#texas power crisis

[xiaq]

Update: still no power. Inside is about the same temperature as outside. Solar battery is not doing that great considering there’s no sun. But blessings upon print books and propane hot water heaters. I’ve never been more thankful for a hot shower (and then I just hung out in the bathroom reading because it was warm). Goodnight everyone! Stay warm! Appreciate your books and hot water!

#mylife #myface #texas power crisis

[reasonsforhope]

"Solar accounted for most of the capacity the nation added to its electric grids last year. That feat marks the first time since World War II, when hydropower was booming, that a renewable power source has comprised more than half of the nation’s energy additions.  

“It’s really monumental,” said Shawn Rumery, senior director of research at the Solar Energy Industries Association, or SEIA. The trade group announced the 2023 numbers in a report released today [March 6, 2024] with analytics firm Wood MacKenzie. The 32.4 gigawatts that came online in the United States last year shattered the previous high of 23.6 gigawatts recorded in 2021 and accounted for 53 percent of new capacity. Natural gas was next in line at a distant 18 percent. 

SEIA called 2023 the best year for renewables since the Second World War. Texas and California led a solar surge driven mostly by utility-scale installations, which jumped 77 percent year-over-year to 22.5 gigawatts. The residential and commercial sectors also reached new milestones. Only the relatively nascent community solar market missed its previous mark, though not by much, said Rumery. Overall he called it an “almost record setting year across the industry.”

...Experts generally expect renewable energy to keep on its torrent trajectory. 

“It’s very likely to continue because solar and wind are now very well established,” said Rob Stoner, director of the MIT Energy Initiative. “Solar costs continue to fall far below where we ever thought they would.”"

-via Grist, March 6, 2024

#clean energy #green energy #climate change #crisis #climate action #climate hope #renewables #solar power #united states #texas #california #good news #hope

[reality-detective]

WTF?

About the surge of illegal immigrants in El Paso:

The TX National Guard & Dept. of Public Safety quickly regained control & are redoubling the razor wire barriers.

DPS is instructed to arrest every illegal immigrant involved for criminal trespass & destruction of property. 🤔

#pay attention #educate yourselves #educate yourself #knowledge is power #reeducate yourself #reeducate yourselves #think about it #think for yourselves #think for yourself #do your homework #do some research #do your own research #ask yourself questions #question everything #news #texas #border crisis #el paso #military

[wachinyeya]

#good news #environmentalism #science #solar #solar power #solar panels #environment #natural gas #texas #usa #climate change #climate crisis #fossil fuels

[bumblebeeappletree]

Here’s why approx 69% of Texas cotton farmers are expected to abandon their crops this year

This video was made with support from Climate Power.

#Earth #Environment #ClimateCrisis #NowThis

#now this earth #now this #solarpunk #USA #texas #cotton #farming #agriculture #Climate Power #climate crisis #climate change #climate chaos #global warming #global heating #rain #drought #water crisis #chemicals #fertilizer #aquifer #Ogallala Aquifer #irrigation #rain water #Youtube

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

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.

Not only have renewables helped keep the power on during a scorching and early heatwave, they have also helped keep costs low. Prices for natural gas and coal are high amid a worldwide energy crunch, but renewables -- powered by the wind and sun -- have no fuel cost.

"Because the price of wind and sunlight hasn't doubled in the past year like other resources, they are acting as a hedge against high fuel prices," said Joshua Rhodes, an energy researcher at UT Austin.

PEAK DEMAND DURING PEAK HEAT

Texas and other states have been sweltering in triple-digit temperatures and dangerous heat indices. Texas state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon told CNN that San Antonio has been a particular hot spot; it recently hit 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit, setting a new pre-July record.

Texas is used to heat, but this year they're "getting August weather in May and June," Webber told CNN.

Experts said the Texas grid was built to withstand extreme heat moreso than the extreme cold brought by the deadly 2021 winter storm. But with the state now experiencing August-like temperatures in early June many questioned whether the Texas grid could withstand the longer, hotter summers fueled by climate change.

"As opposed to a winter storm, we were built for three months of 90-plus [degrees]," said Caitlin Smith, head of regulatory policy and communications at Texas-based battery storage company Jupiter Power. "Were we built for 4 months of 100-plus [degrees]? There's some uncertainty there."

