Welcome to the 3rd World - Rolling Blackouts Continue

a reply to: Phoenix

Thing is that the big corps are kneecapping themselves just as much. No power; no operation.

a reply to: ketsuko

It'll get worse, many will die, but this is what the anti-Trump/Biden voters wanted.

Not a whole lot any of us can do except make future plans not to rely on the power grid.

One good cold snap and demands cant be met. But in 20 years biden will have everyone in the country driving electric cars. Look at the damage to the economy happening now. Imagine how bad it would be if every car in the US was electric and not getting charged. Its a great goal to shoot for but it has to be done responsibly and with contingency, not by EO from a vapid buffoon.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

How much fun when we have this level of disruption and we can't ship things ... you know, like food and medicine?

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes

originally posted by: olaru12
Sorry, about the people suffering. But it's not all bleak for some of us little guys in the energy biz.

I thought you were in the film industry?

I am, my mentor Dr. George Agagino RIP in grad school stressed diversification. Advice that has proved to be fantastic for all that listened to that wise old sage. In the past as a younger man I also invested in manufacturing, wholesale, retail of everything from fashion accessories, women's clothing and fine crafts. All financed by the SBA. I love the capitalist system, free enterprise, and spirit of entrepreneurship in America. My reference to the energy biz is a result of the oil and gas leases on my family farm in the panhandle of Texas.

Actually I'm in the studio now working on EPK for TV pilots. Thanks for caring...

If you have a few bucks to spare, I might suggest investing in all things related to the plumbing industry. The ramifications from the "big freeze" are going to be epic.

Sorry for breaking away from the ATS theme of bashing all things progressive and Biden.

Do any of you know how the whole "Green" movement got started?

Back in the late 60's, early 70's the Soviets had their eyes on Western Europe. Their main problem was NATO. Soviet aircraft could hit almost all of Western Europe, but, short of nuclear weapons they had nothing to touch the US. At this time the KGB was aiding anything and anyone that could destabilize or create dissent in the US. The Sierra Club and Greenpeace were just a few of the groups receiving this aid. With a few environmental incidents there started to be a push to stop the oil industry in the US and import oil from the Middle East. The oil companies looked at the costs of getting oil from the Middle East compared to the cost of getting oil from the US. Throw in the associated problems associated with Unions (also getting aid from the Soviets) and it was simple. Once the Soviets saw this they started pushing things in that direction. By the early 70's the US was reliant on foreign oil. Why do you think that the main ships of the Soviet Navy were submarines? Then the Soviets started the destabilization of the Middle East. Now they could threaten the US by cutting off it's oil supply.

What we have today is the remnants of the of the groups that the Soviets aided in the 70's. The Soviet Union has gone away, but, the seeds that they planted are still with us. Those seeds have planted more seeds and have coopted the Democratic Party. If you take a close look at the current party leadership, you start seeing ties to the Weather Underground, Students for a Democratic Society and other radical groups that were aided by the KGB years ago. Even though the world had changed, they still have the same goals. One of those goals is the destruction of the United States' energy supply. Some of you have mentioned Nuclear Power. Anybody remember Three Mile Island? Anybody remember the hype over what was actually a minor incident? Anybody remember that the movie "The China Syndrome" came out the same week as TMI?

This is why the Keystone Pipeline was shut down. This is where the ban plastics movement came from. I'm old enough to remember when the environmentalists wanted to ban paper bags and force us to use plastic bags to save trees. The ban on plastic has nothing to do with the environment. Ask Michael Bloomberg. He stated when he had the City of New York ban plastic straws that it was an attack on "big oil".

Look for yourself and think for yourself.

Not sure what just got shut down, but there was major hiccup in our internet. Son lost connection with his remote learning, and I almost got knocked off my work from home connection. It continues to run, but it's glacially slow.

originally posted by: Snarl
Texas is getting wrecked. Just got a text from a Colonel I used to work for. He's really worried his water pipes are gonna burst and there's no way a plumber can get out there. Can you imagine if everyone's pipes burst?

My close relative who lives in TX said many of her friends homes fell into temperatures in the TEENS last night due to power outages.

