Wednesday, February 2, 2011
ERCOT requires PEC to interrupt service
Update, 5 p.m. from PEC – ERCOT's mandate to utilities statewide to reduce electricity demand ended at 1:30 p.m. today. Early Wednesday morning, ERCOT instructed utilities to begin rotating temporary, intentional power interruptions to compensate for a statewide electricity generation shortage due to numerous power plant malfunctions that occurred because of the extremely cold weather. Because of the resulting stress placed on the Texas electric grid, ERCOT decided to require rolling interruptions throughout the state in order to protect the system and avoid uncontrollable, widespread blackouts. At its peak, the directive affected more than 34,000 PEC meters. PEC instituted temporary service interruptions in different sections of its territory in 10-minute intervals to comply with the directive. The Cooperative was required to reduce demand by 59 megawatts.
Update – Sent at 2:22 p.m. from PEC's Communications Department: "PEC is no longer shedding load through rolling blackouts. However, we are still in an emergency situation and on standby in case there is a need to resume mandated power interruptions."
Note: We received this late breaking news from PEC at 9:15 this morning. We're not sure how long the rotating brownouts will last, most likely until the hard freeze conditions pass. Ms. Harvey told the RoundUp that PEC member-customers can help by turning off any excess use of electricity in their homes and businesses. "Any electricity not necessary puts an undue strain on the system, especially right now," Harvey said.
For more info, here's the link to ERCOT's press release distributed earlier. ERCOT's web site: http://www.ercot.com/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2011
TO: All media in PEC Emergency Operations Plan
CONTACT: Anne Harvey, (830) 868-4933; Austin line (512) 219-2602
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is directing Pedernales Electric and its other member transmission and distribution electric utilities to shed electric load to help prevent uncontrolled, widespread blackouts.
PEC will interrupt service to different parts of its territory in 10-minute increments to comply with the ERCOT directive. Because Pedernales Electric cannot guarantee continuous service, those who rely on uninterrupted power should make preparations.
PEC also asks its members to take steps to prepare for safe restoration of their electric service.
All electrical appliances that were on when service was disrupted should be turned off, as well as the circuit breakers to major appliances. Once power is restored, members can help avoid overloading by turning these appliances back on in 15-minute intervals.
Members who call PEC toll-free at 1-888-883-3379 can be connected with Pedernales Electric’s automated high volume call answering system, which is activated during major interruptions.
Pedernales Electric Cooperative, based in Johnson City, Texas, is the largest distribution electric cooperative in the country, serving more than 236,000 meters in an 8,100-square-mile service area.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
Thanks for the heads up, Bob!
Do the rolling blackouts today mean we can't afford to double our population over the next 40 years?
By American-Statesman staff | Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 02:20 PM
ERCOT has ended the emergency rotating blackouts, but officials said there is a strong possibility that they will be required again this evening or tomorrow, depending on how quickly the disabled generation units can be returned to service.
Officials with the state’s power transmission grid operator urged residents and businesses to continue to conserve energy, particularly between 6 and 10 p.m.
@O'Dell: This cold weather will lead to a bump in the December population for the rest of us.
I bet the rolling black-outs are the result of Enron's managers who aren't in jail now working for the regulators.
Well, let's see, if we would permit and build more electrical generating plants IN conjunction with education and required energy conservation measures, then MAYBE, just MAYBE, there becomes no cause for worrying about "doubling" our population within the next 40 years, eh, Dr. O'Dell?
Why does the one thing, always have to lead to the foregone conclusion that something CAN'T be done? Where has American ingenuity gone? Are we so damned scared of our own shadow that we are afraid to try innovation? The nation that had the ingenuity to create the airplane, the telegraph, the radio, the television, etc., etc., is now afraid to face the necesseties of the future and create the opportunities that will fix these problems?
You know where the ideas you raise? It directly comes back to the "population bomb" theory, which btw, never happened, the idea that we can't feed ourselves, which has never happened, and so on. Yet, these very ideas lead to the destruction of human life everyday through the insanity that some call pro-choice - or as I prefer - the murder of innocent unborn human lives. Yes, far fetched from the topic of rolling blackouts, yet Dr. O'Dell, you broached the subject with your tie-in to population growth; which then only opens the door to legitimate cultural debate on many other fronts. Don't be yellow, come out and let's talk. Are you afraid of innovation? If the power, water, wastewater, and other concerns can be addressed would you be opposed to growth? Or are you one of those opposed to growth because you don't simply want growth, no matter if the problems can be addressed and fixed? (Methinks the latter...)
To Yellow Armadillo:
What do you mean that "the population bomb never happened?"