If the early spikes in temperature persist this year, it could stress out the grid and power plants, Smith and Rhodes warned. As well as the grid is working right now, that could change if this summer continues to bring unrelenting heat.

"It's like the human body; heat stress is cumulative," Rhodes said. "The body has no time to recover. Power plants are like that as well, they need some time to recover."

Rhodes added that renewables have been a big help during this early surge by taking strain off the traditional thermal power plants that use coal and natural gas to keep the lights on.

Human-caused climate change is linked to rising global temperatures and extreme heat. And while it's too early to tell exactly how much climate change is to blame for the current heat wave, it's safe to assume it is a factor, said Andy Dessler who directs the Texas Center for Climate Studies at Texas A&M University.

"It's 100% certain that climate change is contributing to this," Dessler told CNN. "Everything's getting hotter. August is getting hotter; June is getting hotter. It is hot and this is the future."

OVERCROWDED TRANSMISSION LINES

Even though Texas is an oil and gas giant, renewables -- and particularly, wind -- have long been thriving there. Texas generates the most wind energy in the country: In 2020, it produced more wind electricity than Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma — the next three highest states — combined, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Solar has been a smaller portion of the state's energy mix than wind, but it is growing as well. Solar generated about 4% of electricity in Texas last summer, and is expected to grow to 7.2% this summer, EIA projections show.

Building out more solar will be important to deal with heat waves in the depths of summer, when wind speeds tend to drop, experts told CNN. That's because if it's really hot out, there's a good chance the sun is beating down.

But Rhodes and Webber pointed to infrastructure issues limiting the potential of renewables; Texas needs more transmission lines to carry energy generated by renewables to customers. Rhodes pointed to ERCOT projects showing higher solar numbers than what was actually being used; a casualty of over-crowded power lines that can't let the power through to consumers.

"About half of the solar that could be produced is not being produced right now because there's no more room on the lines," Rhodes said. "The numbers for renewables would probably be higher if we had the transmission capacity to move them around."

Wind and solar have natural variability as well; solar can't generate energy during nighttime, and wind turbines don't turn when the wind isn't blowing. That is spurring a big focus on developing more massive batteries that can store and deploy renewable energy when the wind isn't blowing, and the sun isn't shining.

"It does keep growth of renewables strong; it allows you to firm up that renewable capacity," Smith said.

#us politics #news #cnn #texas #ercot #green energy #solar power #wind turbines #climate change #climate crisis #global warming #tx #2022 #Michael Webber #Jonathan DeVilbiss #US Energy Information Administration #Joshua Rhodes #John Nielsen-Gammon #Caitlin Smith #jupiter power #Andy Dessler

[worldofwardcraft]

The cost of culture war.

September 22, 2022

War is always an expensive enterprise. Culture war even more so. Yet, when not otherwise engaged in juvenile name-calling and promoting stupid conspiracy theories, MAGA Republicans are obsessed with arguments over such nonsense as banning women's healthcare, punishing the LGBT community, cleansing critical race theory from classrooms, or making sure children use the right bathrooms and compete on the correct sports teams.

But while crusading against these fabricated culture foes, the GOP has given up entirely on actual governing and any pretense of public service. Their fixation on cultural issues has resulted in many state and municipal governments under Republican control totally neglecting the services they are supposed to provide, thus lowering of the quality of life.

Take, for example, the water crisis in Jackson, MS (which mirrors the earlier one in Flint, MI). The capital of a Republican-ruled state, Jackson suffered from years of underinvestment in its water system, which the city did not have the tax base to deal with. This longtime indifference on the part of the state's GOP has led to 150,000 citizens being burdened with toxic, undrinkable water (pictured above). In fact, the city's residents were warned not to shower with their mouths open. Meanwhile, the Republican legislature was busily passing one of the nation's most draconian abortion bans.

Over in Texas, Republicans for decades ignored necessary upgrades to their state's independent electrical power grid, even as the population and the demand for power grew exponentially. Predictably, during a storm in February 2021, there were widespread outages, leaving more than 4.5 million homes and businesses without power and either directly or indirectly causing the deaths of anywhere from 246 to 720 people. Yet Governor Abbott and his fellow GOPers in the legislature continue fighting mock battles over school books, CRT, guns and who knows what else.

