Politicians and officials from the energy sector blame each other for the power outage, but they can’t say how long it will last. Texas has its own power grid, which is operated by state and semi-private entities. Those same groups are now playing the blame game, trying to figure out how the state failed to keep the lights on for Texans.
Governor Greg Abbott is not leaving anyone out when it comes to pointing out the blame for the state’s energy outages. “Whether it is renewable energy, such as wind or solar, but as I said today, access to electricity from coal and access to gas-generated energy is also endangered,” he said.
In 2020, wind and solar power were responsible for about 25% of the state’s electricity generation for the entire year. Meanwhile, natural gas, coal and nuclear energy have been combined for about 69%.
Even if wind was a major source, the reason behind that failure is that much of the equipment has not been “winterized”, which may include the use of heaters and insulated pipes. That’s like Minnesota, and their wind turbines don’t shut down in the cold.
“The natural gas generators are the ones we all counted on to provide the electricity. Some coal-fired plants also had to start up, and they didn’t answer the bell either,” he says.
After a winter storm in Texas in 2011 that paralyzed power, a report recommended that power sources be winterized. Ed Hirs, an expert in energy economics and policy at the University of Houston, said the recommendations were not applied.
“The warnings have been around for years and Governor Abbott has done nothing. Before that, Governor (Rick) Perry did nothing. This was a train wreck that was on its way to happen 10 years ago,” said Hirs.
Cooper Neill / Bloomberg via Getty