Right when you hear about power problem in TX, its _always_ when the wind isn't blowing. All that wind power has slowed investment in anything that isn't a gas plant, yet its all those gas plants running at 100% capacity and the wind basically producing at <10% which are a problem. Because apparently ERCOT is just adding the wind power (well based on some statistical weather analysis) to the total state capacity instead of assuming its 0% in their worse case calculations.
During the shortages two weeks ago the wind farms were producing at 8% of rated capacity, and that isn't an unusual amount for this time of year. The wind farms do fantastic in the spring/fall when we don't need much energy, but then in the winter and summer they are frequently less than 15% of rated capacity.
Yep... you need 100% of use covered even if it's a windless night (no solar, no wind), and then turn off (eg hydro, gas) when you have both wind and sun.
Puting just wind and sun infrastructure means constant blackouts.
During the shortages two weeks ago the wind farms were producing at 8% of rated capacity, and that isn't an unusual amount for this time of year. The wind farms do fantastic in the spring/fall when we don't need much energy, but then in the winter and summer they are frequently less than 15% of rated capacity.