PUC Investigating Failure to Report Wind Shortage

The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) has started an investigation into last week's sudden drop in wind power the Startlegram reported over the weekend. Specifically, the PUC is asking why the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) failed to follow its own rules and make appeals through the news media for conservation during the emergency.

Last Tuesday (02/26) a sudden drop in West Texas wind power combined with an increase in electric use led to a sudden loss of stability on the electric grid. This caused ERCOT Engineers to implement the second step of an emergency blackout prevention plan and cut power to some large industrial customers.

So far, so good, but after a more serious situation in 2006 ERCOT established rules that require it to make appeals through the news media for conservation during such emergencies. No appeals were made. ERCOT officials say that by the time they could have contacted the media, the crisis was over. I suppose ERCOT doesn't have internet access?

Call me cynical but I can't help but wonder if the reason no conservation appeal was issued is that ERCOT doesn't want the public to know how unreliable wind power is. Texas leads the nation in production of wind power and plans are to greatly increase production. However, such increased production will entail massive new wind farms and hundreds of miles of ugly transmission lines. Perhaps some are worried that the public will balk at such a high environmental cost if they realize how unreliable so-called renewable energy is?

Renewable, But Not So Reliable

We are scolded and told that it is imperative that we generate more of our energy from "renewable" resources. The dirty little secret the Al Goreans don't tell us is this: "Renewable" energy is not very reliable. The Startlegram reports today that a sudden drop in West Texas wind Tuesday caused the Lone Star State to narrowly avoid statewide rolling blackouts:

Operators of the state power grid scrambled Tuesday night to keep the lights on after a sudden drop in West Texas wind threatened to cause rolling blackouts, officials confirmed Wednesday.

At about 6:41 p.m. Tuesday, grid operators ordered a shutoff of power to so-called interruptible customers, which are industrial electric users who have agreed previously to forgo power in times of crisis. The move ensured continued stability of the grid after power dropped unexpectedly.

Dottie Roark, a spokeswoman for the power grid, said a sudden uptick in electricity use coupled with other factors and a sudden drop in wind power caused the unexpected dip. As a result, grid officials immediately went to the second stage of its emergency blackout prevention plan.

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Kent Saathoff, vice president for system operations at ERCOT [Electric Reliability Council of Texas], said Tuesday's event illustrates the inherent challenges associated with using wind power. Because the wind sometimes stops blowing without a moment's notice, engineers at ERCOT must remain nimble enough to respond to resulting instability on the grid, he said.

Yesterday's event shows that so-called renewable energy is not suitable as a source of energy for a large heavily populated state like Texas. It is inconceivable that an energy-rich state such as ours should have to even consider the possibility of blackouts. Increasing our reliance on wind power will lead Texas backwards to the status of a third-world county.

Via Blowing Our Tax Dollars on Wind Farms.