What do you call 6 billion people
--or however many currently share the globe?! We in the US can still
feed ourselves, but we are sparsely
populated (per square mile) as
compared to some continents. Also
our growing seasons are favorable for ample food production. But people in less hospitable climates
ARE starving because there is not
enough food to go around.
Even more important than food is
water. Don't you realize that all the water that will ever be on the
planet has been here from the
beginning? And yet the population
has doubled and re-doubled many
times. That "pie" of water keeps
being divided up between more
and more people daily. Are you
watching your "slice" dwindle before your eyes?
Yellow,
You expanded my comment well beyond the message contained therein. Conley, Barton and the other special interest officials have created and long repeated the mantra that, “Central Texas (including Hays County) will double in population over the next 40 years,” and there is nothing we can do about it. The message is that most of the population increase will come from emigration into Hays County.
My query was simply to challenge by observation the absurdity of that message. If not energy limitations demonstrated by rolling blackouts the first time we have a cold snap, then consider our limited water supply.
We can offer technology solutions---but at what cost to our quality of life. I have a living will refusing medical technology that could keep me alive when its time for me to die. Quality of life means more to me than just being alive.
You describe future necessities as problems to be solved. What about current problems you fail to see?
Your perception of feeding ourselves ignores the realities of food banks right here in Hays County and official data showing that 1,000,000 children around the world perish EACH DAY from causes associated with malnutrition, and HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS more who go to bed hungry EVERY NIGHT. They are alive but what is their quality of life?
Growth at what cost to me and to my neighbors? That is the question for me. I and many of my neighbors have already lost our wells from growth. Our taxes continue to rise along with crime, noise, traffic, pollution and loss of dark skies to name a few changes from growth. Why do developers have a legal right for profit to take quality of life from me and from my neighbors?
You call for individual rights that suit your values, but appear willing to deny my rights to a quality of life and women to control their quality of life.
Maybe all the problems you want addressed and fixed are not as you would define them.
"Your perception of feeding ourselves ignores the realities of food banks right here in Hays County and official data showing that 1,000,000 children around the world perish EACH DAY from causes associated with malnutrition, and HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS more who go to bed hungry EVERY NIGHT. They are alive but what is their quality of life?"
This speaks to the gross inefficiency in production that is tolerated in agriculture today. The ability to grow foodstuffs for all of these people is a known quantity. The problem becomes when the politics of the world are thrown into the production and distribution of food to those who need it. Capitalism and socialism aside, the simple exercise of growing, producing, and distributing food enough for everybody is doable now, and then some.
Whether it is the inefficiencies of a planned market, or the planned inefficiencies of socialism, or the market inequalities of capitalism, these artificial roadblocks are why people starve and die Dr. O'Dell. Not due to our inability to produce and distribute the food.
"Growth at what cost to me and to my neighbors? That is the question for me. I and many of my neighbors have already lost our wells from growth. Our taxes continue to rise along with crime, noise, traffic, pollution and loss of dark skies to name a few changes from growth. Why do developers have a legal right for profit to take quality of life from me and from my neighbors?
You call for individual rights that suit your values, but appear willing to deny my rights to a quality of life and women to control their quality of life."
Dr. O'Dell, can you tell me where you can live and have it be where you would not impact someone else's rights by the very act of your moving there?
Do you not live in a subdivision? If so, how did the developer of your subdivision affect the rights of those that were there before you were? Didn't that developer violate the rights of the farmer or rancher by the creation of your subdivision? Don't you contribute to the reduction of groundwater by the removal of groundwater from your well (or at least before it went dry)?
How does your rights to the intangibles that you call quality of life prevent someone else from realizing and exercising their rights to develop their properties, and thus realizing their rights? How can these two seemingly inconsistent issues be resolved? You seem to want to enjoy rights that the developer of your subdivision violated of those before you came, only to then turn around and deny someone else the same privilege you enjoy.
Please help me understand the perceived hypocrisy.
You Know O’Dell the best way to control growth in Hays County is to let anyone contemplating moving here know that people like you live here. I used to hear all of that BS about “Southern Hospitality” and I can assure anyone that it is as big a lie as saying, UT is a great school and Texas women are beautiful. I moved here a couple of years ago and as soon as I can make enough money in the miserable part of the world, I’m leaving for Florida.
@last Anonymous
How much money do you need to be
able to hit the road for Florida?
I'm sure enough of us would chip in
to let you be on your way.
Texas women are beautiful and strong. Maybe we don't meet the beauty standards of wherever you are from but Texas women do not need validation from out of state men who do not know what a real woman looks like. I am sure that ya'll will find Florida women more to your taste. Good luck and don't let the state sign hit you in the rear as you leave this great state. Signed a real Texas woman and proud of it!!!
The first rule of blogging is, “Don’t Feed the Trolls”.
AMEN!! Never feed the trolls!
Post a Comment