Pat Wood helped create Texas’ electricity market, then he lost power for 36 hours in the freeze
The wild success of renewables came as a surprise and revealed a problem in the market design.
A transmission tower supports power lines after a snowstorm on Feb. 17, 2021 in Altamesa Boulevard and Crowley Road in Fort Worth.(Omar Vega)
1:30 AM on Jul 18, 2021 CDT
This op-ed is part of a series published by The Dallas Morning News Opinion section to explore ideas and policies for strengthening electric reliability. Find the full series here:
By 2030, Texas will likely get electricity from renewables 80% of the time.
That’s not a wild goal from environmental activists who want you to set your thermostat at 82 and wash your clothes by hand. That’s a prediction from energy expert Pat Wood, a former electricity regulator who helped write the law that deregulated the Texas electricity market.
Governors Wind Energy Coalition
Senators clash over policy to increase FERC transmission siting authority Source: By Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive • Posted: Thursday, July 15, 2021
An attempt to derail Senate efforts to give federal regulators more authority over transmission siting prompted a debate over power line expansion on Wednesday.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee hearing considering a bill that would invest in energy and outdoor infrastructure, proposed an amendment that would cut a section in the legislation that would increase the permitting authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He argued the policy could override state-level concerns, while Democratic senators protested that broader federal authority is necessary in order to build out the transmission needed to bring more renewable energy onto the grid quickly.
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Texas Governor Enacts Grid Reliability Measures, Including Power Plant Weatherization, ERCOT Reforms
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law sweeping bills approved by Texas legislators that will require power generators in the state to weatherize against extreme events and revamp organizational oversight of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
Hours before the state’s regular 140-day legislative session dwindled to its end on May 30 and amid high-profile drama related to a GOP priority voting bill Texas House and Senate lawmakers approved a series of last-minute changes to Senate Bill (SB) 2, related to ERCOT oversight, and SB 3, the state’s reliability statute. The governor signed these measures, which he had deemed “emergency items” for the 87th session