The States: Where We Wish Texas Would Secede Already

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

The road and utilities infrastructure in MN isn't designed to handle long stints of >100F days. If this were summer and that kind of heat blast hit us, we'd be in the same boat, only boiling rather than freezing. You build for your climate.

And that is exactly why money should be spent upgrading infrastructure because weather is going to become more reliably unstable.

[St. Clown]

And that is exactly why money should be spent upgrading infrastructure because weather is going to become more reliably unstable.

Yes, it should. But it won't be spent that way, and we all know it. Not until we have had a series of years with those types of failures.

[Handyman]

I love this thread.

https://twitter.com/torriangray/stat...521605122?s=19

I want to believe that is true so much I can taste it...but it just seems way to perfect!

[Handyman]

The road and utilities infrastructure in MN isn't designed to handle long stints of >100F days. If this were summer and that kind of heat blast hit us, we'd be in the same boat, only boiling rather than freezing. You build for your climate.

Except the winterizing of the wind equipment wasnt some huge cost and is often something that is recommended even in climates where it isnt as harsh. (I think I read that) They did this cheap because they don't care if it fails.

The best part of all this whining about the turbines by the morons is that the turbines got defrosted in many places and are back online. It is the non-renewables that are still down.

Is it too late for Texas to secede? ;^)

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Except the winterizing of the wind equipment wasnt some huge cost and is often something that is recommended even in climates where it isnt as harsh. (I think I read that) They did this cheap because they don't care if it fails.

The best part of all this whining about the turbines by the morons is that the turbines got defrosted in many places and are back online. It is the renewables that are still down.

Is it too late for Texas to secede? ;^)

But what about storage????

he must be close to that Manila envelope by now

[Handyman]

But what about storage????

he must be close to that Manila envelope by now

If said security expert was here I can only imagine the misinformation he would be giving us about why the turbines were a bad idea...

[Jimjamesak]

The more I read about Texas’ power system, the less shocked I am that everything is failing. Much like their “Independent School District” system, it’s the f-ing worst. Just a Republican fever dream of multiple companies competing against each other in a race to the bottom managed by a state regulator with little regulation. No wonder everything went to s- so quickly.

[ScoobyDoo]

The road and utilities infrastructure in MN isn't designed to handle long stints of >100F days. If this were summer and that kind of heat blast hit us, we'd be in the same boat, only boiling rather than freezing. You build for your climate.

We've known for over 3 decades now that the climate is changing. So, what part of that memo didn't we get?

[unofan]

The road and utilities infrastructure in MN isn't designed to handle long stints of >100F days. If this were summer and that kind of heat blast hit us, we'd be in the same boat, only boiling rather than freezing. You build for your climate.

Yes and no. Texas is a unique beast because they 1) are their own transmission grid with very few seems connecting it to the other major grids (they have 2 to Mexico and 2 to the Eastern US), and 2) have almost non-existent utility regulation. They treat electric utilities like auto insurance down there.

If Minnesota had a prolonged heatwave, they still wouldn't be as bad off because 1) they're part of the eastern U.S. grid, so other states' power can pick up some of the slack, and 2) they're more highly regulated so the utilities are required to be capable of handling peak usage days in the summer.

Meanwhile, Texas' power comes primarily from wind and natural gas. Well, they didn't pay to winterize their wind turbines unlike Iowa (where we get 50% of our power from wind and where, except for the sliver of the state in SPP rather than MISO, there have been no blackouts despite ridiculously cold temps for the last 2 weeks) , and while natural gas is dirt cheap in the summer, in the winter people in northern states use it to heat their homes, which strains supplies.

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

The more I read about Texas’ power system, the less shocked I am that everything is failing. Much like their “Independent School District” system, it’s the f-ing worst. Just a Republican fever dream of multiple companies competing against each other in a race to the bottom managed by a state regulator with little regulation. No wonder everything went to s- so quickly.

And yet it won’t teach them anything, and the morons they keep electing will now double down blaming renewables and go even harder to block it.

my colleagues down there are not only trying to survive right now but keenly aware that the pipe damages could be thousands per home .

[St. Clown]

We've known for over 3 decades now that the climate is changing. So, what part of that memo didn't we get?

The part where it's actually happening is being complete denied by half the population. They'll be the ostriches drowning with their heads in holes as the oceans continue to rise because they still won't admit to it. We need to base our society's infrastructure on science, but you have so many people thinking that real information and education are an affront to their imaginary gods. How do you get beyond that?

[state of hockey]

We've known for over 3 decades now that the climate is changing. So, what part of that memo didn't we get?

C'mon silly! It's only climate change when it gets warmer! Only downside is changing where the beach parties are! This is colder so it is something different. No way to have expected this might happen. No warnings whatsoever.

[Jimjamesak]

Yes and no. Texas is a unique beast because they 1) are their own transmission grid with very few seems connecting it to the other major grids (they have 2 to Mexico and 2 to the Eastern US), and 2) have almost non-existent utility regulation. They treat electric utilities like auto insurance down there.

If Minnesota had a prolonged heatwave, they still wouldn't be as bad off because 1) they're part of the eastern U.S. grid, so other states' power can pick up some of the slack, and 2) they're more highly regulated so the utilities are required to be capable of handling peak usage days in the summer.

Meanwhile, Texas' power comes primarily from wind and natural gas. Well, they didn't pay to winterize their wind turbines unlike Iowa (where we get 50% of our power from wind and where, except for the sliver of the state in SPP rather than MISO, there have been no blackouts despite ridiculously cold temps for the last 2 weeks) , and while natural gas is dirt cheap in the summer, in the winter people in northern states use it to heat their homes, which strains supplies.

It just boggles my mind how bad Texas’ power system is. During this whole mess plenty of companies shut down intentionally because the natural gas prices got so high until ERCOT said they could pass that cost onto their customers.

It’s a free market system and it’s working as intended.
https://mobile.twitter.com/davidlnol...75319054077952

[Jimjamesak]

And yet it won’t teach them anything, and the morons they keep electing will now double down blaming renewables and go even harder to block it.

my colleagues down there are not only trying to survive right now but keenly aware that the pipe damages could be thousands per home .

The pols in Texas are keenly aware that nothing can be done until temps warm up this weekend and people will die before then and they’re desperately dancing around that hoping people won’t figure that out.

In the end it’ll be mostly poor people dying so it’s not a bug, it’s a feature.

[ScoobyDoo]

What a ****ing clown show.