Wind And Solar Are Bailing Out Texas Amid Record Heat

[Couchpotato]

Why was it reported that gas valves were froze then?

You need to read up on drip legs, Dude. Gas lines here are 18" deep, the frost line is 24". Your pipe insulation is the ground in this case.....and when warmer gas travels through it, condensation is the result.

In Texas? Unless you live in the northern part of the panhandle the frostline isnt at 24". In the vast vast majority of the state it's less than 20" and that's a worse case scenario number not a this happens every year number. It takes prolonged periods of cold for the ground to freeze that deep. The ground doesn't even freeze to 24 inches most years where I live, and I'm waaaay north of Texas.

Frost Line Penetration Map In The U.S. - Hammerpedia

The frost line is simply the deepest point in the ground to which ground water will freeze.It’s also referred to as the frost depth. When water changes from liquid ... "Learn More..."

www.hammerpedia.com

 

[Captain Caveman]

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%.

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

Guess which state is the largest wind producer?

Can't be any climate alarmists living in Texas because their solar panels and power walls means they live off grid and are the heroes.

Problem is, America has declined it's power production infrastructure under the Democrats, they're now have to start cranking everything up just to cope. Usually, the tax payer pays windfarms not to produce electric when it's not required.

 

[Couchpotato]

With all due respect, you're full of shit.

It was reported Tx had issues with lines and valves freezing up, that's what I said.
You went off on a tanget about condensation occuring in gas lines.

Apparently you dont know what you are talking about either

Settling the Debate: What Really Caused the Texas Electricity Blackout?

Join us as we examine what led to Texas's devastating blackout and what can be done in the future to prevent another one from happening.

interestingengineering.com

"Most homes and businesses in Texas are heated by either electricity or natural gas. Electrical power generators typically schedule maintenance and upgrades for the winter months, so when Uri arrived, some of them were offline.

While Texas leads the U.S. in the production of natural gas, that gas couldn't be used to provide electrical power and to heat homes in Texas because of the way natural gas is stored. It is stored in underground chambers, and to bring it to the surface, a pump is required. The cold temperatures knocked out the diesel engines that power these pumps. Also, natural gas pipelines used to transfer the gas froze.

What finally brought about the blackout was that home users were competing with power generators for the limited natural gas supplies, and the home users won. The reason they won is when natural gas supplies are constrained, they go to homes.

Most surprising is that Texas also lost its nuclear energy and coal power generating capacity. Coal plants couldn't operate because the coal piles froze and became stuck to the ground. One of the two nuclear reactors located at the South Texas Nuclear Power Station had to be shut down when the cooling pumps for its reactor froze."

It was a litany of things that combined to cause the issue.

 

[DudleySmith]

Soma state that is anti renewable energy has enough solar ans wind capacity to generate 40% of its power needs?

lol don't expect logical consistency when pointing out the obvious to ideologues.

 

[DudleySmith]

You people don't know much about Texas do you?

1) Texas has its own power grid. Separate from the other main two U.S. ones. Eastern and Western.
2) By law going back to when Texas was an independent country, Texas has far greater control over its own natural resources (including wind and solar) than other states do.

Yes, and the Texas Railroad Commission has a big influence on Federal controls as well, or used to. They were usually more powerful than the Lt. Governor and the Legislature in the 'Good Old Days', the Lt.Governore in Texas is more powerful on many ways than the Governor is, for those who might not know.

Texas's main problem is its Amendment style government type is way out of whack, with some 400+ Amendments causing a legal nightmare. It may be over 400 by now, I haven't checked lately .... ah, it's now well over 500 now ...

Texas Constitution second-most amended in U.S. after Tuesday election

(The Center Square) – Texas voters approved all eight propositions on the ballot Tuesday to amend the Texas Constitution. Other than Alabama, no other state has amended its constitution as

www.thecentersquare.com

 

[mudwhistle]

With all due respect, you're full of shit.

It was reported Tx had issues with lines and valves freezing up, that's what I said.
You went off on a tanget about condensation occuring in gas lines.

I don't give a flying-fuck what the media reported.
THEY'RE full of shit.

 

[Delldude]

In Texas? Unless you live in the northern part of the panhandle the frostline isnt at 24". In the vast vast majority of the state it's less than 20" and that's a worse case scenario number not a this happens every year number. It takes prolonged periods of cold for the ground to freeze that deep. The ground doesn't even freeze to 24 inches most years where I live, and I'm waaaay north of Texas.

Frost Line Penetration Map In The U.S. - Hammerpedia

The frost line is simply the deepest point in the ground to which ground water will freeze.It’s also referred to as the frost depth. When water changes from liquid ... "Learn More..."

www.hammerpedia.com

I wasn't referring to Tx.

