Guest Post by Robert Bradley, Jr. of Master Resource.
Texas is turning to government-aided natural gas to fix its broken political grid. Yes, wind and solar did that in one of the natural gas meccas of the world.
Doug Sheridan, a reliable voice on social media, posted this at LinkedIn:
It was big news last week that the Texas PUC received 125 applications for 56 GW of new gas-fired generation. The legislation behind the initiative—which appropriates $5B in state grants and loan guarantees to the plants—was intended to spur 10 GW of new gas-fired capacity on ERCOT.
We’ve seen commentary about what the supposedly massive “oversubscription” means, with plenty of energy industry insiders hailing it as a rebuttal to the massive buildup of renewables on the state’s increasingly shaky grid. We’re not so sure.
The subsidized fund for gas-fired generation is far from a solution to the grid’s large and growing problems. More likely it’s a political fig-leaf to cover up poor grid management by state leaders—that is, a way to say, “Don’t blame us, we tried to fix it” should the system suffer catastrophic failure due to the non-performance of renewables.
The truth is many of the same state politicians who championed this particular law have actually enabled the very situation on the grid they now supposedly decry. We say supposedly because, to be clear, there’s absolutely no *mea culpa* here—from anyone. We don’t get those anymore.
We suspect analysis of political contributions from renewable energy interests to Texas politicians would show there’s too much in the way of donations flowing to the political class to expect they’d ever disallow more damaging renewables on the system. Again, we may be wrong on this point, but we doubt it. In time, we hope to do that analysis.
Leaders in Austin seem determined to tempt fate in other ways as well. As reported by David Blackmon, Lt. Gov Dan Patrick is now referring to a “Texas Miracle”… presumably of economic growth and prosperity. Careful Sir, there are too many problems lurking on the Texas grid to be claiming miracles at this point.
When it comes to the 125 applications for new gas-fired capacity, many questions remain. Certainly more honest and complete math needs to be done. Our sense is that honest analysis would show that Texas rate- and tax-payers are now effectively financing the kind of inefficient duplicate backup generation capacity critics of renewables have been warning about for years.
The lack of public understanding of what’s going on as it relates to the Texas grid is also a concern. That’s because it limits the public’s ability to act as a governor in real time to politicians… and their policy makers and moneyed interests. Unable to punish politicians at the polls in advance of breaking our grid, it leaves only the regrettable option of punishing them after the fact.
Our affection for Texas runs deep, but so does our concern over its grid. It’s time for a candid conversation about the state’s energy policies—one that acknowledges the true costs and challenges of a blindly pro-renewables approach and seeks solutions that ensure the resilience of the grid and the well-being of Texans.Final Comment
Hear, hear. The wind/solar/battery experiment in Texas has wounded a once reliable grid by replacing consumer-driven, taxpayer-neutral, economic, reliable energies with inferiors. And where has anyone calculated what the benefits are in terms of avoided “climate change”?
Instead, the wilds of Texas are being industrialized, a not-so-green outcome that Big Green does not want to contemplate. Kudos to the Doug Sheridans for speaking truth to political power to such wind/solar/battery apologists.
#Texas #Grid #Wind #Solar #Batteries #NaturalGas #Politicians
2021-02-Texas winter storm costs could top $200 billion — more than hurricanes Harvey and Ike ++ 200 dead https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-winter-storm-uri-costs/
2011 This sounds cheaper
Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corp, the Japanese company's wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, reached an agreement in March 2008 to build the third and fourth reactors for utility NRG Energy Inc's South Texas Project. The plant has two 1,280-megawatt reactors.
NRG in 2011 abandoned and wrote off its investment in the project, citing U.S. regulatory uncertainty in the wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. https://www.reuters.com/article/markets/currencies/toshiba-withdraws-from-south-texas-nuclear-power-plant-project-idUSKCN1IW35S/
Our politicians are good at patch work and like most of our roads in Texas now the grid is following suit. Many of them want to do the right thing, but they listen to all the same actors over and over again and they have come to this point.
Bureaucracy doesn't want change, too much outside the box. Lobbyist want their own agendas and they are extremely good at their jobs. And we just want the lights to stay on. Policies coming down from Washington are not going to allow that.
Renewables and that bright idea came in 1999 with then Gov. Bush and Lte. Gov Perry who brought us to this point and let me tell you it has been a down hill slope as far as our grid is concerned!
Here we are the 8th largest economy in the world and we cannot influence bankers to take on loans for gas to save the grid. The State had to become that banker, something I whole heartily disagree with,
This is the best we could do, so while everyone is cooing over the "miracle" - my comment is duhhh... didn't you see that coming and do you see what is coming next - the $5 Billion may end up being that $38.5 Billion - the amount of applications received.... that's the problem with a fund .... there is no end limit or time restriction... it ends up being endless.
While Lte. Gov. Dan Patrick thinks this is a win, it is a patch at best, with taxpayers money at risk.
In the meantime - what are we to do - 155GW of solar on the interconnect list, something I have been whining on about for over 3 year now and no gas relief for a couple of years... 140 GW of battery projects will be no relief.
That means a wreaked grid - no consistency for the consumer. for data centers then bitcoin sucking the system dry like a leach. Industry is in trouble. - Think Germany!
So I would say - that leaves us - the little guy - screwed once again and we didn't even get to dance!
rant over...