Texas Freeze Raises Cost Of Charging A Tesla To $900

[TruckElectric]

The electricity shortage in Texas amid the cold snap has sent spot electricity prices soaring so much that the surge in power prices equals a cost of $900 for charging a Tesla.

The typical full charge of a Tesla costs around $18 using a Level 1 or Level 2 charger at home, according to estimates from The Drive. This estimate is based on an average price of $0.14 per kWh of power.

However, the extreme winter weather this week has sent Texas spot electricity prices soaring, as the wind turbines froze in the ice storms and reduced the wind power generating capacity in the Lone Star State by half.

Spot electricity prices at the West hub have soared above the grid’s $9,000 per megawatt-hour cap, compared to a ‘normal’ price of $25 per megawatt-hour, FOX Business notes.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) called early on Monday for rotating outagesacross the state as extreme winter weather forced wind power generating units offline, while electricity demand set a new winter peak record.

At the same time, freezing cold and ice storms cut offline almost half of the wind power capacity in Texas.

“We are dealing with higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available to generating units,” ERCOT said.

In Texas, wind power generation overtook coal-fired generation in 2020 for the first time ever, with wind power now accounting for 25 percent of the Texas electricity generation. Natural gas-fired power generation is the leading source of electricity in Texas, with more than 45 percent share.

While oil-and-gas rich Texas is the leading U.S. state for wind power installations, the frozen turbines in the Arctic weather have strained the grid so much that rolling outages in Texas continue for a second consecutive day.

“The wind-dependent Texas grid is experiencing rolling blackouts, prices the equivalent of $900 per Tesla charge, and an expected supply shortage of 10 GW--the amount of electricity needed to power 5 million homes,” Alex Epstein, Founder of Center for Industrial Progress, tweetedtoday.

Meanwhile, ERCOT’s Senior Director of System Operations, Dan Woodfin, said on Tuesday morning that “The number of controlled outages we have to do remains high. We are optimistic that we will be able to reduce the number throughout the day.”

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

SOURCE: OILPRICE.COM

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[firsttruck]

"Natural gas-fired power generation is the leading source of electricity in Texas, with more than 45 percent share."

" limited natural gas supplies available to generating units"


All the news media blames renewable energy even though there were many fossil fuel power plants affected by the cold weather.

 

[firsttruck]

*** experts say natural gas infrastructure was unprepared for
the plunging temperatures brought by the winter storm. ***


Texas largely relies on natural gas for power. It wasn’t ready for the extreme cold.
Texas largely relies on natural gas — especially during times of high demand — to power the state. From pumping it out of the ground to the plants in city centers, experts say natural gas infrastructure was unprepared for the plunging temperatures brought by the winter storm.
by Erin Douglas Feb. 16, 2021
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/natural-gas-power-storm/

 

[firsttruck]

Frozen instruments at power plants, not wind farms, are main factor for power outages in Texas
By Will Wade, Naureen S. Malik, Brian Eckhouse
Feb 16, 2021
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02...rozen-wind-farms-are-just-small-piece-puzzle/

 

[firsttruck]

"Energy markets have never seen anything quite like this. In a matter of four days, an intensifying cold blast gripping the central U.S. froze natural gas pipelines, sent electricity prices skyrocketing to record levels"

How Extreme Cold Turned Into a U.S. Energy Crisis
By Lynn Doan
February 15, 2021,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...old-turned-into-a-u-s-energy-crisis-quicktake

 

[Cyberman]

The electricity shortage in Texas amid the cold snap has sent spot electricity prices soaring so much that the surge in power prices equals a cost of $900 for charging a Tesla.

The typical full charge of a Tesla costs around $18 using a Level 1 or Level 2 charger at home, according to estimates from The Drive. This estimate is based on an average price of $0.14 per kWh of power.

However, the extreme winter weather this week has sent Texas spot electricity prices soaring, as the wind turbines froze in the ice storms and reduced the wind power generating capacity in the Lone Star State by half.

Spot electricity prices at the West hub have soared above the grid’s $9,000 per megawatt-hour cap, compared to a ‘normal’ price of $25 per megawatt-hour, FOX Business notes.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) called early on Monday for rotating outagesacross the state as extreme winter weather forced wind power generating units offline, while electricity demand set a new winter peak record.

At the same time, freezing cold and ice storms cut offline almost half of the wind power capacity in Texas.

“We are dealing with higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available to generating units,” ERCOT said.

In Texas, wind power generation overtook coal-fired generation in 2020 for the first time ever, with wind power now accounting for 25 percent of the Texas electricity generation. Natural gas-fired power generation is the leading source of electricity in Texas, with more than 45 percent share.

While oil-and-gas rich Texas is the leading U.S. state for wind power installations, the frozen turbines in the Arctic weather have strained the grid so much that rolling outages in Texas continue for a second consecutive day.

“The wind-dependent Texas grid is experiencing rolling blackouts, prices the equivalent of $900 per Tesla charge, and an expected supply shortage of 10 GW--the amount of electricity needed to power 5 million homes,” Alex Epstein, Founder of Center for Industrial Progress, tweetedtoday.

