The state is the largest oil, natural gas, and wind energy producer in the US. The largest source of electricity in Texas is natural gas, followed by wind and solar, coal, then nuclear.
It draws on a diverse range of power sources in a competitive market. Managed by the nonprofit Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the grid provides 90 percent of the state’s electricity and serves 26 million customers. Unlike other states, Texas operates its own internal power grid that serves much of the state. Why the extreme cold has the Texas power grid shaking in its boots And with more frigid weather in store this week, Texans can’t come in from the cold just yet. There are, however, some unique factors in Texas that have put the state in such a precarious position. Texas’s grid crisis is a stark reminder that extreme weather events like Uri remain a threat to energy infrastructure across the country. Throughout the state, the National Guard has been deployed and 135 public warming centers have opened up to give people a respite from the frigid weather, although Covid-19 precautions remain in effect. The county had to hurriedly administer 8,500 doses of the Covid-19 Moderna vaccine, which must be stored at temperatures between minus 13 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. In Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, health workers scrambled to distribute Covid-19 vaccines as freezers lost power and backup generators failed. On Tuesday afternoon, grid operators told Texas legislators that outages could last for days and that they weren’t sure when the power outages would end. For some customers, these blackouts aren’t rolling, instead stretching on for an unknown duration. Local utilities are asking customers to conserve power and set their thermostats lower. This combination of shortfalls has forced power grid operators to conduct rolling blackouts, where power is shut off to different areas for a limited period of time. Greg Abbott.įor residents of the Lone Star State, the problem stems from both a record spike in electricity demand in a place that rarely gets this cold, as well as an unexpected drop in the supply of energy from natural gas, coal, wind, nuclear, and solar sources besieged by cold and ice. On Sunday, President Joe Biden approved a state of emergency declaration for Texas following a request from Gov. Flights were canceled out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. More than 4.2 million customers had lost power as of Tuesday morning, when temperatures dipped as low as 4 degrees Fahrenheit - lower than Anchorage, Alaska - in cities like Dallas. Texans, however, may be shivering more than others, with some of the coldest temperatures in 30 years, and some of the biggest power grid problems.
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Find Austin-area restaurants offering free meals (also via the American-Statesman).Conserve power (if you have it) with this Austin American-Statesman guide.
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And a list of food banks, searchable by zip code.Find a warming shelter with this state map.Help in Texas for those affected by Winter Storm Uri
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