Wind and solar power are ‘bailing out’ Texas amid record heat and energy demand

[Glitch]

"primary source" does not mean "only" source. It doesn't even mean "major" source, though it can be. It just means the first source or the source of first choice.

An alternative can be the "most".

Just by using the term "primary source" implies that there is at least a secondary source, and possibly more sources. So if you interpreted it to mean "only" then the misinterpretation is yours and nobody else's.

I realize the uneducated love to redefine words to suit their agenda, but you should really try obtaining a little education to at least use the words as they were actually defined and not merely what you want them to be. "Alternative" does not mean "most," and it never has. In the context used "alternative" means "one of a number of possibilities."

Don't look now, but your lack of education is showing - again.

 

[mrjurrs]

They'll eventually figure out other means of energy. It's inevitable. Just not likely to displace fossil fuels in our lifetime.

Are you really old? Because they are being displaced everyday. What do you suppose has states trying to figure out replacement funding for gas taxes?

 

[mrjurrs]

Just by using the term "primary source" implies that there is at least a secondary source, and possibly more sources. So if you interpreted it to mean "only" then the misinterpretation is yours and nobody else's.

I realize the uneducated love to redefine words to suit their agenda, but you should really try obtaining a little education to at least use the words as they were actually defined and not merely what you want them to be. "Alternative" does not mean "most," and it never has. In the context used "alternative" means "one of a number of possibilities."

Don't look now, but your lack of education is showing - again.

Imo both of you are off track regarding primary sources. If I go see a baseball game and then tell you about it, then I am a primary source. If I read about it in the paper and then tell you about it, I am a secondary source. Quite often, secondary sources are more in depth and accurate than the primary source.

 

[Artymoon]

Are you really old? Because they are being displaced everyday. What do you suppose has states trying to figure out replacement funding for gas taxes?

Sometimes I feel really old. Fossil fuels are not being displaced. Wind and solar could certainly supplement certain areas but will not in any foreseeable future account for the majority of energy production based on existing consumption. Again though, I am all for wind and solar and they certainly have their places.

 

[What if...?]

I don't know anyone who "hates" renewable energy. What people "hate" is the abject stupidity of relying on alternative energy sources as if it were the primary source of energy. You rely on reliable and stable energy sources, such as fossil fuels, and use the unreliable and unstable energy sources to supplement and ease the load of the reliable and stable energy sources whenever possible.

That is the problem with "alternative" energy sources, and why they will always be "alternative" energy source. They are unreliable. Wind generators cannot be used if the winds are greater than 45 mph, and they cannot be used when temperatures drop below freezing. That leaves a very narrow window when they are actually generating energy. Solar panels are incredibly inefficient, is only really useful below 45°N latitude, and has no way of providing long-term storage (wind generators have a similar problem with storage).

While they may be renewable energy sources, they cannot be depended upon to provide continuous stable energy at affordable costs. In some cases it also makes no sense, like using ethanol, for example. Sure we can always grow more corn, but by using our food supply for fuel we have tripled the price of beef, pork, and poultry. Which is incredibly stupid, because the cost to produce ethanol is being paid by those who can afford it the least and it lowers the standard of living for everyone.

Use absolutely every energy source available (except for our food) - wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, tidal, nuclear, coal, fuel oil, natural gas, etc., etc., but also take into consideration its reliability. Complete reliance on wind generation to be the primary source of power is what caused Texas' blackout in 2019. They have added a new oil refinery since then, so they would appear to have gotten the message. Continue to use fossil fuels as the primary source of energy, and supplement that primary source with alternative energy sources.

Electric cars couple with a smart grid would provide a massive amount of grid storage.

And they’re usually parked somewhere during peak demand. And all the modern ones have many times the commute home on board, just sitting there.

 

[mrjurrs]

Sometimes I feel really old. Fossil fuels are not being displaced. Wind and solar could certainly supplement certain areas but will not in any foreseeable future account for the majority of energy production based on existing consumption. Again though, I am all for wind and solar and they certainly have their places.

The decrease in consumption comes from fossil fuels. The increase in consumption occurs in the renewable section. Effectively doubling in a start up position compared to a mature industry? That gives me great hope that by the time 2050 rolls around renewables will be approaching dominance in the energy sector. We'd better hope so.


