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'Unplanned' outages hit Texas power plants in soaring temperatures
Officials with Texas' power grid operator pleaded with residents Monday to limit their electrical usage amid soaring temperatures and a series of mechanical problems at power plants.
The appeal, from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, comes four months after deadly blackouts during a winter storm left millions of people without power — and weeks after state legislators passed a package of measures aimed at fixing some of the problems exposed by the storm.
Officials with the nonprofit group, which oversees 90 percent of Texas' energy production, asked residents to set their thermostats higher, turn off lights and avoid using larger appliances until Friday.
A spokeswoman for the group told reporters that the outages accounted for more than 12,000 megawatts, enough to power 2.4 million homes. Some areas of the state, including Dallas and Tarrant counties, were warned about poor air quality and potentially dangerous heat, with the heat index approaching 110 degrees.
A senior official with ERCOT, Warren Lasher, said it wasn't clear why there were so many unplanned outages. But he said that the group is "deeply concerned" about the plants that are offline and that a thorough investigation is being conducted to better understand the problems.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16 2021, @02:35PM (12 children)
In 2010, Texas had 25 million people.
Just 10 years later, Texas had 29 million people.
That's a 20% increase, and new power plants have not kept pace.
Everybody is moving to Texas.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16 2021, @03:02PM (9 children)
Now do California.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16 2021, @03:41PM (5 children)
California has rolling blackouts and requests its residents not use power hungry devices during those times.
California's population in 2010 was 37.3 million and in 2020 was 39.5 million, for an increase of only 5.9% in that time period versus Texas's 20%.
California population figured taken from:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/CA [census.gov]
Not sure what you're trying to prove.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16 2021, @03:49PM (1 child)
Let me help. Ahem, everyone ls LEAVING the liberal socialist hellhole for wonderful America-loving Texas (not seceding this year apparently)!! Suck it up libs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16 2021, @04:04PM
I never said that. Reading comprehension time, idiot. I said everyone was moving to Texas, and a growth rate of 20% makes that a defensible statement to plain English speakers. I never mentioned California. But, if you want to be superliteral about it, the population in Texas grew at a rate of 3-1/3 that of California. That's a huge difference not in California's favor for this discussion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16 2021, @05:18PM (2 children)
When California's annual rolling blackouts start this summer, maybe you'll understand what I'm trying to prove.
Population is a factor, but a bigger factor is that US infrastructure is failing. Take note that neither Team Red or Blue is winning.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 16 2021, @05:58PM (1 child)
There was 19 years between those "annual" blackouts. [politico.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 17 2021, @03:17PM
https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-power-grid-operator-flex-alert-power-usage [foxnews.com]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday June 16 2021, @04:11PM (2 children)
Texas population 2011-2022: 14% increase [macrotrends.net]
California population 2011-2022: 5% increase [macrotrends.net]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 16 2021, @04:32PM
So, roughly, Texas's population grew 3 times as fast as California's during the same time period.
(Score: 2) by SunTzuWarmaster on Wednesday June 16 2021, @06:03PM
Just out of curiosity - why did you cite a link which says "Texas Population 2011-2022", compare it to the 2010 number of the grandfather poster, and insinuate that they are inaccurate?
Let's go to the Census data rather than some macrotrends.com, shall we?
April 2020 - https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/TX [census.gov]
Texas Population 2010-2020 = 25145561-29145505 (16% increase)
Seems pretty accurate to the claim of:
"In 2010, Texas had 25 million people.
Just 10 years later, Texas had 29 million people."
Seems to dispute the claim that the GP made that it is a 20% increase, seeing as it is only 16%.
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/CA [census.gov]
In 2010, CA had 37,253,956 people.
Just 10 years later, CA had 39,538,223 people.
CA Population 2010-2020 = 37,253,956-39,538,223 (6% increase).
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 17 2021, @10:36AM (1 child)
Mexico and Nicaragua are moving to Texas.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 17 2021, @03:15PM
If it weren't for Third World immigration (I'll toss in China here too), the population of the US as a whole would be falling. Everyone from the Third World is moving here. And Biden is now *flying in the families* of the illegal aliens he invited in!