Wind and solar power became a neat trick in Texas this week, with turbines and PV panels continuing to cut off electricity as the entire southwest was cooked under another record high temperature. This may come as a bit of a surprise. After all, Texas is a global leader in oil and gas production, and its coal industry is not so bad. However, when it comes to delivering kilowatts in extreme conditions, renewable sources deliver goods.
Extreme weather: who is better dressed, renewable energy or residual fuel?
Hojun Choi Dallas morning news Reiterating the state of the game on Thursday morning, he wrote, “This week has been a big one for Texas, where renewable energy sources, temperature and electricity demand have reached record levels.”
According to Choi, Texas residents set a new record for electricity demand on June 12 by raising the three-digit temperature in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which covers a century. Instead of shutting down under pressure, wind and solar power plants have stepped up to provide one-third of the state’s electricity. This is higher than the typical average in other US states, which is more impressive than products from renewable energy sources.
The news is particularly significant compared to last year’s devastating, storm-related power outages in Texas. Stakeholder stakeholders have blamed the province’s strong wind industry. However, all sources were affected by network-wide failures, and excessive dependence on gas power plants in the winter emerged as the main culprit.
“On April 10, the ratio of wind power in Texas set a new record, accounting for about 69% of the total electricity in the ERCOT network,” Choi added. “Solar power generation on the state’s main electricity grid set a new record on May 19, accounting for 14.62% of the system’s electricity.”
Lone Star State Hearts Renewables
CleanTechnica Over the years, much has been spilled over the renewable energy revolution in Texas. The state is a global hub for residual energy production, but poor regulation, which has allowed oil, gas and coal production to increase, has also opened the door to strong growth in the wind industry with the healthy help of major economic development policies. New transmission line in 2013.
U.S. military installations in Texas have also helped make claims for renewable energy as part of the Department of Defense’s broader efforts to promote energy security and sustainability by focusing on climate change.
Although much of the focus has been on the province’s wind industry, solar energy activities, as well as energy storage and other related technologies, have begun to take off.
Getting Started with Renewable Resources
Other US states are reaching Texas for renewable energy, but this year the state is still ranked No. 1 in terms of wind power and No. 2 in terms of solar power, and it doesn’t stop there.
Dry-based wind and solar are not the only renewable energy in the city. Last summer, the University of Texas A&M released a report exploring clean technology options at sea. This could be a problem in the sea wind zone, as wind resources in the Gulf of Mexico are less than optimal, but the A&M vision can work around it by combining wind with floating solar panels.
In addition, another Gulf state, Louisiana, is in intense pursuit of sea wind opportunities. Last February, the government announced a 5 gigawatt target for marine winds, which is very impressive given that several marine turbines are currently operating in the entire United States.
Louisiana could use emerging green hydrogen and green ammonia trends to draw conclusions for the development of sea winds in the Gulf, and this angle is already in play for the Single Star State.
In January 2021, the University of Texas at Austin hosted a green hydrogen roundtable to create a green hydrogen center in the state, using renewable sources – wind, solar and biogas – in addition to existing fossil energy infrastructure.
Shell has a green hydrogen angle in its offshore wind project in the Netherlands, which is interesting because in the fall of 2020, the US Department of Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands to cooperate on offshore wind development. Shell is also behind the largest electrolyzer-based green hydrogen project in the EU at the Rheinlander plant in Germany.
Recoverable and Pickup Trucks, Perfect Together
Another interesting point in the renewable energy scene in Texas is the number of pickup trucks. In Texas, more drivers prefer cars and SUVs on a percentage basis, but in terms of raw numbers, the state continues to be a national leader in pickup sales.
As older automakers turn to electric vehicles and extreme weather causes more disruptions to the state’s power supply, the number of pickup trucks in Texas could rise. Ford Motor Company is already offering the Lightning F-150 EV battery as an emergency backup power source, and last year Ford announced that it was in contact with Sunrun, a leading solar installer who makes it easy for F-150 owners to charge. own roof solar arrays.
If the electric pickup movement moves in the main direction, millions of rolling energy storage devices could take to the streets of Texas, providing a much-needed solution to the continuous transmission bottlenecks that continue to sustain the growth rate of renewable energy in the state.
The truck element combines distributed energy resources and virtual power plant trends, where small-scale renewable sources and energy storage devices are connected via smart grid technology to provide network services that a large, centralized power plant would normally provide.
The trend of virtual power plants began to take shape a few years ago with the support of the US Department of Energy. Last month, Cigar Shah, director of the agency’s Credit Program Office, wrote a blog post highlighting the impact of virtual power plants on renewable energy demand.
“The consumer market for distributed energy resources – DERs – is on the verge of development. The Association of Solar Energy Industries estimates that about 5% of homeowners in the United States currently have solar energy on their roofs. In 2021, it is experiencing a moment of energy conservation by placing more memory than the previous five years combined. In addition, solar power generation and energy storage are becoming more and more friendly, and by 2025, one-third of the solar systems installed behind the meter are expected to include energy storage, ”Shah wrote.
“DERs can provide energy at a lower price than the network usually offers. While offering consumers more resilience during adverse network events, they do so more cleanly. And while commercial lenders are reluctant to recognize this adequately, DERs are also more widespread and cost-effective than ever, ”he added, adding that virtual power plants could catalyze the deployment of DERs on a large scale and contribute to affordable, sustainable and clean energy. It’s accessible to all Americans. “
Therefore, we say that this is the beginning of a renewable energy. For another sign of what fossil energy stakeholders expect, see Rice University’s latest report, “Texas can be a model for the nation on how to effectively replace coal with wind and solar energy for the state’s energy needs while meeting environmental goals.” ”
Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey.
Photo: Roof solar panels in Austin, Texas, with the permission of the US Department of Energy through Austin Energy.
Do you appreciate the authenticity and clean technology news of CleanTechnica? Consider being a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician or Ambassador or Patron.