Texas in Crisis

[lpetrich]

BeNeDicT ArNoLd on Twitter: "@AOC @EdMarkey How would the green new deal’s increased push for wind and solar prevent this in the future? The graph below says you reject science and would make it worse. (pic link)" / Twitter

I don't see how the picture's chart supports that thesis, that wind and solar energy are dangerously unreliable in cold weather.

There was a bit of solar on 16 Feb, a bit more than in previous days, though wind energy contributed very little.

But there were big drops in natural gas, coal, and nuclear-energy generation. Natgas generation has a rather evident vulnerability, its pipelines, but that does not exist for coal and nuclear generation. So what affected them?

Coal is usually sent by train, and that is potentially vulnerable to track switches freezing. But full-scale railroading has often been done in great cold, like in Russia in the winter.

New railway in Siberia set to open linking Moscow with the coldest city in the world, Yakutsk | Daily Mail Online
Temperatures: -60 C / -76 F to +35 C / +95 F.

The Trans-Siberian Railroad: 9 Facts You Should Know - some parts get as cold as -62 C.

Also, coal is easy to store, unlike natgas.

Nuclear power? Nuclear Reactor Refueling - it's done every 1 to 2 years, and the reactor has to be shut down for replacing its old fuel with its new fuel.

That graph showed Texas's nuclear-reactor output as constant until it dropped some 20% on Feb 16. That's typical of nuclear reactors - run at constant output despite big fluctuations in electricity demand.

 

[Keith&Co.]

. Natgas generation has a rather evident vulnerability, its pipelines, but that does not exist for coal and nuclear generation. So what affected them?

I just read that reactors in Texas are shutting down due to problems getting enough cooling water.
Burst pipes, etc.

 

[lpetrich]

Andrew Lawrence on Twitter: "Texas Gov. Abbott blames solar and wind for the blackouts in his state and says "this shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America" (link)" / Twitter
then
Julián Castro on Twitter: "Millions of Texans are sleeping in their winter coats, burning furniture, and exposing themselves to carbon monoxide by sleeping in their cars.

@GregAbbott_TX shouldn’t waste time blaming others for his failures on Fox News—he should be doing his job." / Twitter
and
Veronica Escobar on Twitter: "The elderly, children, and other vulnerable Texans are literally fighting for their lives amidst this monumental failure.

And instead of working to get help to his constituents and save lives, @GregAbbott_TX goes on TV to lie to the world." / Twitter


Pramila Jayapal on Twitter: "Republicans' lies about renewable energy are morally indefensible.

Millions still don't have power. Families are freezing. People are dying. This is what happens when we DON'T invest in clean energy, infrastructure, and our communities. (link)" / Twitter
noting
US conservatives falsely blame renewables for Texas storm outages | Texas | The Guardian - "Lawmakers and the Murdoch media target wind and solar but grid operator says fossil fuel generators suffered biggest problems"

“We should never build another wind turbine in Texas,” read a Facebook post on Tuesday by the state’s agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller. “The experiment failed big time.”

Fox News also joined in with one of its presenters, Tucker Carlson, claiming that renewables were to blame and that Texas was “totally reliant on windfarms”. The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial that “the power grid is becoming less reliable due to growing reliance on wind and solar, which can’t provide power 24 hours a day, seven days a week”.

While some wind turbines did freeze, failures in natural gas, coal and nuclear energy systems were responsible for nearly twice as many outages as renewables, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), which operates the state’s power grid, said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Frozen instruments at gas, coal and even nuclear power stations were among the main problems, Ercot director Dan Woodfin said, according to Bloomberg.

That's a weird kind of failure. Wouldn't those powerplants' waste heat be more than enough to keep their interiors warm? What's going on here?

Nuclear powerplants don't get refueled while they operate. Coal is easy to store on site. So what's going on here?

 

[lpetrich]

Raw Story on Twitter: "Rick Perry calls on Texans to endure frigid temps without heat to ‘keep the feds out of their business’ (link)" / Twitter
noting
Rick Perry calls on Texans to endure frigid temps without heat to ‘keep the feds out of their business’ - Raw Story - Celebrating 16 Years of Independent Journalism
noting
Perry says Texans willing to suffer blackouts to keep feds out of power market

Former Texas governor Rick Perry suggests that going days without power is a sacrifice Texans should be willing to make if it means keeping federal regulators out of the state’s power grid.

In a blog posted on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's website, Perry is quoted responding to the claim that “those watching on the left may see the situation in Texas as an opportunity to expand their top-down, radical proposals.”

“Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business,” Perry is quoted as saying. “Try not to let whatever the crisis of the day is take your eye off of having a resilient grid that keeps America safe personally, economically, and strategically.”

