Texans Hilariously React To AC Ban During A Heatwave
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Ilona Baliūnaitė
Publish Not your original work? Add source Living in Texas this year has been a true challenge-the power grid can't handle the drastic weather changes and millions of people are suffering as a result. There's a blistering heatwave ravaging Texas right now, reaching over 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). And Texans are urged to conserve power so as not to overload the independent power grid the state uses and to avoid an emergency like earlier this year. Back in February, a massive and deadly winter storm hit the state and left millions without power because the infrastructure wasn't upgraded to deal with such events and because Texas has its own electric power grid, managed by ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. More than 151 people died because of the cold and the power outages and several power companies went bankrupt. Now, during the heatwave, Texans are asked to set their thermostats to 78 degrees F (25.6 degrees C) or higher during the day and 82 degrees F (27.8 degrees C) at night to save energy. Which means no relief from the heat. Bored Panda has collected some of the most spot-on reactions to ERCOT's demands. Check them out below. With temperatures soaring during the summer, we need to know how to remain healthy, hydrated, and cool. I reached out to Dr. Andrew Carroll, from Arizona, to hear how to survive in extreme heat, no matter where you live. "Living in Arizona, you learn how to live in the heat. We are currently in our own heatwave, with our temperatures hitting 117 degrees F in the afternoon (47 degrees C)," Dr. Carroll told Bored Panda. "Dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, fatigue, body aches can be the first signs of heat exhaustion. If it's a hot day and you start seeing these signs, get into air conditioning and start drinking fluids with electrolytes (PediaLyte, Gatorade, etc)," Dr. Carroll warned. "You should not return to outdoor activity anymore that day. Heatstroke is typically extreme fatigue, confusion, abdominal and body aches, and lack of sweating. Heatstroke should be evaluated at an Emergency Room, as it can be life-threatening." Image credits: MiiSS_JAZZY_B This post may include affiliate links. #1 HnaXie Report Final score: 313points POST Raven Sheridan Raven Sheridan Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I second that argument! 61 61points reply View more comments #2 JLynn_XoXoX Report Final score: 226points POST TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago 700 from the cold. I wonder how many from the heat. 24 24points reply View More Replies... View more comments #3 DeathMetalV Report Final score: 185points POST TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago “California is now unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity,” he tweeted at the time. “Biden/Harris/AOC want to make CA’s failed energy policy the standard nationwide. Hope you don’t like air conditioning!” Mr Cruz added in the August 2020 tweet. 55 55points reply View More Replies... View more comments During heatwaves, how you structure your entire day can shift dramatically. Dr. Carroll explained how the people living in Arizona survive the heat and it's applicable to everyone. "We survive it by: -Going out to exercise as early at 4:30 am in order to get back by 5:30 am; -Most people who work outside (construction, landscapers, roofers, farmers, etc.) start working around 5 am, and make sure to get back indoors by 2 pm at the latest; -Get most errands done early in the morning (groceries, gas, etc.); -Wait until the sun is no longer shining down before returning to outdoor activities; -Park your vehicle under a tree when you can find one." Dr. Carroll advised everyone to drink twice as much water or electrolyte fluid as they think they need during heatwaves. "Wear clothing which covers the skin completely and a wide-brimmed hat. Exposed skin will lead to dehydration more quickly, and increase your risk of skin cancer due to sun exposure. Do not wear confining or constricting clothing as it can impede your ability to sweat, which is crucial in keeping you cool," he said. #4 hasanthehun Report Final score: 171points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Nope, it also can't handle rain or storms. But what do you expect when you're given the choice between keeping pace with technological development and being able to buy another $1 million property this year. 42 42points reply View More Replies... View more comments #5 MyLoveOfCheese Report Final score: 165points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago (edited) Ted Cruz only cares for Ted Cruz like Donnie Trump only cares for Donnie Trump. They are both Republicans by the way.... 68 68points reply View More Replies... View more comments #6 24baseballReed Report Final score: 163points POST Maul! Maul! Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Please choose better for your own sakes. 29 29points reply View More Replies... View more comments ERCOT also asked Texans to unplug unused devices and avoid using large electric appliances (e.g. washing machines and pool pumps) until the demand for power drops down. This is the second energy conservation alert in Texas so far in 2021. Texas' independent power grid means that the state has far more independence, energy and decision-wise, it also means that when it gets overloaded or an emergency happens, there are fewer options to support your everyday Texans, who suffer as a result. There's less federal regulation but the cavalry won't be rushing to the rescue every time that the state needs help, either, so it's quite literally risking your people's welfare for the sake of more freedom. #7 AviSanjel Report Final score: 163points POST Carmen Sandiego Carmen Sandiego Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Ha! 10 10points reply View more comments #8 birdiebar Report Final score: 163points POST Dre Mosley Dre Mosley Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago 78 is my standard setting. I just need to not be hot, that's it. I don't need my home to be as cool as my refrigerator. 20 20points reply View More Replies... View more comments #9 dinodlz Report Final score: 150points POST Watching Watching Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They disappear when they can't lie their way out of it. Or deflect. See Texas border wall for example.. 