Texas fared significantly better this time round. After 2021, the state shored up its grid, including winter weatherization for energy crops and transmission techniques. Texas has additionally seen an enormous flood of batteries come on-line, which has enormously helped the grid throughout winter demand peaks, particularly within the early mornings. Texas was additionally merely fortunate that this storm was much less extreme there, as one skilled informed Inside Local weather Information this week.
Right here on the East Coast, we’re not out of the woods but. The snow has stopped falling, however grids are nonetheless dealing with excessive electrical energy demand due to freezing temperatures. (I’ve actually been residing underneath my heated blanket these previous couple of days.)
PJM might see a peak energy demand of 130 gigawatts for seven straight days, a winter streak that the native grid has by no means skilled, based on an replace to the utility’s web site on Tuesday morning.
The US Division of Power issued emergency orders to a number of grid operators, together with PJM, that enable energy crops to run whereas principally ignoring emissions laws. The division additionally issued orders permitting a number of grids to inform information facilities and different amenities to start utilizing backup turbines. (That is excellent news for reliability however dangerous information for clear air and the local weather, since these energy sources are sometimes extremely emissions-intensive.)
We right here on the East Coast might be taught a factor or two from Texas so we don’t must resort to those polluting emergency measures to maintain the lights on. Extra vitality storage may very well be a serious assist in future winter storms, lending flexibility to the grid to assist journey out the worst occasions, Solomon says. Getting offshore wind on-line might additionally assist, since these amenities sometimes produce dependable energy within the winter.
Nobody vitality supply will resolve the large problem of constructing and sustaining a resilient grid. However as we face the continued risk of utmost storms, renewables may really assist us climate them.
This text is from The Spark, MIT Know-how Assessment’s weekly local weather e-newsletter. To obtain it in your inbox each Wednesday, join right here.
