The Texas power grid passed another test recently, when a winter storm covered much of the state in a sheet of ice. Although there were significant power outages, some of which lasted a while, they were largely due to ice on lines and trees breaking lines and similar issues. We also had enough power to deal with the even more brutal cold in late December.
Since Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 exposed vulnerabilities, countless hours and millions of dollars have been spent studying the reasons for the problems and proposing and implementing solutions. Some of the obvious things (such as making sure that power is not curtailed to natural gas producers during periods of high demand) have been fixed.
Even so, neither of the recent cold snaps came close to Uri in terms of length, breadth, or severity, and issues remain (it also occasionally gets hot in the summer in Texas). For one, the State needs to ensure that there is sufficient power winterized and ready to go online even if the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Battery technology is improving, and a number are being installed, but they are not yet a realistic solution for the entire system. That means conventional fuels or nuclear power (or both) will remain critical. Renewables are clearly a vital part of meeting needs, but they cannot do it all for the foreseeable future given the current state of technology. This reality is verified by projections from the US Department of Energy.