48 48points reply View More Replies... View more comments Back in May, ERCOT officials promised that the power grid would be able to provide enough electricity to meet the peak demand for energy in the summer. However, now there are fears that the demand is getting too big and that the power reserve margins are too narrow. Hence, the demand to conserve energy. While in February, over 4 million people lost power as power generators iced over. And while some progress has occurred since then-lawmakers have made changes to 'weatherize' power plants to deal with extreme temperatures-experts believe that these reforms aren't enough to prevent another similar disaster. #10 Chonsly_ Report Final score: 145points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Wasn't he the jerk who fled to a warmer climate with jhs family when Texas was deep frozen and people were dying from hypothermia because the electrical infrastructure collapsed due to deferred maintenance? 84 84points reply View More Replies... View more comments #11 johngalt504 Report Final score: 141points POST Carmen Sandiego Carmen Sandiego Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago DO IT. 28 28points reply View More Replies... View more comments #12 shawnavercher Report Final score: 138points POST John C John C Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago i love how "government" is in quotes. spot on, Shawna. spot on. 27 27points reply View More Replies... View more comments #13 LS2longhorn Report Final score: 136points POST Kid 2 Kid 2 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Can't have it both ways, Texas (**from TX**). 18 18points reply View more comments #14 Riersonian Report Final score: 136points POST Kanzi Kanzi Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The power is in their hands. 8 8points reply View More Replies... View more comments #15 trevorw14 Report Final score: 136points POST K Witmer K Witmer Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Every time he opens his mouth he puts his foot in it and his followers love him more 64 64points reply View more comments #16 SVY2point0 Report Final score: 134points POST Nubis Knight Nubis Knight Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You need airconditioning to get down to 27,7°C? Damn, I really feel sorry for you know. I was crying when my room had 26°C without airconditioning last night, but your temperatures are way higher! O.o 18 18points reply View More Replies... View more comments #17 Angry_Staffer Report Final score: 118points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago 82° Fahrenheit = 27.7 ° Celsius. That's not a temperature where you can sleep well in. 52 52points reply View More Replies... View more comments #18 crunchyrugger Report Final score: 114points POST Lorelei Lorelei Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Remember that one Simpson’s scene? When they sat in a tent attached to the fridge? I’m gonna go do that now. (I live in PA with zero heat tolerance) Texas can join me 18 18points reply #19 GloversRevenge Report Final score: 113points POST Jeanette McKell Jeanette McKell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago and Cruz will blame his wife and children because they want to see snow in June. 24 24points reply View More Replies... View more comments #20 Bobbyisthatyou Report Final score: 106points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Heading to some cooler areas where he can be the jerk he always is without risking a heat stroke. 17 17points reply View More Replies... View more comments #21 kdianem89 Report Final score: 106points POST Ross Keim Ross Keim Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Everything’s bigger in texas, except the power grid 36 36points reply View More Replies... View more comments #22 Tom15404403 Report Final score: 95points POST Leo Domitrix Leo Domitrix Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Turn off the power to your politicians. 28 28points reply View more comments #23 Matthew_N_Day Report Final score: 92points POST Id row Id row Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You voted for him, you got him. Think before you vote next time. He's a known scumbag, but he's republican, so you voted for him. Is party voting really worth it? Vote for the best candidate, not whoever is your party preference. 51 51points reply View More Replies... View more comments #24 predator9494 Report Final score: 89points POST Kanzi Kanzi Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago "How you like me now?" Texas to everyone who relocated because of the election results 16 16points reply View More Replies... View more comments See Also on Bored Panda Woman Shows How "Harry Potter" Characters Were Supposed To Look According To Book Descriptions (35 Pics) 50 ‘Weird Facts’ About The World That Might Give You A Fresh Perspective #25 KRSWong17 Report Final score: 87points POST Jeanette McKell Jeanette McKell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Be sure to drink lots of water :( 22 22points reply View More Replies... View more comments #26 Report Final score: 84points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Ted Cruz just changed his travelling plans and is heading to the North Pole to spite you. 20 20points reply View more comments #27 JTfromT Report Final score: 83points POST Kanzi Kanzi Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I love King of the Hill 10 10points reply View More Replies... View more comments #28 JoshArnoldy Report Final score: 82points POST Melissa Anderson Melissa Anderson Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago How can I add One 3 3points reply View More Replies... View more comments #29 Mihrimah_FS Report Final score: 81points POST Charles j maner Charles j maner Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Pretty sure it's just "thoughts and prayers" at this point. 34 34points reply View More Replies... View more comments #30 txstate311 Report Final score: 78points POST Ruth Dyke Ruth Dyke Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago It's ok if you do not come back, Ted. 9 9points reply Note: this post originally had 34 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes. Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing! Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Add New Image Add Your Photo To This List Please use high-res photos without watermarks Upload Photo Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB. Not your original work? Add source Publish Change image Upload Photo Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB. Upload Upload Edit Image Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again. Render conversation