...
“If wind and solar is where we’re headed, the last 48 hours ought to give everybody a real pause and go wait a minute,” Perry said. “We need to have a baseload. And the only way you can get a baseload in this country is [with] natural gas, coal, and nuclear.”

noting
What's Up in Texas? - House Republican Leader

What an ideologue. What kind of "freedom" is it when Texas's grid fails while the two other main contiguous-US grids keep on going?

 

[ZiprHead]

Seen elsewhere: I bet if Texas renamed their power grid to uterus, the state would be regulating the shit out of it.

 

[lpetrich]

Rep. Barbara Lee on Twitter: "What's happening in Texas is the result of energy policy that puts profits over people.

We need bold, transformative change. We need a Green New Deal." / Twitter


Matthew Yglesias on Twitter: "Why did Gregg Abbott and Rick Perry let the radical left make all energy policy decisions for their state, shutting down all oil & gas extraction and relying entirely on wind power?" / Twitter

Matthew Yglesias on Twitter: "Let me tell you, when Ann Richards was in charge they had some oil drilling happening in the state. Then the Republicans take over and it's suddenly 100 percent renewables! Weird shit." / Twitter

I think that he's being sarcastic.

Beto O'Rourke on Twitter: "You’re the governor of a state where millions don’t have power, where people are literally dying of exposure, and you go on Fox news to talk about... the Green New Deal? You are the governor. Your party has run Texas for 20 years. Accept responsibility & help us get out of this." / Twitter

Sunrise Movement on Twitter: ""It doesn’t have to be this way.

We deserve a government that addresses our basic needs & protects all of us in moments of crisis. Despite the lies you’ll hear from @GovAbbott on Fox News, that’s truly what the Green New Deal is all about" -@parismoran_ (link)" / Twitter
noting
Sunrise Movement Leader Facing Climate Crisis in Texas, Calls for Governor Abbott’s Resignation and to Pass a Green New Deal - Sunrise Movement
Paris Moran (f):

On Sunday, my household lost power. Our food went bad. We don’t have a consistent water flow. My family and I are sustaining on one meal a day as food deserts worsen. And each moment without power, my heart breaks as my parents suffer not only from the storm, but because they can’t use the medical devices they rely on to ease them of pain. We are hungry, thirsty, cold, and hurting. And we are not alone in this.

...
In the wake of their failed leadership in times of crisis, we the people are filling the void to take care of each other. We are the ones supporting each other through the crisis while the government is on standby. We are the ones raising money for hotel stays, and cooking and distributing food to those in need. Now, we must start asking what our government can do for us. We cannot afford for this to happen again. As disaster after disaster strikes, bold action must be taken to not only prevent this destruction, but ensure communities like mine, especially communities of color who often face the brunt of the catastrophes, are equipped and empowered to handle them.

 

[Deepak]

 

[barbos]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

 

[Jarhyn]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

Lots of Texans probably don't know that's a thing... Or worse, don't have direct access to the shut-off owing to specifics of their living situation (duplex, apartment, etc.)

I know about shutting off water lines and burst pipe remediation only because that's a part of the rhythm of life in Minnesota. Texas, it's not, so much.

 

[Rhea]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

A lot of people do not know where the main valve is. For some homes in Texas it may be outside, and frozen (or it may be inside, and frozen) where the outer diameter of the flow area is frozen but the inner diamter still passes water. Some may have turned off, but that’s how much water is left to drain.

 

[Jarhyn]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

A lot of people do not know where the main valve is. For some homes in Texas it may be outside, and frozen (or it may be inside, and frozen) where the outer diameter of the flow area is frozen but the inner diamter still passes water. Some may have turned off, but that’s how much water is left to drain.

Yeah, it's in the OP: Texas wasn't built for this shit.

None of it was built for this. It's like an earthquake happening where earthquakes don't generally happen.

And Texas is shunning national efforts to help.

Anyone up in this thread talking about wind power trying to blame it needs to get their head screwed back on right this time.

At any rate, it's a cheap retrofit to put different turbines on pylons.

Fixing a nuclear power plant's burst pipes? That's gonna suck...

I guess this is what you get when you try to duck federal regulations to make a quick buck.

 

[barbos]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

A lot of people do not know where the main valve is. For some homes in Texas it may be outside, and frozen (or it may be inside, and frozen) where the outer diameter of the flow area is frozen but the inner diamter still passes water. Some may have turned off, but that’s how much water is left to drain.

It can't be frozen. And they are not even trying.
And why were not they warned about it? I mean about need to close the main valve.
They knew that it was going to happen once heating failed.

