Gov. Abbott: All sources of power in Texas have been compromised
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 11:15 AM PT – Thursday, February 18, 2021
Texas officials gave an update on the ongoing power outages amid a historic winter storm. On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) said all sources of his state’s power were compromised by the freezing temperatures.
“Every source of power in the state of Texas has been compromised, whether it be renewable power, such as wind or solar,” Abbott stated. “Access to coal-generated power [and] access to gas generated power also have been compromised, whether it be with regard to systems freezing up or equipment failures.”
Un ... no.
Texas is in a world of shit because right before the cold snap hit, they were sourcing 42% of their electricity from windmills. And windmills and icing conditions do not get along.
The rotors on a typical large commercial wind mill are about 150 feet long. And optimum power output comes with the rotors turning at 50-60 RPMs. Which means although they don't look like they're going that fast, when they're turning those kind of revolutions, the rotor tips are moving at about 180 mph. And that makes for a shitload of centripetal force.
Which is hunky-dory, so long as the rotors remain in balance. The problem comes when they start collecting ice unevenly or shedding it unevenly. With a 300-foot diameter rotor spinning at a tip speed of 180 mph, a single ounce of difference in rotor weight results in an imbalance of 892 pounds of force (lbf). And two cubic inches of ice weighs about an ounce, so if the blades on a windmill start shedding big chunks of ice, it can get really interesting.
So the windmills all have brakes on them. When the imbalance starts, it causes a vibration. If the vibration gets bad enough, the shaking is supposed to trigger the brakes. Which usually works. And when it does, it saves the windmill but also can be the cause of people freeze to death.
So Texas went all in on green energy and now people are dying from their decisions. Congratufuckinglations.
Even the Wall Street Journal is ripping them a new asshole for it:
The Political Making of a Texas Power Outage
How bad energy policy led to rolling blackouts in the freezing Lone Star State.
... The problem is Texas's over-reliance on wind power that has left the grid more vulnerable to bad weather. Half of wind turbines froze last week, causing wind's share of electricity to plunge to 8% from 42%. Power prices in the wholesale market spiked, and grid regulators on Friday warned of rolling blackouts. Natural gas and coal generators ramped up to cover the supply gap but couldn't meet the surging demand for electricity -- which half of households rely on for heating -- even as many families powered up their gas furnaces. Then some gas wells and pipelines froze.
In short, there wasn't sufficient baseload power from coal and nuclear to support the grid. Baseload power is needed to stabilize grid frequency amid changes in demand and supply. When there’s not enough baseload power, the grid gets unbalanced and power sources can fail. The more the grid relies on intermittent renewables like wind and solar, the more baseload power is needed to back them up....
But at least Texas is in good company. Germany is the country most heavily invested in "renewables" and just last month they were forced to resort to rolling blackouts to keep their grid stable FOR THE EXACT SAME REASON. Too damn many windmills, and icing forced them to shut them all down during bitterly cold weather.
The irony is that just two years ago, the Germans were bragging that they were going to decommission all of their coal-fired power plants by 2034. The only reason they didn't have thousands of people freeze to death is because they turned all of their coal-fired power plants up to 11. Combined with the rolling blackouts, they were able to prevent mass casualties.
Last-Ditch Effort: Germany Weighs Electricity Rationing Scheme To Stabilize Its Now Shaky Green Power Grid
By P Gosselin on 19. January 2021
Is the German model America’s future?
Not only do the Germans pay 3x for electricity what the rest of Europe does, they can't manage to keep the lights on.
If you're eager to live a 19th-Century lifestyle, then Green Energy is just what you've been looking for.