media sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-spins-into-the-wind-11613605698

No question all these various sources of power generation are needed, but a higher amount of baseline sources (coal, nuclear) are needed as buffer capacity to offset the limitations of other sources (wind, solar, NG). Economics is a big factor in adding new capacity when the renewables receive the subsidies and the other sources do not, as well as how to balance summer vs winter time usage while keeping rates reasonable. ERCOT is also being scrutinized as its board of directors composition contains several individuals that do not even live in Texas. Not sure if that is good or bad, but it is something to take a look at.

 

[ls99]

Come to think of it, diesel engines can run on vegetable oil, which is renewable.

And there are fast growing trees one can plant for firewood.

It's easier if there is more arable land. And people need to live in smaller more energy efficient homes. Drive smaller and slower cars too, darn it!

Diesels would be the ideal machines to dispose of all the canola and other manufactured trans fats, instead of putting them in food.


BTW Texas does not do things half a$$ed. This Texas size freeze is another proof.

 

[Gremlin]

Come to think of it, diesel engines can run on vegetable oil, which is renewable.

And there are fast growing trees one can plant for firewood.

It's easier if there is more arable land. And people need to live in smaller more energy efficient homes. Drive smaller and slower cars too, darn it!

I 100% agree with this. I have absolutely no problem with people who want to live in their McMansions with their heated pools/garages. But we have to realize that comes with a price too.

I saw your earlier post where you mentioned underground houses and it made me laugh. We are currently building a passive solar house with the sides and the back built into the ground. The basic design is based on Michael Reynold's Earthships but we made changes to suit our personal needs (we had no interest in building out of earth filled old tires lol) Poured concrete walls/floors and the entire front of the house is a large green house.

Something a little bit like this:

https://offgridworld.com/big-sky-so...hip-is-off-grid-living-perfection-in-montana/

We aren't connected to the grid. We have a 4 kwh DIY solar system that is my husband's favorite child : ) We don't collect rainwater like most earthships because we didn't want to have a cistern underground and winter here makes it really difficult anyway. Instead, we use our solar system to run the pump to our well and fill two 600 gallon tanks when the sun is shining. We have a generator we can use if we want but we try not to. Right now our only heat is our Nectre wood stove ( we will be installing propane heaters in the bathrooms) Even when the wood stove wasn't burning wood, our house never got lower than 52 degrees during our recent freezing temps of minus 15.

We love our system. We are very self sufficient. We are doing things exactly the way we want to. But it is a lot of work! Work that we chose and most people wouldn't.

 

[W2R]

This weather is awful!!

Our electric company here sent a scary, stern email to us threatening similar rolling blackouts here immediately if we don't cut back on electricity usage. So far, no blackouts in our neighborhood but after reading about Texas' situation we are concerned.

And now we have a freeze warning for tonight, plus record low temperatures once again predicted. It wasn't supposed to freeze again so soon!

This weather is awful!

 

[Leo1277]

It was astounding the way those wind mills drank all the water, too.

Haha, we need to call Don Quixote to the rescue. He fought these wind mills while being delusional because his "brain was dried up" for lack of water and reading too many blog posts (uhm, books)

 

[Gremlin]

And now we have a freeze warning for tonight, plus record low temperatures once again predicted. It wasn't supposed to freeze again so soon!

This weather is awful!

Ugh! So sorry to hear this. Fingers crossed you don't lose power!

 

[aja8888]

Drive smaller and slower cars too, darn it!

Hey, that's UnAmerican!

 

[travelover]

This WSJ article provides a good explanation of what is going on in Texas, taking some of the political biases out of it that are coming from some media sources:......

Yea, thank goodness we have another an unbiased Rupert Murdock owned resource to fall back on.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

None of this is the problem. It's too many people. Break out the Life Clock crystals and the Carousel.

This is verboten, didn't you know??! I have been complaining about overpopulation for years, but it falls on deaf ears. I know, I know...there is no real solution for it...but I can still complain. I wonder if Texas is still happy about so many people relocating there?

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I 100% agree with this. I have absolutely no problem with people who want to live in their McMansions with their heated pools/garages. But we have to realize that comes with a price too.

Our local utility has been begging people to try and conserve energy for "the greater good." I think we have done our part to help out, but it can only go so far. My DW showed me a post on Facebook from someone complaining about the request, his ramble said something along the lines of: "I helped drill this oil, I sure as hell gonna use it!!" and posted a picture of his thermostat set at 76 degrees. People can be so freaking selfish and it makes me awfully sad.

 

[skipro33]

My Sister-in-law messaged us today; Day 6 of no power in Portland where she lives. No end in sight.
Lucky me, I live in PG&E territory where we have frequent black outs due to fire danger. I've since added 2 free TESLA Powerwall II battery banks, courtesy of the California PUC through their Cap-n-Trade carbon credit program funding. With my solar, I'm pretty much off the grid these days. And if there's an extended period of no sun, I have a whole house generator I can fall back on. Converted it to run on propane and have a 500 gallon propane tank filled, ready to go.

 

[Car-Guy]

I wonder if Texas is still happy about so many people relocating there?

"Still" ?

 

[aja8888]

"Still" ?

