Texas Grid is on the Edge Again!

[MrSquished]

Still a shithole state down there? I gotta say this is impressive Texas.

 

[outriding]

People of Texas need to pull themselves up by the boot straps and deal with it and stop relying on socialist handouts

They voted for it they can deal with it. Fuck them.

Abbot has been in office for 9 years has done nothing

 

[Dave_5k]

People of Texas need to pull themselves up by the boot straps and deal with it and stop relying on socialist handouts

They voted for it they can deal with it. Fuck them.

Abbot has been in office for 9 years has done nothing

Basically all the upper middle class and above bought generators after Harvey, if not earlier (edit: or some after the winter storm failures...). Unfortunately not all of the generators were properly maintained... but still for the most part, the private sector is solving the grid failures with highly inefficient fixes that provide protection for the well off only. Standard Texas stuff!

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Still a shithole state down there? I gotta say this is impressive Texas.

Shithole since 1836 when we got our freedom because Santa Anna wouldn't let us keep our slaves.

 

[K1052]

Shithole since 1836 when we got our freedom because Santa Anna wouldn't let us keep our slaves.

When you find yourself effectively on the wrong moral side opposite a huge POS like Antonio López de Santa Anna you really do suck at kind of a historically notable level.

 

[brycejones]

Shithole since 1836 when we got our freedom because Santa Anna wouldn't let us keep our slaves.

That sounds woke.

How it's taught in schools. Evil Santa Anna was going to steal the property of freedom loving Texans.

 

[K1052]

That sounds woke.

How it's taught in schools. Evil Santa Anna was going to steal the property of freedom loving Texans.

Me watching the movie "The Alamo":

 

[Viper1j]

Residents are relying on the Whataburger app to track outages since the state doesn’t seem to know where the power is out.

'Joke of a state': Texans relying on fast food app to track outages slam utility company

After the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, millions of Texans were left without power. And once again, residents of the Lone Star State were unable to count on Texas' flagship utility company for either prompt service restoration or even reliable communication.Some Texans...

www.rawstory.com

Anyone know if Ted Cruz is trying to book a flight to Norway?

Well...

 

[hal2kilo]

Are people in Texax finally allowed to read or think now. They finally realized that Bitcoin mining ain't helping out their power grid. Slooow learners.

Texas leaders worry Bitcoin mines and Big Data will crash the power grid

Cryptocurrency operations are proliferating in the Lone Star state, leaving lots of folks disgruntled.

www.motherjones.com

 

[Zorba]

Burying existing powerlines is expensive. Overhead power lines are just uninsulated “copper.” If you bury them, they have to be specially insulated and in conduit…plus you have to dig the trenches, install vaults, etc. It’s at least 50% more to do it as new construction when it makes sense, but doing it after the fact? BIG expense.

Underground vs. overhead: Power line installation-cost comparison and mitigation

Hurricane Sandy left many electric utility executives, their customers, local and state government leaders and regulators contemplating placing overhead power lines underground.

www.power-grid.com

The vast majority of power lines are aluminum. There is one copper high voltage power line I know of outside of Tulsa (my grandfather helped design it), it was put in during the Vietnam War when Aluminum was strategically controlled. You can tell it's different when you drive past it. He said it was so expensive that PSO decided they just wouldn't add more capacity if they couldn't get Aluminum conductors.

 

[Fenixgoon]

The vast majority of power lines are aluminum. There is one copper high voltage power line I know of outside of Tulsa (my grandfather helped design it), it was put in during the Vietnam War when Aluminum was strategically controlled. You can tell it's different when you drive past it. He said it was so expensive that PSO decided they just wouldn't add more capacity if they couldn't get Aluminum conductors.

I was surprised to learn this while reading one of my materials design books. Despite the better conductivity of copper, its higher density means also means higher wind fatigue loads, making copper less than optimal. Despite worse conductivity, the lower density of aluminum means better fatigue resistance because the fluctuating stresses are lower relative to the fatigue strength.

The more you know. Doo dee doo.

 

[hal2kilo]

I was surprised to learn this while reading one of my materials design books. Despite the better conductivity of copper, its higher density means also means higher wind fatigue loads, making copper less than optimal. Despite worse conductivity, the lower density of aluminum means better fatigue resistance because the fluctuating stresses are lower relative to the fatigue strength.

The more you know. Doo dee doo.

Also the voltage is so high that the resistive losses are a rather small percentage compared to the superior conductivity of copper.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Texas grid finally connecting to the SE grid thanks to a federal grant. Hell has frozen over.

EDIT: nm, it's only a 3000 MW connection, not enough to save us from our freedom grid when temps either get sky high or a little low.

 

[brycejones]

Texas grid finally connecting to the SE grid thanks to a federal grant. Hell has frozen over.

EDIT: nm, it's only a 3000 MW connection, not enough to save us from our freedom grid when temps either get sky high or a little low.

Enjoy your new Marxist grid suckers! Stalin and his cronies will be riding those new wires to infect the brains of good, god fearing Texans. Next thing you know FEMA reeducation centers will be opening and dogs and cats will be living together.

Hell on earth is coming.

 

[Thump553]

Texas grid finally connecting to the SE grid thanks to a federal grant. Hell has frozen over.

EDIT: nm, it's only a 3000 MW connection, not enough to save us from our freedom grid when temps either get sky high or a little low.

Does this now require TX to comply with federal regulations or did they work out some kind of loophole?

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Does this now require TX to comply with federal regulations or did they work out some kind of loophole?

I doubt it; it's just a 3000 MW lifeline apparently.

 

[Drach]

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4913022-biden-administration-electric-power-projects/

 

[Dave_5k]

Does this now require TX to comply with federal regulations or did they work out some kind of loophole?

Nope. FERC approved a loophole allowing this to go forward, without requiring FERC oversight of TX grid. It’s a DC transmission line I believe for just that reason.

Actually, this exception was already approved by FERC way back in… 2014. After project being proposed in 2011. And it may now be finally built by 2030 - pending if further delays on state/local approvals still.

Insane it’s taking 20 years to get a mid-sized, 320 mile long, interstate transmission line built - but sadly that’s not atypical for the U.S. And is a major reason our grid is a mess.