Wind energy maintained Texas electricity despite the pressure of “polar vortex”
Thanks To Wind Energy, Texans Didn’t Lose Power During The Polar Vortex, Climate Progress BY KATIE VALENTINE ON JANUARY 8, 2014 On Tuesday, frigid temperatures pushed Texas to a new winter record for power usage. But thanks in part to wind power, Texans were able to avoid major power outages, despite the stress on the grid.
On Monday, cold weather and shut downs of some power plantsforced the Texas grid operator to begin implementing its emergency plan to meet demand. Demand remained high on Tuesday, but increased output from West Texas wind farms enabled the state to avoid an emergency scenario. It wasn’t the first time wind has helped Texas avoid power outages in extreme weather, either — in 2011, high wind outputs during peak demand helped Texas’s grid weather 100-plus temperatures.
Wind energy is helping other states weather the Polar Vortex as well — as AWEA notes, when the temperatures first began dropping in the Upper Midwest, wind generated enough energy to power 6 million average homes. The Mid-Atlantic region, too, saw high wind energy output, which helped bolster the grid after some power plants failed unexpectedly due to the weather…….http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/08/3134181/polar-vortex-wind-energy/
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