But the prime example of this culture war lunacy is the MAGA Republic of Florida under the iron-fisted rule of tireless culture warrior Ron DeSantis. While he's been waging performative campaigns against trans kids, immigrants, socially responsible companies and "wokeness" in general, Florida's schools are reporting thousands of teacher vacancies. DeSantis's brilliant solution has been to give military vets temporary teaching certificates. He's also suggested waiving the teacher-licensing exam for retired cops, EMTs and firefighters. In addition to granting them $4,000 signing bonuses!

Sadly, it seems Republicans care only about scoring victories in their phony culture wars. And have little to no interest in either the suffering or the needs of their voters. For the GOP that's merely collateral damage.

#culture war #jackson water crisis #texas power grid #teacher shortage

[kp777]

Record-breaking Texas heatwave enters third week as thousands lose power

#heatwave #texas power grid #texas #extreme weather #climate change #climate crisis

[xhopelesslyromanticx]

Delusional - Lando Norris x Fewtrell!Reader

Masterlist

summary: In which the internet once again is fooled by your slightly overdramatic side. Rumors about Lando dumping you circulate but luckily the Mclaren driver is just as delusional as you are. Social Media Au

y/nfewtrell

Home

liked by kellypiquet and 60‘797 others

y/nfewtrell in my feelings bruh

view all comments

maxfewtrell did you take my hoodie?

y/nstans what why????

user567 sense a breakupppp

f1islife stunning

arthur_leclerc *plays taylor swift

user345 arthur what do you know

y/nandlan Lando didn’t like?!

user567 see his post? he seems completely unbothered

user898 Landos too good for her anyw

f1gossip you sound bitter

user787 i just always had weird vibes from her

f1gossip we‘ve met y/n and she‘s literally an angel

y/nfewtrell thanks means a lot

landonorris

liked by maxfewtrell and 567‘897 others

landonorris how I try to entertain

view all comments

user687 such a hottie

f1fans someone say unbothered cough

georgerussell63 I thought you were on a diet?

alex_albon he‘s abt 4ft tall he doesn’t need a diet

mclaren next week we back to veggies

f1lover wheres the missus

user789 y/n doesn’t attend most gps she goes to university

f1fans yeah but so do Alex and Kika yet they seem to be way more supportive

user789 I‘m sure shes supportive just maybe also focused on her on career?

y/nstans y/n not liking landos post has me scaredddd

maxfewtrell looking smug

landonorris thanks bestieeee

maxfewtrell

Paris

liked by landonorris and 123‘890 others

maxfewtrell took the little nugget to paris @y/nfewtrell

view all comments

user578 she‘s so cute

f1lover peeping the papaya phone case

norrisandme yes also Lando liked! they goood

y/nfrance we met her yesterday and she seemed fine

arthur_leclerc the nugget in the big city

y/nfewtrell miss you archer

f1gossip my fave friendship

user787 why is she already flirting with guys when the rumors aren’t comfirmed

maxfewtrell oh god if you think y/n can flirt you‘re in for suprises

y/nfewtrell thanks maxie :) loved the trip

team_quadrant let’s go to Brazil!!!!

f1gossip

liked by user676 and 12‘899 others

f1gossip You guys know we normally don’t cover anything realitionship releated but it looks like Lando and Y/n are going through some crisis. She appeared on a tiktok crying after a series of mysterious tweets and instagram posts. Neither her or Lando have yet confirmed the rumors. But she has been absent from his likes and vice versa.

view all comments

user676 she’s making it obvious

f1fans cloutchaser?

y/nstans shut up

landonorris @y/nfewtrell care to explain missy

y/nfewtrell no i dont care to, peace out

user676 omg they commented

norrislove they clearly are clowing y‘all

maxfewtrell the woman cries like twelfe times a day and people still wonder?

landonorris twelfe is a little much, ten maybe eleven

y/nfewtrell I have my reasons this time!

