How is Ercot to blame?

[WItoTX]

Page doesn’t load for me. Can you screenshot it and post it?

The article is part of the link, once it directs you to twitchy, you can see the article on that page.

[kurt68]

Nope, something on the page must be blocked by duck duck go browser.

https://kprcradio.iheart.com/featured/walton-and-johnson/content/2021-02-22-biden-admin-refused-texas-governors-request-to-run-power-at-full-capacity/

try this one.

[Rwc]

I retired in 2017 from working about 20 years in an 800 MW combined cycle power plant. Prior to that I spent 24 years in a ChlorAlkali plant with the last 14 years in power generation, electrical distribution. I learned a few things along the way. Regardless of the fuel source, all power plants in Texas battle heat dissipation in the summer in order to achieve maximum generation. So, we build them pretty much wide open to the elements. Ok, when a severe freeze comes along, it is very difficult to ensure that every transmitter, impulse line, level, pressure, or flow indicator stays fully functional in subzero conditions. In colder climates, these same facilities are normally built inside of buildings that help insulate critical instrumentation and equipment against freezing. As far as I know, whether it is coal fired, natural gas fired, wood fired (yes, wood!), trash fired, or nuclear powered, they all require water for either making steam or heat exchange (cooling water). Y'all all know what is going to happen to those cooling towers, water pumps, valves, fans, etc. when it stays below freezing for long periods of time; they begin to fail. Is TOUGH to operate one of these plants reliably in Texas in subzero conditions for extended amounts of time. They just aren't built to do it. Even newer facilities with great heat tracing and insulation just don't get the maintenance required to keep them 100% functional in ALL conditions. Generally it only takes a few critical transmitters to fail and the whole plant comes off line. I have to believe that we have adequate generation capability during normal conditions but when the weather gets like this all bets are off. It will take a PARADIGM SHIFT in the design, implementation, and maintenance of these facilities to make them viable in every weather situation. I would really like to know the percentage of generators across the state failed to start or tripped off line due to being inadequately prepared for the weather conditions. It doesn't matter if ERCOT called on every generator in the state to come on line if only a handful could respond. As a side note, this is what is termed 'outage season' for most generators. They schedule their major outages (for equipment repair/rebuild) to coincide with cool weather because demand is usually lower and the economic impact to them due to lost revenue is less. There might have been a good number of units unavailable because they were scattered across the slab being rebuilt. At the end of the day I personally don't blame ERCOT. But, this is just my opinion.

Your "opinion" is spot on! And I have worked in the G&T world for 31 years.


I hope all have power back.

Rwc

[Cajun shooter]

ERCOT might not be pushing the agenda, but have they rejected it in order to do the right thing for the people of Texas? The answer is no. So they are at least partially to blame. If any of those board members own stock in any way of some of these “green energy” generators then they are a lot to blame. I’ll bet good money they do have an interest in them.

Correction. Although Green Energy is the reason that coal plants are being shut down, or at least the people that are pushing for Green Energy, it is not ERCOT that is pushing the agenda. As I mentioned, it is the Green Energy activists and the politicians who are set to make a bunch of "green".

[BufordT]

This

[squirrel]

Seeee ya!!

Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, will resign on Wednesday, according to a notice to the Public Utility Commission.

All four of the members who are resigning live out of state.

Sally Talberg, board chair; Peter Cramton, vice chair; Terry Bulger, finance and audit chair; and Raymond Hepper, human resources and governance committee chair, will resign at the end of the ERCOT board meeting Wednesday morning, according to the notice.

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/23/ercot-members-resign-texas/

[captainsling]

Up to 5 resignations now of board members.

[JRL]

Fall guys to keep the Lege from having to investigate Abbott appointees on the PUC, or heaven forbid, themselves and the Gov.

[Swampa]

And Chuck Schumer is an idiot liar


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[muddydog]

Well I personally feel alot of the so called rolling blackout which lasted 48 hours for me were strictly profit driven and a ploy to raise rates. I do know a very nice old local man actually froze to death! Totally unacceptable. My town's officials had to get state representatives involved to get our local power back. Not a fan of AEP or ercot!

[tigerscowboy]

Question should be...

Why is CenterPoint not be grilled for the choices they made?

