Weird weather

CrimsonSoul

CrimsonSoul

Dave

Dave

Staff member
Because Texas deregulated there are a bunch of scenarios like this. A power company had something set up where you paid a fee and then get your energy at their wholesale costs. Which works great when there's nothing going on. But right now with the outages and spikes, the wholesale costs have skyrocketed, giving you bills like the above. It's like having a variable rate mortgage and we all know how well THAT turned out.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Sparhawk said:
I’ve heard it many times also, but the last time I remember it being like this was before you lived in Texas. 1983. Had snow on the ground for about a week, sub-freezing temps for almost that whole time. I take most weather people with a grain of salt, when it’s a bad storm they want to try to grab people’s attention and they start tossing around “once in a lifetime” and “hundred year event” like they’re going out of date and have to be used before the expiration date.
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There was an ice storm back in the 90s, not long after I moved here, and it knocked out power to areas for at least a week. It wasn't as cold, but the actual historic significance of these temperatures is besides the point. I don't care if people are accurately using the terms or not, what bothers me is that they're letting politicians and energy company executives avoid accountability.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
My parents and my sister & brother-in-law are both still awaiting plumbing repairs so they can turn back on water at their houses. My sister has been told "no later than the 15th" for getting the repair, while my parents still can't get anyone to commit to a date. They've been without water now for well over two weeks. It's a good thing I've got water, and they can come over here to shower and fill bottles.
 
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Dei

Dei

March is the snowiest month for Colorado, so it's not like I'm shocked.

Also, I have nowhere to go, and I'm probably not in the path of the biggest stuff.
 
Shakey

Shakey

It’s supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow. In northern Minnesota. At the beginning of March.
I’m not complaining, but this is crazy.
 
jwhouk

jwhouk

The last few days around here have been the Double Edged Sword that this lovely state brings you. In the same moment, you get that pleasant feeling of, "Oh, hey, this is the reason why I moved to Arizona!" - immediately followed by the unpleasant feeling of, "Oh, yeah, that's right, I live in Arizona."
 
Dei

Dei

Dei said:
March is the snowiest month for Colorado, so it's not like I'm shocked.

Also, I have nowhere to go, and I'm probably not in the path of the biggest stuff.
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This giant blizzard has already been downgraded to a foot and a half, and the start time keeps getting pushed back. I am not impressed.
 
Dei

Dei

Dei said:
This giant blizzard has already been downgraded to a foot and a half, and the start time keeps getting pushed back. I am not impressed.
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Well, the snow is wet and heavy, so it's not going to be as high as fluffy snow, but it's packing in pretty well now. Also huge gusts of wind, so that's exciting.

 
Frank

Frank

I took a picture of my neighborhood while I was checking the mail. This is mid-May weather. There shouldn't be no snow during March. I'm dreading wildfire season.


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General Specific

General Specific

I was in the forecasted path of tornadoes today. Same system that hit Alabama and Noth Carolina. It was bad enough that the local school districts closed and had an elearning day instead. Meaning I worked from home today. We had... some wind and a bit of rain. It was fine. I don't fault the decision, though. There was no way to really tell what was going to happen.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Sparhawk said:
I don’t understand your reaction, they’re being proactive instead of reactive and you’re upset about it?
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He is, and to an extent, I am as well, in that once again ERCOT is showing itself unprepared for even a mild unfortunate contingency. There is no way that a stalled front in April should be causing demand to outpace supply. When we get into the July-August doldrums and everybody's running their AC at full blast 24/7, is our power grid going to buckle like a belt AGAIN, if it's already strained now?
 
ScytheRexx

ScytheRexx

It's pretty obvious to me they are just playing the cover game right now. They got caught with their pants down before, so now they are going to pull the pants down slightly themselves so that when they fall down again sometime this summer they can be like "See!? SEE?! We planned to pull our pants down the whole time!"
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Sparhawk said:
I don’t understand your reaction, they’re being proactive instead of reactive and you’re upset about it?
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As Gas said, I'm upset because they almost had to call this an emergency when it's not extreme weather. This is a symptom of a poorly managed system that has been set up to maximize profit with inadequate planning for the future. People are going to keep dying because of greed. It's fucking terrifying living with a power system that was within just a few minutes from catastrophic failure that would have meant months without electricity.

And notice I didn't say "ERCOT get your shit together" I said TEXAS. Because the problem is as much with our politicians, billionaires, and other authorities as it is with ERCOT itself. It's a whole heap of inter-connected problems that have lead us to this point, and I'm in no mood to expound on all of it.

Texas, where you can legislate morality when it comes to the sale of alcohol or the ownership of dildos, but expecting energy companies to be responsible for the lives of the people they serve is just too much.
 
Sparhawk

Sparhawk

DarkAudit said:
Texas, where your fuck-off-to-Cancun senator is more concerned about grandstanding over MLB moving the ASG than his actual constituents.
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A US Senator’s job isn’t within the border of the state, but in Washington DC. So this isn’t in his “jurisdiction”, so to speak. Ercot, and it’s related issues is a job for State Reps and Senators.

As for ERCOT’s actions yesterday, they announced that they might need to issue a state of emergency due to demand on the grid, during a traditionally low demand season that allows for plants to go offline to do maintenance. That SoE wasn’t needed, so they let the warning expire. Typically the two maintenance “seasons” for power plants are late March to May, and then October. Everyone is trying to get some overhaul work done after quick repairs done back in February.

Would everyone be happier if they’d just ignored it and had the power go out again? Maybe killed a few workers at the plants when they went into emergency reconnect without warning? Everything ERCOT does right now will get extra scrutiny, with reason, but last year or the year before the same announcement wouldn’t have gotten even a glance by the news because it wasn’t “news.”
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
Sparhawk said:
A US Senator’s job isn’t within the border of the state, but in Washington DC. So this isn’t in his “jurisdiction”, so to speak. Ercot, and it’s related issues is a job for State Reps and Senators.
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You're ignoring the fact that one of the reasons ERCOT exists is because Texas has made every effort to keep national oversight out of the Texas power grid. ERCOT very much is a state vs national issue, and Ted Cruz absolutely had a hand in it. Why do you think Cruz has a history of mocking California's energy policies? Because he, as a senator, has played a role in making ERCOT the problem that it is.

Everyone is trying to get some overhaul work done after quick repairs done back in February.
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Yes, that's one major part of the problem. Everyone is trying to get maintenance work done. Maintenance is done on a schedule that maximizes profits, not reliability. That was one of the major factors in why the grid nearly collapsed earlier this year, and why it continues to be a danger. The system is not structured as an essential utility, it's structured as a cash cow.

Would everyone be happier if they’d just ignored it and had the power go out again? Maybe killed a few workers at the plants when they went into emergency reconnect without warning? Everything ERCOT does right now will get extra scrutiny, with reason, but last year or the year before the same announcement wouldn’t have gotten even a glance by the news because it wasn’t “news.”
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Just because it wouldn't have captured headlines doesn't mean it wouldn't have been an important symptom of a failing system.

"I don't know why everyone is worried my blood glucose levels right now. Just because I got diagnosed with diabetes, every meal gets extra scrutiny. If I'd been thirsty and gotten headaches last year no one would have given it a second thought."

Yeah, people might have missed the important symptoms before, but that doesn't mean they aren't important.
 
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