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Title Update Jonas Grinevičius Follow Unfollow Jonas Grinevičius Writer, BoredPanda staff Jonas is a Bored Panda writer who previously worked as a world news journalist elsewhere. After getting his bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations at the University of Manchester, he returned home and graduated from Vilnius University with a master's degree in Comparative Politics. Jonas enjoys writing articles ranging from serious topics like politics and social issues to more lighthearted things like art, pop culture, and nature. In his spare time, Jonas writes books and short stories and likes to draw lighthearted illustrations. A huge fan of literature, films, philosophy, and tabletop games, he also has a special place in his heart for anything related to fantasy or science fiction. Read more » Ilona Baliūnaitė Ilona Baliūnaitė Author, BoredPanda staff Ilona is a photo editor at Bored Panda with an MA in Communication Of Creative Society. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a social media manager and freelance graphic designer. When she is not photoshopping or searching for the most interesting photos for stories, she is usually watching good movies and says that The Godfather is the best. Read more » Show All Contributors Get the latest inspiring stories via our awesome iOS app! Download Bored Panda app! Popular on Bored Panda Woman Shows How "Harry Potter" Characters Were Supposed To Look According To Book Descriptions (35 Pics) 50 ‘Weird Facts’ About The World That Might Give You A Fresh Perspective Overworked Employee Quits Because He Wasn't Getting A Fair Wage, Costs The Company $40 Million 40 Embarrassing Moments People Didn't Know Who They Were Talking To And Made A Fool Of Themselves 30 Of The Most Hectic Homes As Shared On 'The Broke Agent' Instagram Account Bride Doesn't Include Wedding Dinner Price In Her Wedding Invites, Is Surprised To See Many Guests Canceling On Her After They Find Out Overworked Employee Quits Because He Wasn't Getting A Fair Wage, Costs The Company $40 Million 40 Embarrassing Moments People Didn't Know Who They Were Talking To And Made A Fool Of Themselves 30 Of The Most Hectic Homes As Shared On 'The Broke Agent' Instagram Account Add your comment POST Mike Crow Mike Crow Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Not to worry, Texas solution this September is to allow everyone to carry firearms without a permit or training. 30 30points reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They need the guns to stop women from getting abortions. 26 26points reply Load More Replies... Ross Keim Ross Keim Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago And to threaten the electricity back into the power lines 10 10points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They don't stop women, especially their young precious daughters, from getting an abortion. They simply send them to visit an out of state aunt. 4 4points reply Monty Glue Monty Glue Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The woosh of the bullets will cool you. If you're shot dead, that works too and you eventually cool off. 8 8points reply Nudge Nudge Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago ah perfect solution--if I'm dead I won't be too hot! Well, once we get to november, anyways. 2 2points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You'll only cool to ambient temperature though. 0 0points reply TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago "We learned our lesson during the winter!" ~not texas power provider 21 21points reply Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago (edited) For context: the Texas Interconnection grid is mostly detached from the two larger grids in the US for, well, not really sound reasons. This makes it prone to instability in cases were either demand (like now or in cold winter) or supply (like when there is much wind, the wind power production was 20% in 2019, so there must be much capacity) get into an imbalance. From an engineering standpoint, the power grids in North America are ridiculously bad. The System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) for central European countries – with interconnected state grids – is about 10-30 minutes a year. The US figure is about 300! Undoubtedly, this is not due to a lack of engineering prowess but of political will to do somethign about it. 16 16points reply Leo Domitrix Leo Domitrix Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago TLDR: Texans are so frothingly against "government" that they don't realize they're hurting themselves, and deregulation sucked. Also, yes, @Hans, our power grids are way out of date. That was being said in the 1980s, when Reagan and crew pushed deregulating. 8 8points reply Load More Replies... Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I just found this: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45796 Apparently, some US states are very reliable, which, to explain the avarage (un)reliability, means that others are notoriously unrealiable. Maine had an average of 15 hours interruption (900 minutes). Yikes! 6 6points reply M O'Connell M O'Connell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Maine skews its average quite a bit because of its population distribution, relatively few people with great distances between them contribute to longer outages as a result of damage. The last time I experienced a power interruption that wasn't a result of maintenance work on the infrastructure itself was in Feb. 2007 when large portions of my area were affected by a massive ice storm that took down many many local lines. It took nearly 7 days to get power back. Utility crews descended on the area from all over the country. The crew who ultimately reconnected my power was all the way from Alabama (to Illinois). More than 2000 miles of transmission lines needed replacing, along with more than 5000 utility poles. 