How is Ercot to blame?

[WItoTX]

I think you are pot on. ERCOT did what they needed to to prevent a major outage and will be beat over the head for it. US is a becoming the biggest pot of whiners on the planet. Maybe too easy and first world living are spoiling us to the point no one wants to plan for bad times. If some foreign enemy (or a sun solar flare) sets off a well placed EMP most are all screwed!

Start planning now to be able to live for a WHOLE WEEK without power and water. Simple things like having a NG or LP fireplace and gas cook stove installed. Be able to hook up a small generator to run your fan to mix the warm air thru your house. Have a few little buddy heaters or propane heaters and several 20# bottles of propane. I had enough to supply 3 houses. Heaters are cheap in the summer or in the spring clearance sales.

You can't be serious. Who put us in that position? SMH...

[sqiggy]

I have also learned that we had some gas units sitting idle. ERCOT dictates to run or not run. When it was decided to fire them up, it was a little to late.

[Hayek'sPupil]

We all are upset with Ercot, but, it seems to me that Ercot simply manages the flow of energy on the grid. When there is a shortage of energy coming into the grid, what choices do they have? I am not trying to deflect criricism from them, but the problem appears to be a shortage of power due to generator plants being compromised because of the unprecidented freezing weather. The coal powered plant closings obviously contributed to the shortage of generated power.

Can someone (Smeone? ) splain what I am missing here? Does Ercot really deserve all the criticism or is it just knee jerk reactions to blame them?

For reference (check date of publication): https://www.chron.com/opinion/outloo...ty-4301693.php

ERCOT controls the pricing mechanisms investors use to determine investment in the power sector. That mechanism is a mathematical equation that incorporates supply and demand. The published future prices are also dependent on the function. Markets need prices not solely for allocation but for future investment decisions. If this price is controlled by a central authority that is not a market. That is central planning.

You can ask, "Why have private entrepreneurs not winterized their equipment?" But then you'd also need to ask, "Why have they not also expanded capacity?"

Price controls have never worked and they never will. The result is always a shortage. Its fairly simple.

[Maddox]

To appease the greenies and to get government money we converted to much over to green energy. See the ramp up in Natural Gas usage to meet the demand?

At the same time, they have not kept up with the needed upgrades and maintenance on the power grid needed to withstand a natural disaster like this.

That being said, windmills will work in extreme temperatures, just not the ones installed in Texas.

This whole ordeal could have been handled better simply by ensuring that the rolling blackouts covered everyone. Cutting grids off and leaving them off for days in freezing temperatures is not a solution.

We have yet to hear what the loss of life is due to the storm. On top of people dying from fire and CO poisoning, we are likely to hear stories soon about people freezing to death.

[ATI]

Our power goes out every time it's too hot or too cold.
I don't care who's to blame, but our grid system is too fragile and it's shameful and unacceptable.

[BrianL]

You can't be serious. Who put us in that position? SMH...

Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature

And Act of God. Some things you just don't try protect on a governmental scale IMO.

[GarGuy]

Anyone know how much the board members make? Where does the pay come from? Do they have other jobs? Are there conflicts of interest with being on the board and maybe working for an energy provider? There is a reason the names were pulled down.

I bet Burnadell could dig up some of the answers.

[BrianL]

Anyone know how much the board members make? Where does the pay come from? Do they have other jobs? Are there conflicts of interest with being on the board and maybe working for an energy provider? There is a reason the names were pulled down.

I bet Burnadell could dig up some of the answers.

I think they are unpaid volunteers I think that is part of the 501 articles. I know my board is volunteer and ZERO pay. I do carry insurance for them in case they are sued.

[Maddox]

http://www.ercot.com/about/governance/directors

Go search

[sotx]

I think they are unpaid volunteers I think that is part of the 503 articles. I know my board is volunteer and ZERO pay. I do carry insurance for them in case they are sued.

$883,000
Publicly available 2018 tax filings for ERCOT show multiple board members received five-figure and six-figure compensation despite dedicating between five and 15 hours a week to the agency. Magness was given total compensation of over $883,000 that year, the filings show

[sotx]

I think you are pot on. ERCOT did what they needed to to prevent a major outage and will be beat over the head for it. US is a becoming the biggest pot of whiners on the planet. Maybe too easy and first world living are spoiling us to the point no one wants to plan for bad times. If some foreign enemy (or a sun solar flare) sets off a well placed EMP most are all screwed!

Start planning now to be able to live for a WHOLE WEEK without power and water. Simple things like having a NG or LP fireplace and gas cook stove installed. Be able to hook up a small generator to run your fan to mix the warm air thru your house. Have a few little buddy heaters or propane heaters and several 20# bottles of propane. I had enough to supply 3 houses. Heaters are cheap in the summer or in the spring clearance sales.

That may work for you but not for everyone. The elderly, single moms living at poverty level......I could make a list a mile long.

[Burnadell]

I don't understand what it matters if the board members don't live in Texas, i have been seeing that comment a lot, not only here but a lot of places. It is not uncommon for members of a board to not live in a state where the headquarters are. I know people want someone to blame when something goes wrong, but what does where they live really have to do w the issues at hand?

Rick, as unpopular as our opinion is, I have to agree. I have researched Peter Crampton, who now lives in San Diego, CA. He is an expert in electricty markets and is Vice Chairman. Other board members also have some degree of expertise in the industry. People only need to check the Board members of the power generation utility companies in Texas to see that many, if not most, do not live in Texas.

Burandell, see Playa's response. The problem is years and years of poor decisions by ERCOT that put our grid into a position where we were "seconds from catastrophic failure and months of blackouts", using ERCOT's own words.

ERCOT does not make INVESTMENTS in energy. They own NO energy assets. They manage the flow.

I am not trying to argue with anyone, but I try to be objective in my reasoning. I think most of the blame should be on the power generation utilities who caved to the renewable energy folks and the politians who caved; thus coal powered plants being closed and torn down.

It has been reported that we (Texas) was close to our grid completely failing several times. Fortunately, they were able to keep that from happening by shutting down parts of the grid to save the integrity of the whole system. Not a popular decision with those who have been out of power for an extended time. There is no EASY solution, except we need more reliable power GENERATION . The next question begs...how much are we willing to see our electric bills increase for a backup sytem that may only be needed every 40-100 years? I don't have the answer.

[Geezy Rider]

[ttechdallas]

I'm all for incompetence being exposed and addressed but this was also a brutal weather anomaly across a large region and population neither developed nor conditioned for weather conditions like these. I would personally rather let all the facts come out from standpoint of what would/should be done different next time. Then and to the extent there was gross negligence and/or incompetence - address on the basis of facts and reality, not politics.

[Rex]

Not to mention all the generation plants that were sitting dormant and ERCOT never contacted any of these plants to ramp up generation to supply more power to the grids after realizing all the wind and solar farms had failed. These solar / wind farms were too heavily relied upon to supply the grid, which they had to have known since they manage it. The wind / solar is the most expensive and the least reliable. Not saying ERCOT is 100% to blame but some of the fault lies at their feet.

FUN FACT: Their 2018 990 form reflects over $80MM in compensation and salaries. Mr. Google says have 235 employees.