y/nfewtrell

Austin Texas

liked by charlottesine and 234‘890 others

y/nfewtrell my lanlan. I formally apologize for being a lot to handle sometimes. I do love you more than words could even get close to explain. Thanks for being the best boyfriend and bestfriend. Thanks for pretending I‘m 21 forever.

view all comments

landonorris my world, anything for you 🧡

y/nfewtrell love youuu

maxfewtrell disgusting

maxfewtrell we all know she aint 21, plus he’s MY bestfriend

f1gossip we stan an overdramatic queen

charlottesine power couple

y/nfewtrell thanks chacha

user787 how annoying all that for such a petty reason

f1fans right i was relieved he had dumped her ass

y/nstans sad people you are, she clearly makes him happy

arthur_leclerc happy 21st I guess ;)

landonorris whats with the wink you twat

f1user y/n control your mans

landonorris

liked by f1 and 1‘124‘799 others

landonorris happy 21st birthday to the most beautiful 21 one year old I know. I love you so much eventhough your overdramatic soul makes people assume we broke up every couple of months. I love you my angel.

view all comments

user676 21!?!?

f1gossip look at y/ns post

f1lover they have me dead

charles_leclerc isn’t she-

arthur_leclerc shut up charlie

maxfewtrell tell them!

y/nfewtrell thanks bean. I love you more.

maxfewtrell bean? cringe

kellypiquet such a beautiful girl

f1gossip so the whole drama reallly was bc she doesn’t wanna turn 22 hahaha

user67 she‘s truly overdramatic

f1 we love a supportive and delusional king

mclaren like a true gentleman Mr.Norris

maxfewtrell

Sao Paulo

liked by oscarpiastri and 123‘788 others

maxfewtrell happy 22nd second you LIAR, never thought Lando would go as delulu as you. Love you nugget.

comment have been disabled

#lando norris imagine #lando norris fic #lando norris smut #formula 1 imagine #lando norris #lando norris smau #lando norris x reader #f1 social media au #lando x reader #f1imagines #formula 1 x reader #lando #charles leclerc #football imagines #norris #oscar piastri fic #oscar piastri imagine #imagine #fanfiction #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc x reader #f1 imagine #football

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #9

March 9-15 2024

The IRS launched its direct file pilot program. Tax payers in 12 states, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, Arizona, Massachusetts, California and New York, can now file their federal income taxes for free on-line directly with the IRS. The IRS plans on taking direct file nation wide for next year's tax season. Tax Day is April 15th so if you're in one of those states you have a month to check it out.

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into the death of Nex Benedict. the OCR is investigating if Benedict's school district violated his civil rights by failing to protect him from bullying. President Biden expressed support for trans and non-binary youth in the aftermath of the ruling that Benedict's death was a suicide and encouraged people to seek help in crisis

Vice President Kamala Harris became the first sitting Vice-President (or President) to visit an abortion provider. Harris' historic visit was to a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Paul Minnesota. This is the last stop on the Vice-President's Reproductive Rights Tour that has taken her across the country highlighting the need for reproductive health care.

President Biden announced 3.3 billion dollars worth of infrastructure projects across 40 states designed to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure. Communities often split decades ago by highways build in the 1960s and 70s. These splits very often affect communities of color splitting them off from the wider cities and making daily life far more difficult. These reconnection projects will help remedy decades of economic racism.

The Biden-Harris administration is taking steps to eliminate junk fees for college students. These are hidden fees students pay to get loans or special fees banks charged to students with bank accounts. Also the administration plans to eliminate automatic billing for textbooks and ban schools from pocketing leftover money on student's meal plans.

The Department of Interior announced $120 million in investments to help boost Climate Resilience in Tribal Communities. The money will support 146 projects effecting over 100 tribes. This comes on top of $440 million already spent on tribal climate resilience by the administration so far

The Department of Energy announced $750 million dollars in investment in clean hydrogen power. This will go to 52 projects across 24 states. As part of the administration's climate goals the DoE plans to bring low to zero carbon hydrogen production to 10 million metric tons by 2030, and the cost of hydrogen to $1 per kilogram of hydrogen produced by 2031.

