In February, a once-a-decade weather event occurred in Texas, bringing unusually cold temperatures and snowfall. During this storm, demand for natural gas skyrocketed for both heat and electricity, at the same time as availability plummeted due to frozen gas supply lines and reduced pumping capacity from blackouts. This mismatch in supply and demand in Texas […]
Texas
Posted inColumns, Uncategorized
My Friend, the North American Electric Grid
My roof is equipped with an 8.5 kilowatt solar array, enough to supply household needs and to charge Sparky, our electric car. Our 25 solar panels free us from an electric bill; they don’t make us energy independent. In the summer, Xcel Energy sends us checks to pay for the excess electricity we churn out. […]