Image reads: “we’re flying electric helicopters on Mars yet you can’t turn on your clothes dryer in Texas. That’s because scientists are in charge of Mars, and Republicans are in charge of Texas”

  • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Due to climate change, TX has been experiencing unreliable electrical service in winter because ERCOT is a deregulated, market based electrical grid. This has incentivized the network to avoid making the grid reliable in extreme cold weather to minimize cost, so the extreme cold they’ve experienced has cut power to millions of people in Texas.

    • Rakonat@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      They didn’t weather proof the grid in either direction, extreme heat causes grid failures too as they overload it from everyone running a/c and several components failing due to overheating as well.

      Its got to be one of the worst run grids in the world, if not the worst. Grid wide failures due to weather conditions not even considered extreme a couple hundred miles to the north.

    • Diplomjodler@feddit.de
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      9 months ago

      It’s not just because they’re deregulated but also because the Texas grid isn’t connected to the rest of the country because “muh freedumb”.