02-16-2021, 10:02 AM
The power consortium that most of (at least) Texas and Oklahoma uses is under strain due to extra demand for electricity AND the record cold freezing up the natural gas pipelines. Much of the electric generation is now done using natural gas, not coal; solar arrays only work when they are exposed to the sun and not covered by snow; wind turbines don’t work well in periods of light winds or in instances of extreme cold. The last time I remember cold like this around here with single digit highs and negative lows, is perhaps in the mid 1980’s, and even then I don’t think it got quite as cold as we are currently experiencing. And I’m not even talking wind chill here.
We are expecting another storm to come through, dumping another 4-8 inches of snow, starting tomorrow afternoon. Yay us.
The electric/gas companies are asking people to turn down their thermostats, unplug large appliances, forgo using the oven or the clothes dryer, anything to help relieve the strain on the system. The alternative is rolling blackouts.
We are expecting another storm to come through, dumping another 4-8 inches of snow, starting tomorrow afternoon. Yay us.
The electric/gas companies are asking people to turn down their thermostats, unplug large appliances, forgo using the oven or the clothes dryer, anything to help relieve the strain on the system. The alternative is rolling blackouts.