Texas Governor Gregg Abbott saw fit last week to declare the Texas power grid "fixed."
It's true -- as long as "fixed" doesn't mean "repaired." The grid was fixed (meaning “had predetermined results”) from the start, when Texas decided to go solo with its energy grid rather than hooking up to the national grid -- that way, the state wouldn't have to keep up with pesky standards and public accountability.
In saying what he did, the governor played up to the far-right crackpots who insist on making Texas what it is today, a one-liner with hella-hot weather.
One could charitably question whether Abbott knew about the numerous and ongoing repairs that are not under a central authority, repairs that have now prompted the ordinarily silent ERCOT -- the Electronic Reliability Council of Texas (don't laugh!) -- to say "Please, people, turn down your air conditioners this weekend!"
About 11,000 megawatts' worth of generators is under repair, ERCOT says. In 2018, demand spiked at 69,123 megawatts. On Monday, demand is supposed to top 73,000 megawatts, and all the while, those generator operators are going to be out there in their overalls with wrenches sticking out of every pocket and a bandanna to wipe the sweat off their brows. Why not? Nobody's watching.
No, in answer to your question, I have no idea how generators run. I just have an idea of how Texas runs, and I picture those mechanics kicking the side of a metal building to see if it's working now, only to see a rising puff of black smoke. Seen too many movies, I guess.
“We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service,” says Woody Rickerson, vice president of ERCOT’s grid planning and operations. “This is unusual for this early in the summer season.”
At least most of the cars in Texas have air conditioning. This could be the weekend that the state finally gets on the road. Unlike the winter freeze, there won't be veterans desperately trying to run portable oxygen tanks off car batteries because the roads are too icy to drive to a hospital. That happened in Houston this year. The guy didn't make it.
If stuff like that doesn't make you want to roar with rage like a gorilla, you might be a Texas Republican.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texans-conserve-energy-power-grid-struggles_n_60c7c8b1e4b0e25921b6ccdd?fbclid=IwAR3qdZ6DDebqgucwZKFnX4y7vwEiheOsgrjQi43J_eAzS9hi78EeV_u0KRc
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