 

[Delldude]

Apparently you dont know what you are talking about either

Settling the Debate: What Really Caused the Texas Electricity Blackout?

Join us as we examine what led to Texas's devastating blackout and what can be done in the future to prevent another one from happening.

interestingengineering.com

"Most homes and businesses in Texas are heated by either electricity or natural gas. Electrical power generators typically schedule maintenance and upgrades for the winter months, so when Uri arrived, some of them were offline.

While Texas leads the U.S. in the production of natural gas, that gas couldn't be used to provide electrical power and to heat homes in Texas because of the way natural gas is stored. It is stored in underground chambers, and to bring it to the surface, a pump is required. The cold temperatures knocked out the diesel engines that power these pumps. Also, natural gas pipelines used to transfer the gas froze.

What finally brought about the blackout was that home users were competing with power generators for the limited natural gas supplies, and the home users won. The reason they won is when natural gas supplies are constrained, they go to homes.

Most surprising is that Texas also lost its nuclear energy and coal power generating capacity. Coal plants couldn't operate because the coal piles froze and became stuck to the ground. One of the two nuclear reactors located at the South Texas Nuclear Power Station had to be shut down when the cooling pumps for its reactor froze."

It was a litany of things that combined to cause the issue.

The challenge was gas lines can not have moisture......that is where it deviated from the OT.

 

[Delldude]

I don't give a flying-fuck what the media reported.
THEY'RE full of shit.

Well Dude...it was media making a big deal out of the failures of the Texas power system trying to score anti-Abbot points.

Failures across Texas’ natural gas operations and supply chains due to extreme temperatures are the most significant cause of the power crisis that has left millions of Texans without heat and electricity during the winter storm sweeping the U.S.

From frozen natural gas wells to frozen wind turbines, all sources of power generation have faced difficulties during the winter storm. But Texans largely rely on natural gas for power and heat generation, especially during peak usage, experts said. Texas largely relies on natural gas for power. It wasn’t ready for the extreme cold.

Natural gas wells and pipes ill-equipped for cold weather are a big reason why millions of Texans lost power during frigid temperatures this week. As temperatures dropped to record lows across some parts of the state, liquid inside wells, pipes, and valves froze solid.

Ice can block gas flow, clogging pipes. It’s a phenomenon called a “freeze-off” that disrupts gas production across the US every winter. But freeze-offs can have outsized effects in Texas, as we’ve seen this week. The state is a huge natural gas producer — and it doesn’t usually have to deal with such cold weather.
Texas’ natural gas production just froze under pressure

There's more and they're Texas news sources.

 

[Dadoalex]

Outside of Hydro or geothermal MINING -- there's not a single renewable that does not require a REDUNDANT back-up generation source. SOlar is only there for about 8 (maybe 10 in some places/seasons) hours a day and wind is FLAKY AS HELL. There for 3 hours going gonzo -- then GONE for 3 days.

DOnt need to experiment with your shutdown. Happens every NIGHT and day somewhere. Because wind/solar are NOT ALTERNATIVES -- they are supplements. And their use as supplements is limited to the times of PEAK DEMAND. Like around 12 noon. At 10PM however, when solar is BEDDY-BYE and wind typically dies down -- the grid DEMAND IS STILL about 80% of daytime peak. So more than 10 or 15% of solar to lower PEAK problems works. Anymore than that require RELIABLE LONG TERM (days or even weeks in some locations) PRIMARY generation like hydro or nat gas that can come on/off line quickly,

What other "renewable" alternatives you got there in the lefty Bag of Tricks???

the earth receives more than 10k times our requirements in solar energy each and every day.
1/2 of the earth is always facing the sun

Man, your blinders must be pinholes.

 

[Concerned American]

Direction of flow.

I understand direction of flow and I can understand that sediment would require a change in direction for gravity to accomplish the removal. In your graphic example you showed the change of direction on a vertical leg to a horizontal that would accomplish the removal of the sediment but wouldn't the liquid continue into the "sediment trap" due to gravity as well?

 

[Concerned American]

The whole argument centered around what caused massive power outages in Texas.
He's claiming it's because everyone's gas lines were freezing up.
The reason for the outages was the reliance on wind and solar power which froze during a cold snap.
The primary purpose for a drip line is to keep water from building up in a steam line heating system.
He's trying to distract from the root cause of the power outage.
What you see on your gas furnace isn't designed to get rid of large amounts of moisture. It's just a trap to keep from fouling the gas valve. You have to shut off your gas supply valve at the meter sometimes and unscrew the cap on the bottom to see if there's any crap or debris in the line. But doing so can let moisture in....so it's best to have a guy from the gas company do it properly, or have a certified service tech do it.

