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In reply to the discussion: Texas Calls for Power Conservation After Six Generators Fail [View all]hunter
(38,309 posts)Electrical demand usually starts to peak in the late afternoon just as solar power is fading.
Here in solar-friendly California that's when the gas plants power up. A number of gas plants are always kept hot, not generating power but ready to pick up the load whenever wind and solar power fade.
Wind and solar are the best thing that could have happened to the natural gas industry. They will only prolong our dependence on natural gas. Wind and solar cannot displace natural gas entirely because there is no technically feasible way to store solar and wind energy away for days or weeks the wind isn't blowing briskly and the sun isn't shining brightly.
The situation in Texas ought to be alarming for Texans. Their state is beginning to resemble one of those "developing" nations that can't keep the lights on. An electric grid is nothing you can fix with prayer or psychopathic political and economic theories. A state or nation has to listen to the engineers and make sure they get whatever resources they need to fix the problem. If your political system doesn't allow for honest engineering because of corruption or regulatory incompetence the lights won't stay on.