"A pie chart of US energy consumption in 2012 shows the percentage of each type of energy that was consumed for that year. Renewables 8%, nuclear 9%, coal 21%, natural gas 25%, and oil 37%. A second pie chart of the US energy consumption in 2035 shows the prediction of the percentage of each type of energy that will be consumed for that year. Renewables 16%, nuclear 9%, coal 20%, natural gas 26%, and oil 32%. The history of the energy consumption profile of the United States indicates that petroleum makes the largest part of the energy demand over the past seven decades. Natural gas has taken the second over the past decade with the production of gas from shale. Coal is slowly being replaced by natural gas for power generation over the past decade. Renewable energy is growing at a much faster rate. Among the renewable energy sources, biomass has the larger share followed by hydroelectric energy. Wind energy and solar energy are the fastest growing energy sources."

2.6: Current and Future Energy Sources of the U.S.

eng.libretexts.org

 

[Glitch]

Imo both of you are off track regarding primary sources. If I go see a baseball game and then tell you about it, then I am a primary source. If I read about it in the paper and then tell you about it, I am a secondary source. Quite often, secondary sources are more in depth and accurate than the primary source.

We are discussing energy sources, not sources of information. Pay closer attention to the thread.

 

[mrjurrs]

We are discussing energy sources, not sources of information. Pay closer attention to the thread.

oops

 

[Glitch]

Electric cars couple with a smart grid would provide a massive amount of grid storage.

And they’re usually parked somewhere during peak demand. And all the modern ones have many times the commute home on board, just sitting there.

That makes no sense. Why charge the electric vehicles if you are just using them for storage? Eliminate electric vehicles altogether and you eliminate their extra power requirements. Even that would only be a temporary solution. More power-plants are inevitable as the population increases. Denying that reality is stupid. Yet that is exactly the mentality of leftist filth, lower the standard of living for every American by producing less energy as the population increases. The Democratic Party is determined to take the US back to the Stone Age.

 

[Ishm]

At least the cost of sunshine and wind haven't massively increased recently. Texas consumers should be grateful, even the Trumpy ones

 

[What if...?]

That makes no sense. Why charge the electric vehicles if you are just using them for storage? Eliminate electric vehicles altogether and you eliminate their extra power requirements. Even that would only be a temporary solution. More power-plants are inevitable as the population increases. Denying that reality is stupid. Yet that is exactly the mentality of leftist filth, lower the standard of living for every American by producing less energy as the population increases. The Democratic Party is determined to take the US back to the Stone Age.

Electric vehicles win. Because they don’t care where the electrons come from. Oil, coal, NG, solar, wind, nuclear, fusion. So a new technology won’t render the entire fleet obsolete.

And they represent a huge bank of grid storage, available at peak to be replaced at night.

 

[What if...?]

Ok

That makes no sense. Why charge the electric vehicles if you are just using them for storage? Eliminate electric vehicles altogether and you eliminate their extra power requirements. Even that would only be a temporary solution. More power-plants are inevitable as the population increases. Denying that reality is stupid. Yet that is exactly the mentality of leftist filth, lower the standard of living for every American by producing less energy as the population increases. The Democratic Party is determined to take the US back to the Stone Age.

ok So you don’t know anything about how energy is produced or distributed. Plants operate at varying outputs. Fuel fed plants play a guessing game trying to make the right amount of power without too much waste. There is no storage, just live production.

If they had storage they would have load leveling without unnecessary firing up of extra turbines.

 

[Risky Thicket]

We have already hit 114 and a few days above 110 this week, yesterday and today are a much nicer 105.

We are in the ugly season in Phoenix, we are at least 3-4 weeks from our monsoon season, we are expecting a good monsoon season like last years. Two years ago, we had a mostly non-existent monsoon, and the effects were nasty. I lost a beautiful dwarf blood orange tree that produced a lot of tasty fruit, and all over the city trees died, big trees. Even the revered saguaro cacti got affected, there were a lot of them that died. These cactus take decades just to get to the point where they can put out arms, and you really can't replace them, as it is illegal to poach them from the desert.

Last monsoon season, my neighbors very large tree got upended in a monsoon storm. She didn't know that it needed to be cut to allow the wind to go through it, and, like an idiot, she over watered her lawn to the point that the ground was too soft.

View attachment 67396639

Me too. I lost a big saguaro, almost lost 3 big ficus trees and three vines that had grown for many years on our back wall.

Every year just before monsoons start I have a crew climb up in my mesquite tree and two palo verde trees and trim the hell out of them.

It’s worth the money.

I have two 55 gallon rain barrels I use to water plants, veggies and vines.

 

[Risky Thicket]

Who said you need to be off the grid 100% of the time?

