Since it has virtually no connections to the other two major grids spanning multiple US states, ERCOT and other Texas-based entities are free to operate their power grid as they see fit, for better or worse. This cherished “freedom from the Feds” is the chief reason behind the isolation of the Texas power grid. The Texas power grid is regulated by the agency ERCOT – Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which is not subject to federal oversight by US regulatory agencies precisely because its power lines do not cross state boundaries. With the exception of a few peripheral areas, the vast majority of Texas and its nearly 30 million inhabitants are covered by a stand-alone power grid that is largely insulated from the other two major power grids in the US. The continental USA, which means all 48 states except Hawaii and Alaska, has three major electricity grids – the Western Interconnection, the Eastern Interconnection – and Texas. Only then we can draw broader conclusions from this example for the EU efforts to integrate energy markets, shift to less carbon-intensive means of power generation and reduce the grid’s vulnerability to the kind of “perfect storm” system failure that Texas has just gone through. In light of the global shift towards renewable energy sources, it is also critical to fairly assess the heavily-discussed alleged culpability of renewable energy sources for the grid failure in Texas. In short, the root causes of the grid failure in Texas are threefold: the false promise of energy independence from federal regulation, the short-sighted deregulation of the energy market and the unwillingness to learn from similar incidents in the past. How did the Texas power system fold so quickly and easily? Texas is, after all, the second most populous state in the US and home to the city of Houston, whose oil and gas production has earned it the epithet “the energy capital of the world.” Additionally, electricity supply in Texas is fairly diversified, with solar and wind sources accounting for one-fifth of the electricity produced in 2019. To date, it is estimated that Texas alone suffered a staggering $ 129 billion in economic losses due to these power outages. There was a knock-on effect of some 12 million Texans seeing their water supply disrupted as the water froze in the plumbing systems of their frigid homes and often burst the pipes. Dozens of people died during and after the blackouts, many of hypothermia or due to carbon monoxide poisoning as increasingly desperate residents resorted to using their grills and stoves to heat up their freezing homes. At the peak of the energy crisis, some 4.5 million Texans (nearly a sixth of the state’s total population, with marginalized communities hit disproportionately hard ) were left without electricity for days in temperatures far below freezing in a state where residents have little experience with prolonged sub-zero temperatures. This relief effort was largely insufficient, however, and the results were catastrophic. As power-generating capacity in Texas was unable to meet this sudden surge in demand (for reasons described below), grid operators there resorted to so-called “rolling blackouts”, unplugging entire neighborhoods across the state from the electric grid to ease the pressure on the overall system. Maybe the engine mount could cause this problem, as it tends to happen mostly when turning right at a junction or on a roundabout.When the winter storms hit, Texans all over the state cranked up their heaters to keep their houses warm and businesses running. This is exactly the same sort of feeling which makes me wonder if its a brake realted problem, however I have no warning lights come on when it happens and when i scanned the car with diagnostics a few weeks back nothing came up except the codes for my previous problem, and also a code for worn engine mount. The best way to describe this, is if youve ever blipped the brake pedal with your left foot while accellerating with your right the car will instantly stop accellerating and hence give you a slight jolt. Now I have another problem in that every once in a while, when im driving the car will just suddenly lose all power but only for a split second before carrying on as normal. After replacing my ecu box and seals and cleaning all plugs etc etc thoroughly I appear to have solved my previous issues, which were glow plug light flashing and no accellerator.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |