As freezing weather conditions continue to threaten the southern United States, and an excess supply for heating has overloaded the energy grid, Texas suffered significant power failures.
TAFT, TX - MARCH 27: A wind turbine is viewed at a wind farm on March 27, 2015 in Taft, Texas. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state. Wind power accounted for 8.3% of the electricity generated in Texas during 2013. Texas, which in just the last five years has tripled its oil production and delivered hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy, is looking at what could be a sustained downturn in oil prices. Crude oil prices are almost 60 percent lower now than they were six months ago.
There have been intermittent supplies of both electricity and gas, with the officials claiming they need to "properly handle the power distribution on the grid" to prevent another significant power break.
Could we blame Texas' recent power outages on wind turbines? What's gotten out of hand?
What Happened?
The devastatingly freezing weather has impacted Texas' energy sector.
Wind turbines, as well as critical installations at gas wells and in the nuclear industry, froze.
But since gas and many other non-renewable energies contribute much more to the supply than wind power, these shortages have had a much greater influence on the system.
Thus, critics pointed to the loss of nearly half of Texas' wind-energy potential due to frozen turbines. Unfortunately, they neglected to point out twice the loss of gas and other non-renewable sources such as coal and nuclear power.
Over the past 15 years, Texas has encouraged wind energy production.
US Energy Information Administration claims that an average of about 20 percent of its electricity supply comes from renewable energy sources, mainly wind.
However, the largest amount comes from fossil fuels, as well as 10% from nuclear energy.
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On Tuesday, the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), the state's largest energy supplier, told Texas Tribune the freezing conditions had led to:
- 30GW of gas, coal and nuclear sources are taken offline
- A power loss of 16 GW in wind and other renewable energy supplies
- And this, he said, had seriously curtailed his capacity over the past few days to meet a peak demand of 69 GW - an increase far greater than expected.
Ercot says it expects just 7 percent to be supplied by wind energy to forecast a severe winter weather event.
Dan Woodfin of the company said much of the generation that has gone offline today was mainly due to problems with the natural gas grid.
Houston Chronicle reported that the cold weather also caused a water system that runs the South Texas Nuclear Power Station to shut down.
Who Should Be Accountable?
Governor Gregg Abbott noted in an interview with NBC that any source of influence that Texas has access to is compromised. He is also seeking an investigation from ERCOT, which is the least that can be done.
However, the Texas Tribune shares that policy analysts blame the failure of the power grid on lawmakers and state agencies, who, according to them, did not correctly answer the warning of previous storms.
In the meantime, retired former Public Citizen director, Tom Smith, who campaigned for reforms in the state after the 2011 energy crisis, says the law should be updated to protect citizens and not benefit and develop guidelines.
Several wind turbine experts have told Newsweek that if the turbines had been fitted with warming up components and lubricants, Texas's situation might have been prevented.
But a spokesman for the American Clean Power Association told Forbes that installing wind turbines in Texas where the environment is normally warm "hasn't been necessary."
The tragedy for the state's people will continue with the persistent cold in Texas and as the power grid begins to drop.
ALSO READ: Renewable Energy and Its Role To a Clean Energy Future
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