CHRIS HUBBUCH
As record-breaking cold swept across Texas this week, millions of people were left shivering in the dark as the stateâs power grid failed to meet the surging demand for electricity, crippled by temperatures in the single digits.
So why does the power continue to work in places like Wisconsin, where bitter cold is a way of life? The reason is simple: Generators in the Upper Midwest are designed to work in frigid conditions, unlike those in Texas.
âWe designed all our infrastructure for these bitter-cold temperatures,â said Paul Wilson, a professor of nuclear engineering at UW-Madison who studies electrical systems.