Texas Cold Weather Discussion

[J.d. Popkes]

Welcome to The Green New Deal! Texas is the bellwether for the Liberals policy of "follow the science" and Global Warming with no regard to practicality!

Is that what’s going on? Wind turbines and solar farms ain’t liking the cool weather?

 

[TZaun]

Todd, My lines from the meter at our home are 48" under all 900' to the house. My only concern is my 5 frost free faucets that are on the outside wall of our home. Ain't seen a break yet and it is 39deg right now. We did have a water line break at my Auto Shop. About 20 yrs or so ago I had a small hot water mounted above our "Ladies" rest room. Didn't pay any attention, but he ran the copper pipe on the NE outside wall. It was insulated, but not enough.
NCAA Rifle qualifying starts tomorrow.
Yeah, I'm really worried about "Global Warning". Chuckle chuckle!

Real glad to hear you're in pretty good shape. I talked to some people from the Lohn/San Angelo area the other day and they were all froze up. Houses and waterers for the cattle. I guess their lines are only 12" to 18" deep. They're hauling water out in tanks in the back of pickups for now.

I will be tuned in too. My kids are shooting their JO Qualifier tomorrow as well, but I'll be keeping an eye on the NCAA scores too.

 

[Straightshooter1]

Is that what’s going on? Wind turbines and solar farms ain’t liking the cool weather?

FYI: Solar is more efficient and works better is cool weather (though they can't work at all when covered in snow ) . Wind turbines, when constructed properly, work just fine in cool/cold weather (e..g. just look at those used in the Netherlands). The issue for wind turbines and solar in Texas is really the same as with their natural gas, coal and nuclear production equipment.

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

Is that what’s going on? Wind turbines and solar farms ain’t liking the cool weather?

Of the 46GW that were offline on Wednesday, 28GW (61%) were thermal (gas, coal, nuclear) and 18GW (39%) were wind and solar.

Here's where ERCOT says Texas's electricity comes from under normal conditions:

• Natural gas (51%)
• Wind (24.8%)
• Coal (13.4%)
• Nuclear (4.9%)
• Solar (3.8%)
• Hydro, biomass-fired units (1.9%)

 

[J.d. Popkes]

FYI: Solar is more efficient and works better is cool weather (though they can't work at all when covered in snow ) . Wind turbines, when constructed properly, work just fine in cool/cold weather (e..g. just look at those used in the Netherlands). The issue for wind turbines and solar in Texas is really the same as with their natural gas, coal and nuclear production equipment.

Wind, solar all that might be good someday. Right now it’s just taxpayer subsidized BS. But I don’t need to drive that point home, sounds like. Power/energy costs will rise and reliability will suck. Some shit was figured out correctly in the 50’s. Whatever.....

 

[joshb]

This sums it up. Sent by a friend, I put it in YT for ease of sharing.

Watch "Sent by Henry" on YouTube

That about shows what the problem is. Kerrville brought out a road grader because they don’t own a plow. Back East, every redneck with a truck has a plow for it. When it snows, they make money hand over fist doing driveways and helping out the municipalities!

 

[Straightshooter1]

Wind, solar all that might be good someday. Right now it’s just taxpayer subsidized BS. But I don’t need to drive that point home, sounds like. Power/energy costs will rise and reliability will suck. Some shit was figured out correctly in the 50’s. Whatever.....

Agree!

IMHO, Wind and solar is NOT the best place for the government dump money in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. The technology has not advanced enough, not to mention their basic limitations. If the government really wants to do something that's really effective in reducing carbon emissions, they should look to nuclear power as the technology for it has advanced substantially making it capable of being way more safe than in the past. Unfortunately, too many people still have unfounded fear of it based on the far past.

 

[dfrosch]

FYI: Solar is more efficient and works better is cool weather (though they can't work at all when covered in snow ) . Wind turbines, when constructed properly, work just fine in cool/cold weather (e..g. just look at those used in the Netherlands). The issue for wind turbines and solar in Texas is really the same as with their natural gas, coal and nuclear production equipment.

You need clear skies for solar to work. We haven't had that until today.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Of the 46GW that were offline on Wednesday, 28GW (61%) were thermal (gas, coal, nuclear) and 18GW (39%) were wind and solar.

Here's where ERCOT says Texas's electricity comes from under normal conditions:

• Natural gas (51%)
• Wind (24.8%)
• Coal (13.4%)
• Nuclear (4.9%)
• Solar (3.8%)
• Hydro, biomass-fired units (1.9%)

It’s difficult to believe only 1.9% comes from hydro, considering just about every river and major creek in Texas as a Dam somewhere along it’s length.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

It’s difficult to believe only 1.9% comes from hydro, considering just about every river and major creek in Texas as a Dam somewhere along it’s length.