Meanwhile, ERCOT’s Senior Director of System Operations, Dan Woodfin, said on Tuesday morning that “The number of controlled outages we have to do remains high. We are optimistic that we will be able to reduce the number throughout the day.”

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

SOURCE: OILPRICE.COM

Maybe Texas wants to spread the Idea that ICE engines are cheaper...

 

[TruckElectric]

Maybe Texas wants to spread the Idea that ICE engines are cheaper...

How ridiculous

 

[firsttruck]

The first article that blamed frozen wind turbines failed to mention that natural gas prices jumped 10 to 100 times normal.

Even oil price jumped.

In Texas, natural gas is primary fuel for electric generation and natural gas power plants.
Huge increases in natural gas prices, lower natural gas supply by pipelines, and down time of natural gas power plants because of frozen equipment would be the major causes of electricity shortage and electricity price spikes.


------------

Energy prices jump as millions left without power in Texas


The storm knocked out about 30 gigawatts of generation capacity, according to estimates from ClearView Energy Partners, just as consumers were driving up demand to heat their homes. Ultimately, there just wasn’t enough supply, forcing power companies to turn to the open market to buy electricity.
“Weather is severe enough to curtail supply when demand is near all-time high levels,” RBC analysts said in a note. “Certain regional natural gas spot prices have shot up 10- to 100-fold in a matter of days.”
Published Tue, Feb 16 2021
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/16/energy-prices-jump-as-millions-left-without-power-in-texas.html


.....
Generating units across fuel types have been forced offline — including some wind production — and pipeline freezes are impeding the flow of natural gas and crude oil. Texas is the largest crude oil and natural gas producer in the U.S. and has 30 refineries, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Andy Lipow, president of Texas-based Lipow Oil Associates, said that of the 2.6 million people in Texas without power on Monday, only 70,000 were impacted by downed power lines or trees. He estimates that a million barrels per day of crude oil production has been taken offline, roughly 40% to 50% of natural gas production in the Permian Basin has been shut in,

 

[firsttruck]

Natural gas, coal, and even nuclear plants were affected.

-----------------------------

.....
Texas grid operator, ERCOT, has yet to conduct an investigation into the rash of power plants going offline starting early Monday morning. But beyond facing the same internal system-failure risks from freezing temperatures as coal and nuclear plants, natural-gas power plants rely on an extensive network of production and storage sites and pipelines to supply them with fuel.

Cold weather can cause “freeze-offs” that constrain supply from natural gas wells and distribution networks, Monika O’Shea, power market associate under Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, said in a Tuesday interview.


.....
At the same time, natural gas prices spiked across Texas as temperatures fell, rising from more typical single-digit prices to above $100 per million Btu, O’Shea said.


.....
Even so, O’Shea said that it’s likely that cold-related mechanical failures, rather than fuel shortages, account for the majority of the power plant outages in Texas. “We’ve lost multiple gigawatts of coal, we’ve had a nuclear power plant trip offline” — the 2.4-gigawatt South Texas Project reported that one of its two units went offline on Monday — “all because of the cold weather.”


Texas Energy System Faces a Winter Reckoning
Widespread power plant failures spur calls for better weatherization and an examination of bulk power market structures.
By Jeff St. John
February 16, 2021
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/texas-energy-system-faces-a-winter-reckoning

 

[TruckElectric]

The first article that blamed frozen wind turbines failed to mention that natural gas prices jumped 10 to 100 times normal.

Natural Gas March Contract 1 month chart

 

[firsttruck]

Maybe Texas wants to spread the Idea that ICE engines are cheaper...

On Feb 16, many places has no electricity. No electricity, No refueling at gas stations.

Feb 16 was a sunny day in most of Texas. If you had solar panel system at your home or business that had Tesla Powerwall or other brand battery storage you had option to charge your EV.

 

[Crissa]

The gas turbines are running low because the fuel stays liquid and costs more to run.

The coal plants can't run because the ice storm nails their fuel into solid mounds that can't be burned or dug through.

The transmission lines came down in the hail.

But who do they blame? A few wind turbines damaged in the sleet. They aren't even the largest reduction in power, as they're getting more from the gulf coast than usual this time of year.

Also, the Texas interconnect is built to avoid federal regulation anyhow.

-Crissa

 

[TruckElectric]

Feb 16 was a sunny day in most of Texas. If you had solar panel system at your home or business that had Tesla Powerwall or other brand battery storage you had option to charge your EV.

You can bet Texas will be/is looking at Tesla Megapacks. 'ERCOT calling Elon Musk, it's urgent! We need to talk.


'

 

[TruckElectric]

The transmission lines came down in the hail.

There was no hail that I'm aware of. It was the weight of ice on the lines.

Also, the Texas interconnect is built to avoid federal regulation anyhow.

Correct Crissa!

 

[Crissa]

There was no hail that I'm aware of. It was the weight of ice on the lines.

There was hail on the radar, but I don't know specifically what took down which lines, I was being poetic. Freezing thunder sleet just sounds horrible.

-Crissa