I wasn't replying to the original OP. You guys piqued my interest when you started discussing the difference between sediment vs. drip. I have a propane system and the gas company installed what they called a drip line in my system and it is configured the same as Delldude's graphic. I just wondered about why that graphic example wouldn't serve as both a sediment trap and a drip line as both solids and condensate would end up in it due to gravity. Just curious--I'm not disputing anything about the TX power outage.

 

[Delldude]

I understand direction of flow and I can understand that sediment would require a change in direction for gravity to accomplish the removal. In your graphic example you showed the change of direction on a vertical leg to a horizontal that would accomplish the removal of the sediment but wouldn't the liquid continue into the "sediment trap" due to gravity as well?

The sediment hits the vertical and stops, falling down into the trap, moisture would too but it is claimed the horizontal is more efficient with moisture.

 

[mudwhistle]

I wasn't replying to the original OP. You guys piqued my interest when you started discussing the difference between sediment vs. drip. I have a propane system and the gas company installed what they called a drip line in my system and it is configured the same as Delldude's graphic. I just wondered about why that graphic example wouldn't serve as both a sediment trap and a drip line as both solids and condensate would end up in it due to gravity. Just curious--I'm not disputing anything about the TX power outage.

He was talking about massive amounts of condensation in those things causing ice to thaw out and travel down lines into their furnace. He was saying it was inside the line. Unless they were letting air get into the system there won't be hardly any moisture in there. If the gas has been dehydrated properly there will be almost none. He says I'm the one who started going down this road when in fact he did.
Then he started talking about drip lines.....as if that was where all of this water was going.
Drip lines are on water and steam heating and cooling systems.
Drip lines on AC cooling systems are a way of blowing the rust and sediment out of the lines in mechanical rooms in commercial HVAC systems.
If your system has fan coils, then they also have a valve on both sides of 2 pipe systems that helps you get air and sediment out of the lines....and this is all run through a loop system back to the chiller.
If you're using a Cooling Tower system it can be used to heat and cool the building.
You have to have special equipment inside. Chillers in the mech rm and each individual room has their own mini-condenser fan.

 

[LAUGHatLEFTISTS]

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%.

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

Guess which state is the largest wind producer?

Yet Five Bucks A Gallon *Joe is going world wide begging for oil.

What a fool!

 

[Concerned American]

Yet Five Bucks A Gallon *Joe is going world wide begging for oil.

What a fool!

And if he would just stay out of domestic production with his EO's this would never have happened.

 

[Delldude]

He was talking about massive amounts of condensation in those things causing ice to thaw out and travel down lines into their furnace. He was saying it was inside the line. Unless they were letting air get into the system there won't be hardly any moisture in there. If the gas has been dehydrated properly there will be almost none. He says I'm the one who started going down this road when in fact he did.
Then he started talking about drip lines.....as if that was where all of this water was going.
Drip lines are on water and steam heating and cooling systems.
Drip lines on AC cooling systems are a way of blowing the rust and sediment out of the lines in mechanical rooms in commercial HVAC systems.
If your system has fan coils, then they also have a valve on both sides of 2 pipe systems that helps you get air and sediment out of the lines....and this is all run through a loop system back to the chiller.
If you're using a Cooling Tower system it can be used to heat and cool the building.
You have to have special equipment inside. Chillers in the mech rm and each individual room has their own mini-condenser fan.

He said and showed both on gas supply lines for water heaters and furnaces....you haven't figured that out yet?

He was talking from personal experience where in line condensation accumulated and traveled down hill to customers in the lower end of a NG supply line. Those customers had water coming into their homes via the NG supply lines and shutting down their gas service.

He never said anything about ice causing the problem.

He said it has happened more than once, on several different roads in similar situations.

He said, with all due respect, you are, and still are full of BS.

 

[Couchpotato]

The challenge was gas lines can not have moisture......that is where it deviated from the OT.

Did you not read the article?

 

[excalibur]

When the wind doesn't blow will the airconditioners still work? How will they make up the shortfall?

Meanwhile, Germany is reactivating coal-fired power plants and China and India are building hundreds of them.

 

[excalibur]

You did that last year. It was the only power generation happening, while Ted Cruz was on a plane to Cancun.

Fossil fuel totally failed, and killed people, then hit them with 5 figure bills when it came back on line.

That's some power grid you got going there.

Was Ted Cruz a state official? So, he had nothing to do with it and merely escorted his children and others to Cancun on a pre-planned trip, so why lie?