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Big plants failed in Texas electric supply crisis

What caused the February 2021 Texas electric supply crisis?

Prolonged, unexpected cold weather created unexpectedly high electric and gas demand. Supply systems could not keep up.

If farmers grow too much wheat, you get a big pile of wheat. If utilities generate too much electricity, overproduction does not create a big pile of electricity. It just heats up the transmission wires. Electric storage systems exist, but Texas does not have the elevation changes required for large scale hydroelectric storage. Utility scale battery systems are a developing technology and have not been widely deploye...

 

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