Last time I looked, our sun still had many of millions of years of shining ahead of it, and wind isn't just going to stop.

Arizona could be/should be leading the nation in solar technology, design, and integration, but of course we aren’t, for political reasons.

We can’t compete with dark money going to the AZ legislature and the Corporation Commission.

 

[HumblePi]

I just heard this on CNN with Erin Burnett, 'In Greenland, unusually warm temperatures are causing six billion tons of water to melt every day".
I know she didn't say it the right way, but I know what the point was. The point is that global warming cannot be denied any longer, or it's too late. Actually, some climatologists feel that it's already too late to reverse the inevitable.

 

[Lisa]

No such luck here. We had some gnarly storms a few days ago and we’re under an excessive heat warning (feels like 110 with humidity) so everyone is blasting their AC. The power grid can’t handle it so there are rolling blackouts in Columbus proper. We’re fine in the burbs though.

We got lucky and only had constant light rain. The heat in the Aileron area has been annoyingly hot but even the wet bulb temperature hasn't exceeded 100°. There have been no blackouts in my system.

I've found that just maxing the dehumnifier function can make the house very bareble because it removed the humidity. It feels like a very comfortable 75°.

 

[jaypatriot]

For all the usual haters of renewables....

Wind and solar power are 'bailing out' Texas amid record heat and energy demand | CNN

Energy experts told CNN the Texas electric grid is holding up well this week in large part to strong performances from renewable energy.

www.cnn.com

Texans are cranking on the air conditioning this week amid an unusually early heat wave, setting new records for electricity demand in the state, which surpassed 75 gigawatts on Sunday and smashed the 2019 record. Texas grid operator ERCOT projects it could approach that peak again on Tuesday.
But unlike previous extreme weather events in Texas which led to deadly blackouts, the grid is holding up remarkably well this week. Several experts told CNN that it’s owed in large part to strong performances from wind and solar, which generated 27 gigawatts of electricity during Sunday’s peak demand – close to 40% of the total needed. “Texas is, by rhetoric, anti-renewables. But frankly, renewables are bailing us out,” said Michael Webber, an energy expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “They’re rocking. That really spares us a lot of heartache and a lot of money.” Despite the Texas Republican rhetoric that wind and solar are unreliable, Texas has a massive and growing fleet of renewables. Zero-carbon electricity sources (wind, solar, and nuclear) powered about 38% of the state’s power in 2021, rivaling natural gas at 42%.
This is a relatively recent phenomenon for the state.
“Wind and solar would not have been available in years in the past, so the growing capacity helps to alleviate reliance on natural gas and coal,” said Jonathan DeVilbiss, operations research analyst at the US Energy Information Administration.

Lord Snot,
Bully for you and TX renewables.
Are you going to guarantee that the sun is always shining and the wind is always blowing?
Where are the batteries to store the electricity these miracles tools produce?
And how do the exalted EV cars get charged at night? From fossil fuels, right?

 

[jaypatriot]

I just heard this on CNN with Erin Burnett, 'In Greenland, unusually warm temperatures are causing six billion tons of water to melt every day".
I know she didn't say it the right way, but I know what the point was. The point is that global warming cannot be denied any longer, or it's too late. Actually, some climatologists feel that it's already too late to reverse the inevitable.

The answer is ADAPTATION AND NOT MITIGATION!!

We learn how to live the changing climate because China, India, and Russia don't give a shit about chaning the planet's temperature.
They care more about giving their citizens electricity and heating at night.

 

[beefheart]

Lord Snot,
Bully for you and TX renewables.
Are you going to guarantee that the sun is always shining and the wind is always blowing?
Where are the batteries to store the electricity these miracles tools produce?
And how do the exalted EV cars get charged at night? From fossil fuels, right?

Yes, you and I will be long dead when the sun expands and engulfs the earth. Such anger against new tech.

 

[beefheart]

The answer is ADAPTATION AND NOT MITIGATION!!

We learn how to live the changing climate because China, India, and Russia don't give a shit about chaning the planet's temperature.
They care more about giving their citizens electricity and heating at night.

All Capps, too funny....

 

[Glitch]

Electric vehicles win. Because they don’t care where the electrons come from. Oil, coal, NG, solar, wind, nuclear, fusion. So a new technology won’t render the entire fleet obsolete.

And they represent a huge bank of grid storage, available at peak to be replaced at night.

If Electric vehicles win, why are they not used in Alaska?

Alaska, which is 2.5 times bigger than Texas (3 times bigger at low tide), has a grand total of ONE charging station in the entire State.