She said they were lucky, and they have a small child, their house only fell into the 40's last night. They slept in their living room next to their wood fireplace. They had stocked up on wood when they heard the storm was coming.

She also said her friends were openly cursing the Green New Deal.
They said if this is what happens with "green energy", they didn't want it.
www.foxnews.com...

You know the green new deal includes outlawing real fireplaces and definitively outlawing gas fireplaces which saved our house last night in another state where it is now 13 outside midday.

The "energy efficient" HVAC that the Democrats plan on mandating for everyone froze all over our neighborhood, including the 87 year old's across the street.

We had freezing rain and the rain froze on top of the fans that circulate on the top of the HVAC to draw the "warmth" out of the air (ha ha at temps in the teens to begin with). Well the fans cooled the freezing rain into a sheet of ice on top of the HVAC's all over our neighborhood. When that happens the units BREAK and need to be replaced (thousands of dollars minimum). So all over our neighborhood people had to shut off their HVAC units to keep them from breaking. I made a slippery run to Walmart for my neighbor and got her the last of what was left of portable heaters (tiny little ones) for her bathroom and laundry pipes to keep from freezing. Her house got below 60 last night, 64 is when hypothermia can kick in, but she had electricity and an electric blanket, thank God.

SHAME ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY's
PLAN TO MANDATE HVAC'S AND SOLAR PANELS FOR EVERY HOME:
AND WINDMILLS THAT FROZE OVER IN TX
AND SOLAR PANELS THAT CAN'T WORK IN STORMY CONDITIONS:

AND OUTLAWING GAS HOME HEATING/FIREPLACES
(the only way the family in TX was able to cook was their gas stove):
AND OUTLAWING REAL FIREPLACES.

SHAME ON THE NEW GREEN DEAL,

THAT WILL KILL THOUSANDS EVERY YEAR

FREEZING TO DEATH OR DYING OF HEAT STROKE

SHAME SHAME SHAME!

But this is what Biden supporters voted for

and I suppose I need to calm down and

accept that our power grid will soon look like Venezuela's

and most 3rd world nations.

I have to accept that is what Biden voters wanted for our nation and go along with it.

originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: ketsuko
It seems like both sides get into this all or nothing mindset just to be different from the other side. And who suffers for it? Yeah, you guessed it.

Outside of specific installations, centralized implementation of "green" energy is so flawed as to be laughable.

If people really want to be dependent, as well as anyone that wants to appeal to "green" marketing.. Nuclear is the way to go, as well as LFTR, etc.

Kets raises a good point too though; all this stuff gets pushed hard when the "left" is in power (as well as qhen they are not), and the "right" is always playing catch-up and reaction. Altogether, that creates a fantastic environment for corporate interests. Particularly corporate interests that see a potential far beyond mere profit.

originally posted by: Vroomfondel
One good cold snap and demands cant be met. But in 20 years biden will have everyone in the country driving electric cars. Look at the damage to the economy happening now. Imagine how bad it would be if every car in the US was electric and not getting charged. Its a great goal to shoot for but it has to be done responsibly and with contingency, not by EO from a vapid buffoon.

That is why I plan to buy a fully gas powered NEW car before the mandate sets in. With care it should last me the rest of my life, since I'm old as dirt anyway.

The power grid in the US is unreliable now, especially with the "new green deal" and the destruction of much needed pipelines. AND the Democratic Party's pledge to totally and completely destroy the coal industry, along with much of the US oil industry, which will inevitably make the US energy dependent on countries who hate our guts once again.

Currently electric cars can barely last a few hours driving time. Of course, that will limit where people can travel without the government knowing about it (TSA tracks everyone on trains/planes)

SHAME on the Democratic Party pledge to make our power grid
even worse and more unreliable because of the "green" policies they have promised to enact;
while mandating everyone go all electric with heat/cooking/transportation.


But I do need to fully accept the will of the people,

this is exactly what Biden supporters voted for

they knew the policies the Democrats said they would enact

before they voted.

So Biden supporters clearly voted for a compromised power grid.

And so I must accept it and say well, that's what they wanted
and there is nothing I can do about it.