 

[Deepak]

The reality is that training and disaster recovery planning requires spending money. The free market decided these things were frills, and the investment in people was as highly valued as investment in infrastructure.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

A lot of people do not know where the main valve is. For some homes in Texas it may be outside, and frozen (or it may be inside, and frozen) where the outer diameter of the flow area is frozen but the inner diamter still passes water. Some may have turned off, but that’s how much water is left to drain.

It can't be frozen. And they are not even trying.
And why were not they warned about it? I mean about need to close the main valve.
They knew that it was going to happen once heating failed.

The cold weather has sustained longer than it usually has in the South. Texas gets hit, but it usually isn't for a week, so it gets cold, but gets above freezing and things get better.

The natural gas failure is a new thing. Texas thought it was invincible, so some just don't know what to do.

 

[barbos]

It can't be frozen. And they are not even trying.
And why were not they warned about it? I mean about need to close the main valve.
They knew that it was going to happen once heating failed.

The cold weather has sustained longer than it usually has in the South. Texas gets hit, but it usually isn't for a week, so it gets cold, but gets above freezing and things get better.

The natural gas failure is a new thing. Texas thought it was invincible, so some just don't know what to do.

Yeah, it takes time for shit to hit the fan. They had plenty of time at least to tell people to turn the fan off, shit is coming.

 

[Keith&Co.]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

A lot of people do not know where the main valve is. For some homes in Texas it may be outside, and frozen (or it may be inside, and frozen) where the outer diameter of the flow area is frozen but the inner diamter still passes water. Some may have turned off, but that’s how much water is left to drain.

It can't be frozen.

Water pipes here in the northeast are buried four feet underground to protect from freezing. Water pipes in Texas are six inches down. It's all they needed for the last 200 years.

But now, the water in those pipes has frozen, including the water going thru the main valve.
Which they may have never needed to know about their entire lives.
As to warning, that assumes someone at the Texas power company thinks of burst water pipes after power failures.
Or at the water company.
Or at the TV station.

They have no practice at this, though. Nothing in their experience or in the municipal drills they hold, brought up thus as a possibility.

 

[TV and credit cards]

I don't understand all these videos with water gushing from the ceiling and utterly destroying house. Why not close the main valve?

A lot of people do not know where the main valve is. For some homes in Texas it may be outside, and frozen (or it may be inside, and frozen) where the outer diameter of the flow area is frozen but the inner diamter still passes water. Some may have turned off, but that’s how much water is left to drain.

It can't be frozen. And they are not even trying.
And why were not they warned about it? I mean about need to close the main valve.
They knew that it was going to happen once heating failed.

For whatever reason builders in Texas (at least for a time) thought it was a good idea to locate the home’s water heater in the attic. So there is plumbing and a tank full of water sitting in an area of the home that is not climate controlled. So whether you shut the water off or not, there is 40-50 gallons of water just waiting to come pouring out. Generally these water heaters are in an attic area above the garage but letting loose fifty gallons of water all at once will flow along the ceiling until it finds convenient escapes: cutouts for light fixtures.

 

[barbos]

It can't be frozen.

Water pipes in Texas are six inches down. It's all they needed for the last 200 years.

I find that hard to believe. Maybe near house, but not main pipes. You can easily damage it by driving over it or doing yard work.
Regardless, 6 inches is deep enough to not freeze in one week of slightly subzero temperature. And main pipes are plastic anyway.
It's clear that second floor copper piping froze up and burst in these videos. Main valve is fine. This is stupid. Whole houses collapse because they did not know that water supply should be cut off.

 

[Keith&Co.]

It can't be frozen.

Water pipes in Texas are six inches down. It's all they needed for the last 200 years.

I find that hard to believe. Maybe near house, but not main pipes. You can easily damage it by driving over it or doing yard work.
Regardless, 6 inches is deep enough to not freeze in one week of slightly subzero temperature. And main pipes are plastic anyway.
It's clear that second floor copper piping froze up and burst in these videos. Main valve is fine. This is stupid. Whole houses collapse because they did not know that water supply should be cut off.

So many assumptions...

 

[barbos]

For whatever reason builders in Texas (at least for a time) thought it was a good idea to locate the home’s water heater in the attic. So there is plumbing and a tank full of water sitting in an area of the home that is not climate controlled. So whether you shut the water off or not, there is 40-50 gallons of water just waiting to come pouring out. Generally these water heaters are in an attic area above the garage but letting loose fifty gallons of water all at once will flow along the ceiling until it finds convenient escapes: cutouts for light fixtures.

OK, that answers my question, kinda. I've lived in US north, and water heaters were on the first floor with easy outside access. I don't know what was it, heating oil/gas pipleline or simply tank. But it was definitely first floor and outside access. And water lines were couple of meters deep if not deeper and it was plastic.