Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Loss of wind causes Texas power grid emergency
Reuters ^

Posted on 02/27/2008 5:19:12 PM PST by Sub-Driver

Loss of wind causes Texas power grid emergency Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:11pm EST

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A drop in wind generation late on Tuesday, coupled with colder weather, triggered an electric emergency that caused the Texas grid operator to cut service to some large customers, the grid agency said on Wednesday.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said a decline in wind energy production in west Texas occurred at the same time evening electric demand was building as colder temperatures moved into the state.

The grid operator went directly to the second stage of an emergency plan at 6:41 PM CST (0041 GMT), ERCOT said in a statement.

System operators curtailed power to interruptible customers to shave 1,100 megawatts of demand within 10 minutes, ERCOT said. Interruptible customers are generally large industrial customers who are paid to reduce power use when emergencies occur.

No other customers lost power during the emergency, ERCOT said. Interruptible customers were restored in about 90 minutes and the emergency was over in three hours.

ERCOT said the grid's frequency dropped suddenly when wind production fell from more than 1,700 megawatts, before the event, to 300 MW when the emergency was declared.

In addition, ERCOT said multiple power suppliers fell below the amount of power they were scheduled to produce on Tuesday. That, coupled with the loss of wind generated in West Texas, created problems moving power to the west from North Texas.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: New Mexico; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: electricity; energy; grid; power; powergrid; texas
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last
I hate to say that I find this funny.....
1 posted on 02/27/2008 5:19:18 PM PST by Sub-Driver
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Ooops!


2 posted on 02/27/2008 5:20:22 PM PST by SouthTexas (We are home.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Did this coincide with the end of the debate last night?


3 posted on 02/27/2008 5:20:29 PM PST by aposiopetic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Maybe Mother Nature is just catching her breath...


4 posted on 02/27/2008 5:21:15 PM PST by coconutt2000 (NO MORE PEACE FOR OIL!!! DOWN WITH TYRANTS, TERRORISTS, AND TIMIDCRATS!!!! (3-T's For World Peace))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Here in Texas we break wind quite often.


5 posted on 02/27/2008 5:21:39 PM PST by ConservaTexan (February 6, 1911)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)

Maybe they should change their name?


6 posted on 02/27/2008 5:21:40 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.


7 posted on 02/27/2008 5:23:16 PM PST by Right Wing Assault ("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

We need to figure out how to re-route this energy. It’s been very gusty in S Texas.


8 posted on 02/27/2008 5:24:47 PM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

I was looking all over for the “/sarc” or “parody site” disclaimer, but alas.

First of all, I’ve never heard of West Texas being without wind EVER and second, I cannot imagine this being a source of electric power for anybody. Kinda like solar panels that don’t work on cloudy days in Seattle or something?


9 posted on 02/27/2008 5:25:20 PM PST by Rte66
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Shh. Don’t tell em the wind doesn’t blow all the time. Don’t let em in on the secret, nukes run 24/7/365. We’ll keep it to ourselves and those boneheads will never figure it out.


10 posted on 02/27/2008 5:26:05 PM PST by saganite (Lust type what you what in the “tagline” space)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CindyDawg

But all the turbines keep going to west Texas.


11 posted on 02/27/2008 5:26:29 PM PST by SouthTexas (We are home.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

What is really funny is the bewildering looks on the board members faces when they are faced with a big ‘ol dollop of wind reality.


12 posted on 02/27/2008 5:26:57 PM PST by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SouthTexas

Which is ok with me. Those things are spooky.


13 posted on 02/27/2008 5:28:34 PM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Too bad the wind stopped blowing. This is probly tied to global warming some how.


14 posted on 02/27/2008 5:29:34 PM PST by Delta 21 ( MKC USCG - ret)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver

Luddites are smiling


15 posted on 02/27/2008 5:30:50 PM PST by NonValueAdded (Who Would Montgomery Brewster Choose?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cicero

ROFL


16 posted on 02/27/2008 5:31:11 PM PST by NonValueAdded (Who Would Montgomery Brewster Choose?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: CindyDawg

They’ve been coming into the Port of CC for quite a while now. HUGE pieces, all heading northwest.


17 posted on 02/27/2008 5:31:17 PM PST by SouthTexas (We are home.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SouthTexas

If we could paint them red/white and blue or draw pics on them or something..


18 posted on 02/27/2008 5:34:32 PM PST by CindyDawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Delta 21

As we return to global cooling the winds will be less energetic — less energy for the windmills to extract. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be!


19 posted on 02/27/2008 5:34:37 PM PST by Procyon (To the global warming fanatics the problem is too many people and the solution is genocide.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Sub-Driver; saganite
Too many megawatts in one unreliable basket. Solar and wind can help -- especially where they can compliment each other (stormy days help wind power production but hurt solar power, sunny days help solar power but may hurt wind power production), but they shouldn't be relied upon for large proportions of the base load.

Numerous nuclear power plants are great for massive base load power.

20 posted on 02/27/2008 5:36:31 PM PST by Solitar ("My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them." -- Barry Goldwater)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson