Politico: Blackouts on the Texas ballot
March 14 — The state experienced a winter storm last month that was viewed as a potential test for the new measures put in place. But experts contend it wasn’t as strong as the 2021 storm and couldn’t fully test the weatherization improvements.
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EnergyWire: How a smarter grid can prevent blackouts
March 16 — Customers who allow utilities to control heat pumps, water heaters and electric vehicle charging stations would give operators a potent new tool for managing grid systems in extreme weather emergencies, like the Western wildfires, Gulf Coast hurricanes and Texas’ 2021 power crisis, researchers say
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CNN: Gravity could solve renewable energy’s biggest problem
March 14 — When power demand is low, the crane uses surplus electricity from the Swiss grid to raise the bricks and stack them at the top. When power demand rises, the bricks are lowered, releasing kinetic energy back to the grid. It might sound like a school science project, but this form of energy storage could be vital as the world transitions to clean energy.
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KPRC TV: How much more you can expect to pay on your next natural gas bill?
March 15 — With the price of just about everything going up right now, you can also expect to pay more for your natural gas bill. Investigator Amy Davis is answering a viewer question about all of those fees on your gas bill.
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Houston Public Media: U.S. sanctions on Russian oil have Texas producers ready to up production. Environmentalists fear it’s at the expense of reducing emissions longterm
March 14 — Domestic producers say it’s time for more investment in oil and gas, but supporters of clean energy argue it may not drive down consumer costs — and could lock the U.S. into an oil-dependent future.
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Texas Tribune: A power test for Texas voters
March 16 — After last winter’s near-statewide electric blackouts, Texas lawmakers went after regulators they deemed responsible but tiptoed around the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas. Now voters have a chance, if they want it, to send the state a message.
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KUT: Texas and other states want to punish fossil fuel divestment
March 16 — About 10% of all investments in the world are now in some kind of environmental or socially aligned fund. And big financial firms like BlackRock – under pressure from shareholders – have joined the trend, attracting investors and positive media coverage by touting environmentally responsible strategies. But last year, when BlackRock CEO Larry Fink wrote a letter advising companies to prepare for a zero carbon world, there were some places where the reaction was not so positive.
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Utility Dive: A ‘conservative’ approach to Texas grid operations is raising costs for consumers: ERCOT market monitor
March 15 — The expanded use of reliability unit commitments to ensure sufficient reserves is distorting wholesale markets in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, say observers.
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Texas Standard: San Antonio power company pilots pressurized water tech to store renewable energy
March 11 — The system is designed to be a cheap way to deploy energy produced by wind and solar.
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Longview News- Journal: SWEPCO customers should expect rate increase on this month’s bills
March 11 — AEP-Southwestern Electric Power Co. customers should expect an increase in their energy bills beginning this month. The Public Utility Commission of Texas in late February approved SWEPCO’s request for a rate increase.