Ive been to some of those dams and they are old and have a very low mw output like under 10mw. Most wind turbines are 1.5-2mw according to brand

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Heres amistad. One of the bigger ones like falcon

 

[J.d. Popkes]

Agree!

IMHO, Wind and solar is NOT the best place for the government dump money in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. The technology has not advanced enough, not to mention their basic limitations. If the government really wants to do something that's really effective in reducing carbon emissions, they should look to nuclear power as the technology for it has advanced substantially making it cable of being way more safe than in the past. Unfortunately, too many people still have unfounded fear of it based on the far past.

Ain’t about nothing but corruption. Following the money. If it can’t stand on it’s own in a free market then it’s force fed. “We’re gonna mandate this” and, we’re the elected officials that benefit monetarily. And while we figure it out get a lantern. Oh and it’s more expensive.

 

[338 dude]

Backfeeding can have the potential of being very dangerous . I would not recommend it unless you are familiar with what you are doing. Retired lineman from Va.Power.

Been doing it for years I understand the risks and I do know what I am doing apparently no problems yet

 

[338 dude]

Agreed, the lineman have enough to worry about. Makes me think of the movie “A Million ways to die in the west” a transfer switch is a pretty small investment in the big picture of owning a home.

I just have a portable gas generator it plugs into the 220 outlet for my welder in my shop really only two dangerous things about it the extension cord from the generator has a male plug on each end do not start the generator until the cord is plugged in but cut off the main breaker to the house first everything is fed through breakers in the panel when the new house is done one of the first things will be a Generac and a transfer switch

 

[spike-55]

Sitting here with a foot of snow on the ground, temp in the low teens and a foot of snow getting ready to start again. First snow my 5yr old has ever seen

View attachment 1235221

we are right in the middle of your BLUE map!!! same deal here 8-9 degrees during the day and -3 to -9 at night mon - thursday. finally warmed up today to 28 degrees!!!! lost water here mon-wed came back at about 6:30 last night.. woke up to doorbell this morning with neighbor getting home from night shift to let me know there was a large leak in the yard!!! called the city and they came out in about 2 hours to check. thankfully it was on their side of the meter!!!! i don't have to pay for the water or repairs!!! if it would have been on my side my nickel on both!!! been a long time since it was that cold for so long here in southern OKLA.
stan

 

[338 dude]

No water for 4 days now because the rolling blackouts killed a pump at the water department... Been melting snow for the toilets down to 4 gallons of drinking water and it's started snowing again... Lucky enough to have power but can't get down the driveway to leave...

Pretty much the same for me in Tennessee I’ve had power it has only blinked a couple of times but even with four-wheel-drive with the ice I am stuck in my yard and I live on a ridge my driveway goes downhill about 80 feet in 300 yards so I’ve been stuck at home for four days nowBut worse than that the grocery store shelves are bare because trucks cannot get to Walmart or other stores to re-supply it’s amazing how things can change in just a couple days

 

[338 dude]

Pretty much the same for me in Tennessee I’ve had power it has only blinked a couple of times but even with four-wheel-drive with the ice I am stuck in my yard and I live on a ridge my driveway goes downhill about 80 feet in 300 yards so I’ve been stuck at home for four days nowBut worse than that the grocery store shelves are bare because trucks cannot get to Walmart or other stores to re-supply it’s amazing how things can change in just a couple days

It did not help me this time because I’m not living in it yet maybe I’ll be better for the next one word of advice do anyone building it is very expensive but do not skimp on insulation my new place is totally encapsulated the roof deck and all exterior walls with spray foam also R19 in the ceilings I will even get a $500 reimbursement from my local power company for it

 

[joshb]

R30 for “ceilings” roofs, etc. R19 in walls. That’s how I’m doing mine.

 

[338 dude]

R30 for “ceilings” roofs, etc. R19 in walls. That’s how I’m doing mine.

Not necessary when you have 6 inches of open cell foam on the bottom of the roof deck and 3 inches of closed cell foam in the exterior walls that gives you a proximately R21 in the exterior walls and the roof deck and then another 19 at the ceiling All interior walls insulated with R13 for sound

 

[338 dude]

Not necessary when you have 6 inches of open cell foam on the bottom of the roof deck and 3 inches of closed cell foam in the exterior walls that gives you a proximately R21 in the exterior walls and the roof deck and then another 19 at the ceiling All interior walls insulated with R13 for sound

That would normally ruin my budget but I am very lucky to have my brother-in-law who works for an insulation company it was all done at Cost thanks Jim!