The past number of weeks has been amazing in terms of
pushing the new “Green Revolution,” or whatever you want to call. It. The new administration seems to be serious in
its understanding of the implications of climate change and is altering
policies to move forward. The record
cold and snow in Texas only amplified the call that a new energy future is on
it's way, pointing out the failures of the grid, reliance on resources that had
not been appropriately put in place, and the overwhelming proof once again,
that the bottom line in energy production and utility distribution is making
money, at the expense of ratepayers and taxpayers.
Fox News blamed renewables 128 times in a 48-hour
period. Although SOME wind turbines were
frozen and not available, the main problem was not the shutdown of wind turbines,
but that the ERCOT(the main utility) failed to properly upgrade most of their
equipment to meet the increased stresses brought on by climate change. 80% of the Texas grid is fed by natural gas. One of the four nuclear power plants shut down
due to freezing in its cooling water supply pumps. Gas wells, gas pipelines, and a lot of their
infrastructure froze, creating a loss of pressure in the grid, which triggered
a whole domino effect on the supply of electricity to the grid while demand was
soaring. Peak demand which the delivery
system was unable to deliver. Even at
$9/kwh!
It will take years of legal, financial, political, and
technological battles to sort through who is to blame, and who suffers the
consequences. ERCOT is saying it is not
responsible for the $16 billion energy price-tag, and that ratepayers are
stuck…read the fine print…changing this would “upset the power market
structure.” Bank of America supposedly made hundreds of millions of dollars in
that one week! Who else? Not the ratepayers. What the future hold is
anybody’s guess, but there will be a shift in how the grid in Texas, as well as
the other grids in the east and west, adapt to their aging infrastructure, and
the increasing problems brought on by the escalating climate change. In a way,
this is a blessed event focusing attention on what the scientist and other
experts have been warning about for years.
A recent report has shown that the rates PG&E (my utility) charges
its ratepayers have doubled since 2005, not so much because of the price of
generation, but for infrastructure upgrades brought on by climate change. The rates will continue to rise due to the
years of mismanagement, bankruptcies, and political failure to recognize
reality. Many people complain about the
projected costs of the Green Revolution…it is very expensive, but it is money
that has to be/and will be spent regardless of which direction we go. The age of the climate deniers is over…it is
now the ignorant renewable deniers that will need to be educated and forced to
move forward. The business “complex” is
already beginning the shift, with both old and new companies seeing a growth
model with technology, manufacturing, jobs, and profits.
An interesting segment by 60 Minutes on NASA exposed a lot
on the implications of how policy, technological development, and
appropriations of tax-payers monies interact on the political stage. NASA is developing a rocket to take
astronauts to the moon. It is very
expensive, with major companies like Boeing involved. Price overruns, delays, major setbacks…all
part of the industrial “complex” which taxpayers have little say in. Private companies, such as SpaceX, are far
ahead and have developed the technology at 1/10th the cost. Why not shift to the cheaper private
sector? Congress controls the purse
strings and appropriates to those entities with the biggest lobby fleet, and
congressional pull. Jobs for industries
in their home state, and donations for their buddies. We see the same issues with all aspects of
our economic functions, especially with energy.
Who can make the most money, regardless of any equability for society
and the environment? This is especially true
of the nuclear industry.
The coming transitions will take time, and will rethink the
huge grid we are currently dependent on.
Small, local, microgrids, appropriate local renewable generation, energy
storage, and efficient energy use will all be dealt with in the future. The promise is a cleaner, environmentally
friendly, cheaper, and more equitable energy system. The innovations and ideas already developed
will only lead to what a lot of scientists and policy-makers have hoped
identified as possible and ideal. And it
is affordable while still producing jobs and a profit.
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