I'm in NW Mexico right now. This has not touched us here, but north-central and NE Mexico is experiencing blackouts as well (called mega-apagón here) due to the problems in Texas. They get a fair amount of their energy imported from Texas and since much of Texas is down, they are suffering here south of the border as well.

a reply to: incoserv

This is mostly confined to the middle of the country from the Canadian border down through the middle to Texas. It's a massive region, but about one state wide.

Why I depend on myself as much as possible nowadays,

But if we instead go down the alleged "green" path what we will have is repeated and annual instances of what Texas and other parts of the nation are experiencing right now and it will kill people in large numbers along with doing critical economic damage and devastating those who are in the lower income brackets.

THAT, my friends is Joe Biden's vision for America.

So You Want Green Energy Eh!

Actions have consequences,

The unprecedented demand has caused spot electricity prices in Texas’ West hub to spike above the grid’s $9,000 per megawatt-hour cap. Power typically costs $25 per megawatt-hour.

Fox Business


Insult to injury if one has not frozen to death, is facing multi-thousands dollars repairs to plumbing, flood damage and repairs while next electric bill comes in higher than car or house payment all for unreliable crap service.

a reply to: ketsuko

I’m in North Texas. Recently moved here from California, so rolling blackouts are familiar territory.
The freezing temps and snow however are not.

Temps down to -2 degrees this morning.
We have been on a pretty steady roll of power on for and hour then power off for an hour. Some places nearby have had power out for 32 hours, and some say their power never went out.

Water Pipes burst inside the local country club where I have friends that work.

Grocery store with lots of empty shelves.

Grateful we have intermittent power. Still preparing for a more permanent outage.
We get more snow tonight and tomorrow. Temperatures head back up into the 20s

Looks like Saturday we get a high of 48, then it stars to gets much better after that.

Hopefully we will be all thawed out by Monday.


“I’m looking California, feeling Minnesota...”
Name that song

Headed down the same road as Venezuela it seems.

Venezuela - a real Time History Lesson

Venezuela’s electricity shortages So the government goes hog wild on the hydro power projects and ignores the consequences, 74% hydro power is a green wet dream, but too bad they never invested in the infrastructure or considered what problems a drought could bring. I suspect bad planning along with mismanagement of funds and corruption were the real problems here.

I'm not sure what's happening everywhere, but in Minnesota, this is typical winter weather, what everyone is experiencing.

But as Ket has said, it's not just infrastructure. Its everything is back asswards, that nothing adjusts for weather appropriately, most notably schools.

Here, if the highways get too iced and heavy snow fall, we shut down, hunker down for the day, highway patrol even closes some roads.

The issue is, there is no oversight on corporate world. They can tell you, come into work or you're fired. Same guy on the phone is staying home and its freezing rain out with already 6 pile ups on the highway. But hey, they legally get to toss your life or you lose your job.

I know this isn't my most coherent post, but I hope the message gets across.

a reply to: ketsuko

But, but what about all these morons seeking validation for their degrees in green-basket-weaving-look-at-me-at-protest-i'm-important-and-shyte ?

What about their FEELINGS !!

You want their FEELINGS to be overridden by STEM guys and common sense folks desiring logical, proven, cost-effective energy solutions ?


Oh, the horror....you're a monster....

a reply to: Nivhk

Problem is that the tremendous power demand and drain is bleeding over to everyone else in the network, and because it's so darn cold, we all have our own demands too. It's not like just Texas froze solid.

We're sitting here more or less confined to our living room with the thermo lowered. We're layered. We have the vents shut off to our basement. We have our blinds drawn despite the natural light. We have excess power sources shut down.

We're being cut down because the power grid can't cope, and it can't cope because the weather had made sure most of it can't generate to compensate for increased demand because it's a vulnerable to the weather as we are.

a reply to: olaru12

My reference to the energy biz is a result of the oil and gas leases on my family farm in the panhandle of Texas. 

Got you.

Sorry for breaking away from the ATS theme of bashing all things progressive and Biden. 

Okay...

They've announced that the blackouts are over for the time being, but they still have an overwhelming number of people out of power. So many that the outage line is overwhelmed.

And they're saying they may have to start with the blackouts again this afternoon or during the evening because people might cook too much to make their dinners.