The Department of Energy has offered a 2.3 billion dollar loan to build a lithium processing plant in Nevada. Lithium is the key component in rechargeable batteries used it electric vehicles. Currently 95% of the world's lithium comes from just 4 countries, Australia, Chile, China and Argentina. Only about 1% of the US' lithium needs are met by domestic production. When completed the processing plant in Thacker Pass Nevada will produce enough lithium for 800,000 electric vehicle batteries a year.

The Department of Transportation is making available $1.2 billion in funds to reduce decrease pollution in transportation. Available in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico the funds will support projects by transportation authorities to lower their carbon emissions.

The Geothermal Energy Optimization Act was introduced in the US Senate. If passed the act will streamline the permitting process and help expand geothermal projects on public lands. This totally green energy currently accounts for just 0.4% of the US' engird usage but the Department of Energy estimates the potential geothermal energy supply is large enough to power the entire U.S. five times over.

The Justice for Breonna Taylor Act was introduced in the Senate banning No Knock Warrants nationwide

A bill was introduced in the House requiring the US Postal Service to cover the costs of any laid fees on bills the USPS failed to deliver on time

The Senate Confirmed 3 more Biden nominees to be life time federal Judges, Jasmine Yoon the first Asian-America federal judge in Virginia, Sunil Harjani in Illinois, and Melissa DuBose the first LGBTQ and first person of color to serve as a federal judge in Rhode Island. This brings the total number of Biden judges to 185

#Thanks Biden #Joe Biden #Democrats #politics #US politics #good news #nex benedict #abortion #taxes #climate change #climate action #tribal communities #lithium #electronic cars #trans rights #trans solidarity #judges

[xiaq]

Just got an update from Austin Energy that due to "complicated and time-consuming restorations" we can expect power back by Sunday, Feb. 12. A WEEK FROM NOW.

So it looks like we'll just be...living with my parents this week.

#i shouldn't complain #like what a headache it would be if my parents also wouldn't have power this week #sheesh #texas power crisis

[reality-detective]

Texas National Guard boat operators deter illegal immigration at Shelby Park, Texas 🤔

#pay attention #educate yourselves #educate yourself #knowledge is power #reeducate yourself #reeducate yourselves #think about it #think for yourselves #think for yourself #do your homework #do some research #do your own research #ask yourself questions #question everything #news #texas #border crisis

[warcrimesimulator]

Almost three years since the deadly Texas blackout of 2021, a panel of judges from the First Court of Appeals in Houston has ruled that big power companies cannot be held liable for failure to provide electricity during the crisis. The reason is Texas’ deregulated energy market.

The decision seems likely to protect the companies from lawsuits filed against them after the blackout. It leaves the families of those who died unsure where next to seek justice.

In February 2021, a massive cold front descended on Texas, bringing days of ice and snow. The weather increased energy demand and reduced supply by freezing up power generators and the state’s natural gas supply chain. This led to a blackout that left millions of Texans without energy for nearly a week.

The state has said almost 250 people died in the winter storm and blackout, but some analysts call that a serious undercount.

Within days of the storm, Texans affected by the failure of the energy system began filing lawsuits. Some of those suits were brought against power generators whose plants had stopped working in the storm or had run out of fuel to generate electricity.

After years of legal process, a three-judge panel convened to decide on the merits of those lawsuits.

This week, Chief Justice Terry Adams issued the unanimous opinion of that panel that “Texas does not currently recognize a legal duty owed by wholesale power generators to retail customers to provide continuous electricity to the electric grid, and ultimately to the retail customers.”

The opinion states that big power generators “are now statutorily precluded by the legislature from having any direct relationship with retail customers of electricity.”

🤡

[bumblebeeappletree]

Harris County, TX, Commissioner Rodney Ellis says 'storms may not discriminate, but bad policy does' as communities of color are still disproportionately affected by climate policies five years after Hurricane Harvey ravaged parts of Texas.

This video was made with support from Climate Power.

#Earth #Environment #ClimateCrisis #NowThis

#now this earth #now this #Solarpunk #USA #texas #Rodney Ellis #storms #climate chaos #climate power #climate crisis #climate change #Hurricane Harvey #environmental racism #racism #Youtube

[gwydionmisha]

#Russia #Civil War #Texas #Border Crisis #Disinformation #News

[kp777]

#texas heatwave #heatwave #climate change #climate crisis #texas #texas power grid