[Swampa]

Why are we relying on wind/solar? Where is your Hydro electricity from Sheila Jackson Lee?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[meltingfeather]

I retired in 2017 from working about 20 years in an 800 MW combined cycle power plant. Prior to that I spent 24 years in a ChlorAlkali plant with the last 14 years in power generation, electrical distribution. I learned a few things along the way. Regardless of the fuel source, all power plants in Texas battle heat dissipation in the summer in order to achieve maximum generation. So, we build them pretty much wide open to the elements. Ok, when a severe freeze comes along, it is very difficult to ensure that every transmitter, impulse line, level, pressure, or flow indicator stays fully functional in subzero conditions. In colder climates, these same facilities are normally built inside of buildings that help insulate critical instrumentation and equipment against freezing. As far as I know, whether it is coal fired, natural gas fired, wood fired (yes, wood!), trash fired, or nuclear powered, they all require water for either making steam or heat exchange (cooling water). Y'all all know what is going to happen to those cooling towers, water pumps, valves, fans, etc. when it stays below freezing for long periods of time; they begin to fail. Is TOUGH to operate one of these plants reliably in Texas in subzero conditions for extended amounts of time. They just aren't built to do it. Even newer facilities with great heat tracing and insulation just don't get the maintenance required to keep them 100% functional in ALL conditions. Generally it only takes a few critical transmitters to fail and the whole plant comes off line. I have to believe that we have adequate generation capability during normal conditions but when the weather gets like this all bets are off. It will take a PARADIGM SHIFT in the design, implementation, and maintenance of these facilities to make them viable in every weather situation. I would really like to know the percentage of generators across the state failed to start or tripped off line due to being inadequately prepared for the weather conditions. It doesn't matter if ERCOT called on every generator in the state to come on line if only a handful could respond. As a side note, this is what is termed 'outage season' for most generators. They schedule their major outages (for equipment repair/rebuild) to coincide with cool weather because demand is usually lower and the economic impact to them due to lost revenue is less. There might have been a good number of units unavailable because they were scattered across the slab being rebuilt. At the end of the day I personally don't blame ERCOT. But, this is just my opinion.

Funny how opinions based on actual knowledge generally aren’t as inflammatory as those that are ignorant. Great insight here.

[TxKronik]

I retired in 2017 from working about 20 years in an 800 MW combined cycle power plant. Prior to that I spent 24 years in a ChlorAlkali plant with the last 14 years in power generation, electrical distribution. I learned a few things along the way. Regardless of the fuel source, all power plants in Texas battle heat dissipation in the summer in order to achieve maximum generation. So, we build them pretty much wide open to the elements. Ok, when a severe freeze comes along, it is very difficult to ensure that every transmitter, impulse line, level, pressure, or flow indicator stays fully functional in subzero conditions. In colder climates, these same facilities are normally built inside of buildings that help insulate critical instrumentation and equipment against freezing. As far as I know, whether it is coal fired, natural gas fired, wood fired (yes, wood!), trash fired, or nuclear powered, they all require water for either making steam or heat exchange (cooling water). Y'all all know what is going to happen to those cooling towers, water pumps, valves, fans, etc. when it stays below freezing for long periods of time; they begin to fail. Is TOUGH to operate one of these plants reliably in Texas in subzero conditions for extended amounts of time. They just aren't built to do it. Even newer facilities with great heat tracing and insulation just don't get the maintenance required to keep them 100% functional in ALL conditions. Generally it only takes a few critical transmitters to fail and the whole plant comes off line. I have to believe that we have adequate generation capability during normal conditions but when the weather gets like this all bets are off. It will take a PARADIGM SHIFT in the design, implementation, and maintenance of these facilities to make them viable in every weather situation. I would really like to know the percentage of generators across the state failed to start or tripped off line due to being inadequately prepared for the weather conditions. It doesn't matter if ERCOT called on every generator in the state to come on line if only a handful could respond. As a side note, this is what is termed 'outage season' for most generators. They schedule their major outages (for equipment repair/rebuild) to coincide with cool weather because demand is usually lower and the economic impact to them due to lost revenue is less. There might have been a good number of units unavailable because they were scattered across the slab being rebuilt. At the end of the day I personally don't blame ERCOT. But, this is just my opinion.

Thank you for that. This is good information I for one didn’t know.

[Rwc]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-02-20/texas-blackout-how-the-electrical-grid-failed

Very informative read that is mostly accurate.

Rwc