+2

 

[Music Lover]

Yea, thank goodness we have another an unbiased Rupert Murdock owned resource to fall back on.

Fortunately the rest of the media is completely unbiased and trustworthy

 

[MichaelB]

Is this still a thread about the weather?

 

[REWahoo]

Is this still a thread about the weather?

Good question. Has it really gotten to the point it's not even safe to talk about the weather?

 

[Freedom56]

This WSJ article provides a good explanation of what is going on in Texas, taking some of the political biases out of it that are coming from some media sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-spins-into-the-wind-11613605698

No question all these various sources of power generation are needed, but a higher amount of baseline sources (coal, nuclear) are needed as buffer capacity to offset the limitations of other sources (wind, solar, NG). Economics is a big factor in adding new capacity when the renewables receive the subsidies and the other sources do not, as well as how to balance summer vs winter time usage while keeping rates reasonable. ERCOT is also being scrutinized as its board of directors composition contains several individuals that do not even live in Texas. Not sure if that is good or bad, but it is something to take a look at.

It's an opinion piece by the editorial board not an article reporting facts.

 

[eytonxav]

Yea, thank goodness we have another an unbiased Rupert Murdock owned resource to fall back on.

If you have alternate unbiased source that explains the infrastructure impact in Texas, do tell

 

[Koolau]

This WSJ article provides a good explanation of what is going on in Texas, taking some of the political biases out of it that are coming from some media sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-spins-into-the-wind-11613605698

No question all these various sources of power generation are needed, but a higher amount of baseline sources (coal, nuclear) are needed as buffer capacity to offset the limitations of other sources (wind, solar, NG). Economics is a big factor in adding new capacity when the renewables receive the subsidies and the other sources do not, as well as how to balance summer vs winter time usage while keeping rates reasonable. ERCOT is also being scrutinized as its board of directors composition contains several individuals that do not even live in Texas. Not sure if that is good or bad, but it is something to take a look at.

Couldn't read much of the article. My thoughts are that big changes to the energy infrastructure and generation "system" have taken place since the last real weather "challenge." Don't know if you would call this a 100-year weather event but it'll do until a real one comes along. Now, lets hope everyone, not just Texas learns from the issues that have shown themselves since coal and oil were king.

I've always said that you can't fool mother nature. You can't wish or hope that something new will always work. You have to test it - the easy way (before) or the hard way (during.)

God bless Texas!

 

[NW-Bound]

Happiness is having power and water...

... which sometimes money cannot buy.


PS. I did a little more looking, and found a set up that will let me filter my pool water into very nice potable water in an emergency. For less than $100, I can get a portable RO system and a 12V water pump to put water under pressure to said RO filter. Output is something like [-]75[/-] 100 gal/day. Lots to drink and share with people.

 

[MuirWannabe]

This weather is awful!!

Texas is great, although REW has been warning y’all unsuccessfully for years to stay away.

For all those who seem to be relishing the opportunity, (I mean offering heartfelt empathy), to somehow blast Texas’ conservative nature enjoy yourselves. Goodness knows all those places y’all come from are paradises.

 

[ls99]

Seems Oregon is having power problems, reportedly weather related.
Texas does not have monoploy.



BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore.—Nearly 150,000 customers remained without power Wednesday in and around Portland, Oregon, nearly a week after a massive snow and ice storm swept into the Pacific Northwest, taking out hundreds of miles of power lines as ice-laden trees toppled.
The damage wrought by the storm to the power system was the worst in 40 years, and more than 2,000 power lines—about 208 miles in total—were still down, said Maria Pope, CEO of Portland General Electric. At the peak of the storm, more than 350,000 customers were without power, and 5,000 power lines and three substations were down.

 

[MichaelB]

NO. All of us that live or have ever lived in northern climates can attest that the human suffering right now in Texas is clearly manmade. Not a weather issue. Maybe a new thread for government malfeasance?

Not this thread, please, and also not this forum, please. More politics in this thread is going to ruin it for everyone.

 

[MRG]

Couldn't read much of the article. My thoughts are that big changes to the energy infrastructure and generation "system" have taken place since the last real weather "challenge." Don't know if you would call this a 100-year weather event but it'll do until a real one comes along. Now, lets hope everyone, not just Texas learns from the issues that have shown themselves since coal and oil were king.

I've always said that you can't fool mother nature. You can't wish or hope that something new will always work. You have to test it - the easy way (before) or the hard way (during.)

God bless Texas!

During my career I was involved with some technological developments that changed how different businesses processed their customers work. Great improvements were made in efficiency, leading to cost cutting headcount reductions. This was game changing and was quickly adopted by Megacorp's customers.

Then one day systems didn't work after an operating system upgrade and the backups were gone! Gone, the tape librarian had scratched them and poof, they were overwritten! They had millions of dollars in hardware that didn't work, none of their current data, and no clear recovery options. On top of this steaming pile they were in financial services and their regulatory requirements weren't being met.

Stuff changed afterwards.

 

[timo2]

Not this thread, please, and also not this forum, please. More politics in this thread is going to ruin it for everyone.

Sorry. I guess I didn't understand your question. I've deleted my post. I also would like for this thread to be about the weather.