Electric vehicles will never be popular in northern States because they can't handle the cold. Lithium-ion batteries need to stay between -20°C (-4°F) and 60°C (140°F) or they lose their charge. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries subjected to those temperature extremes will become ineffective after 9 to 12 months. Lastly, they don't have the range to go anywhere more than a few miles before requiring a coal power-plant to recharge them.

Electric vehicles actually pollute more than vehicles with internal combustion engines when you factor in their recharging source. Nobody would be buying Electric Vehicles at all if not for the heavy subsidy that government places on them to barely make them affordable. It is a bad investment.

 

[Glitch]

The answer is ADAPTATION AND NOT MITIGATION!!

We learn how to live the changing climate because China, India, and Russia don't give a shit about chaning the planet's temperature.
They care more about giving their citizens electricity and heating at night.

Pollution is not weather or climate. You are confusing two very different things.

 

[Glitch]

We got lucky and only had constant light rain. The heat in the Aileron area has been annoyingly hot but even the wet bulb temperature hasn't exceeded 100°. There have been no blackouts in my system.

I've found that just maxing the dehumnifier function can make the house very bareble because it removed the humidity. It feels like a very comfortable 75°.

A constant light rain is just about all we get from July through September. There is a light rain outside as I type this. It is currently 58°F, but will be dropping to ~50°F in about four hours, around mid-night. The current humidity is 40%, but they are predicting it will reach 60% by tomorrow morning (with more light rain of course).

Thankfully, it never really gets hot enough to warrant air conditioning or a dehumidifier. We broke a 46 year record on July 4, 2019 when the temperature reached 90°F, but normally it does not get any warmer than ~80°F by mid-June. I also keep my home in a comfortable 70°F to 75°F range.

 

[Lisa]

A constant light rain is just about all we get from July through September. There is a light rain outside as I type this. It is currently 58°F, but will be dropping to ~50°F in about four hours, around mid-night. The current humidity is 40%, but they are predicting it will reach 60% by tomorrow morning (with more light rain of course).

Thankfully, it never really gets hot enough to warrant air conditioning or a dehumidifier. We broke a 46 year record on July 4, 2019 when the temperature reached 90°F, but normally it does not get any warmer than ~80°F by mid-June. I also keep my home in a comfortable 70°F to 75°F range.

I had a quick thunderstorm roll through NE-Ohio about 9:30-10:00pm. Now its cooler (75°) but its about 95% humidity. UGH! I'm sure that the corn and soybeans love it,. The winter wheat has been harvested already. The constant humidity makes a dehumidifier necessary, especially in my basement or it would be covered with mold. It generates about 5 gallons of water a day.

 

[Hari Seldon]

For all the usual haters of renewables....

Wind and solar power are 'bailing out' Texas amid record heat and energy demand | CNN

Energy experts told CNN the Texas electric grid is holding up well this week in large part to strong performances from renewable energy.

www.cnn.com

Texans are cranking on the air conditioning this week amid an unusually early heat wave, setting new records for electricity demand in the state, which surpassed 75 gigawatts on Sunday and smashed the 2019 record. Texas grid operator ERCOT projects it could approach that peak again on Tuesday.
But unlike previous extreme weather events in Texas which led to deadly blackouts, the grid is holding up remarkably well this week. Several experts told CNN that it’s owed in large part to strong performances from wind and solar, which generated 27 gigawatts of electricity during Sunday’s peak demand – close to 40% of the total needed. “Texas is, by rhetoric, anti-renewables. But frankly, renewables are bailing us out,” said Michael Webber, an energy expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “They’re rocking. That really spares us a lot of heartache and a lot of money.” Despite the Texas Republican rhetoric that wind and solar are unreliable, Texas has a massive and growing fleet of renewables. Zero-carbon electricity sources (wind, solar, and nuclear) powered about 38% of the state’s power in 2021, rivaling natural gas at 42%.
This is a relatively recent phenomenon for the state.
“Wind and solar would not have been available in years in the past, so the growing capacity helps to alleviate reliance on natural gas and coal,” said Jonathan DeVilbiss, operations research analyst at the US Energy Information Administration.

It so different here in NY. We were having work on our electrical panel and wiring. A rep for O&R (our utility) stopped by to unlock the meter and check out our solar system. He thanked us and said it was a help especially on peak days. The $5,000 tax credit over 3 years when I got the stystem installed was also very helpful. Made it a no brainer and a hedge against future increases.