Like millions of other Texans, my family spent three days last week huddled in the cold as blackouts cut our power and heat. My wife, two young daughters and I were left scrambling to stay warm and fed. Thanks to multiple layers of clothing and blankets, we’re OK.
Many other Texans haven’t been so fortunate. Many died because of the extreme cold and many others have been hospitalized due to carbon monoxide poisoning from trying to stay warm. In addition, busted water pipes and other weather-related problems caused billions of dollars of damage in what may become the state’s most expensive natural disaster in history.
How could this happen in Texas, the energy capital of the world?
Some lobbyists and politicians have blamed wind and solar power. But it’s difficult to imagine that renewable energy caused the entire problem. During the winter, Texas relies on wind for roughly 10% of its electricity and on solar for barely any. Some wind turbines froze, but others delivered. (By the way, the turbines in the Arctic don’t freeze, so there are ways to prevent it.)
Gas, coal and nuclear power generators came up short, leaving the Texas power industry unable to meet demand. Blistering cold froze not only gas wells feeding gas power plants but also water needed for coal and nuclear plants.
The hard truth is that our energy system is more fragile than it should be. With more extreme weather becoming more common, that’s only likely to get worse. Yet despite being advised what needs to be done, our state leaders, including the governor and the Legislature, have largely ignored such advice.
After blackouts in 2006, a report commissioned by the state Public Utility Commission determined Texas could cost-effectively cut energy waste by 23%. This focus on energy efficiency would have significantly reduced energy use as demand hit record levels last week, but the Legislature largely ignored the report and lags the nation in efficiency.
After winter storms in 2011 caused blackouts, federal officials recommended requiring power plants to winterize to fend off the extreme cold. Instead, our Legislature made winterization voluntary.
We know what needs to be done. We just need elected officials, regulators and utility companies to do the work to build a better and more resilient system.
First, we should produce more of our power locally, and redesign the grid so that problems in one area are less likely to cause outages far, far away. Rooftop solar, energy storage technologies such as batteries, electric vehicles and community “microgrids” all have a role to play.
Rooftop solar panels can make a difference in extreme weather because they produce energy very close to where we use it. More batteries in our garages, basements or, for that matter, in our electric vehicles allow us to store energy for later. Local energy generation also allows us to actually use much more of the power we produce, since as much as two-thirds of the energy produced by power generators is lost through escaped heat.
Another way to build energy resilience is to use less energy in the first place. Energy efficiency improvements can reduce stress on the grid, and better-insulated homes, schools and offices are more comfortable in any weather. State leaders could cut energy waste by requiring utilities to hit energy-saving targets by helping their customers use power more wisely, as proposed this legislative session by Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, Senate Bill 243.
Finally, while we produce and store more of our energy locally, we must reinforce our ability to share electricity across the country. Texas’ standalone grid left it unable to receive sufficient help from other parts of the country as its own power plants were going offline. We need to expand transmission to bring power from other states, and even other parts of Texas.
There were times during this crisis when power was available in some areas but was desperately needed in other parts of the state, and we couldn’t transport it.
House Bill 1607 would help by expediting new transmission projects for reliability purposes and improve how we plan future Texas infrastructure. This infrastructure could benefit all generating sources, especially renewable energy.
Simply doubling down on the same failed approaches that put the state at risk will only set us up for the next disaster. A cleaner, safer, more resilient energy system is possible. With smart planning and decisions, we can make it a reality.
Luke Metzger is executive director of Environment Texas. He wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.
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