1 1point reply N G N G Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago "Not really sound reasons" is a delightful euphemism for "someone wanted to make a sh1t ton of money by deregulating it and not giving two flying ducks about the future or the poor people it will hurt". 5 5points reply Marcia Cash Marcia Cash Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago the reason is this is Big Oil country, and interstate commerce laws make Texas oil cheaper to other states than we pay for it ourselves. So Texas power grid is separate and lags behind in solar and wind power, so they can keep the oil in state for higher price. 1 1point reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The problem is, in Texas anyway, is that if you drop a letter and add a letter SAIDI becomes Saudi and they'll have none of that THANK YOU VERY MUCH!. 1 1point reply BlahBlahBlackSheepah BlahBlahBlackSheepah Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago America does not understand spending priorities. If you have enough guns everything will work out is the prevailing philosophy (yep I'm American) 1 1point reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Yes, but we also get hurricanes that knock down powerlines and stuff. And tornadoes. And fast moving bushfires. How often does Europe get hurricanes, tornadoes, and bushfires? I'm not defending Texas - Texas can f**k right off. But the rest of the country doesn't usually lose power for no reason. Power companies will frequently cut power during a hurricane so that the inevitable damage doesn't leave too many live wires zapping everything in the storm. Similarly, they might do rolling outages in heat waves with very dry weather so that the power stations don't start fires. Anyway if you're going to compare us to anyone, it should be Australia. 1 1point reply Joe Reaves Joe Reaves Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Australia has a SAIDI of 200 minutes and a reliability of 99.998%. That's the average for the country. I imagine a lot of that comes from outages due to wildfires and hurricanes. 1 1point reply First Name Last Name First Name Last Name Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Exactly. The thing is that to be fair, Abbott has very little power (no pun intended) to do much about the national grid's weaknesses. All he can do is encourage ERCOT to improve the grid in TX, which takes both time and money. I think the political will is there, but the means are not...yet. So placing the blame on him for a situation he did not create and can not fix is a bit unfair. That said, I do often wonder why more Texans are not going off the grid entirely via solar. Particularly in the west, that would seem like a no-brainer. 0 0points reply Karen Lyon Karen Lyon Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago @First Name Last Name: You are wondering why they don't do more solar in Texas? You do realize that it is a HUGE oil state, right? Lots of people in the Dallas-Ft Worth area who literally made their fortunes in oil. In Texas they: 1) don't accept change easily 2)don't want to give up the money oil brings in 3) have lots of politicians and voters who don't believe climate change is a thing, or that oil production contributes to it. That you seem to have such a grip on the issues with the Texas power grid but not a grip on the attitude about how to generate energy there has me confused. 1 1point reply Lara Mig Lara Mig Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago He's off the national grid. He's got his own Texas grid. 0 0points reply Load More Comments POST Mike Crow Mike Crow Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Not to worry, Texas solution this September is to allow everyone to carry firearms without a permit or training. 30 30points reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They need the guns to stop women from getting abortions. 26 26points reply Load More Replies... Ross Keim Ross Keim Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago And to threaten the electricity back into the power lines 10 10points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They don't stop women, especially their young precious daughters, from getting an abortion. They simply send them to visit an out of state aunt. 4 4points reply Monty Glue Monty Glue Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The woosh of the bullets will cool you. If you're shot dead, that works too and you eventually cool off. 8 8points reply Nudge Nudge Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago ah perfect solution--if I'm dead I won't be too hot! Well, once we get to november, anyways. 2 2points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You'll only cool to ambient temperature though. 0 0points reply TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago "We learned our lesson during the winter!" ~not texas power provider 21 21points reply Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago (edited) For context: the Texas Interconnection grid is mostly detached from the two larger grids in the US for, well, not really sound reasons. This makes it prone to instability in cases were either demand (like now or in cold winter) or supply (like when there is much wind, the wind power production was 20% in 2019, so there must be much capacity) get into an imbalance. From an engineering standpoint, the power grids in North America are ridiculously bad. The System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) for central European countries – with interconnected state grids – is about 10-30 minutes a year. The US figure is about 300! Undoubtedly, this is not due to a lack of engineering prowess but of political will to do somethign about it. 16 16points reply Leo Domitrix Leo Domitrix Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago TLDR: Texans are so frothingly against "government" that they don't realize they're hurting themselves, and deregulation sucked. Also, yes, @Hans, our power grids are way out of date. That was being said in the 1980s, when Reagan and crew pushed deregulating. 8 8points reply Load More Replies... Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I just found this: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45796 Apparently, some US states are very reliable, which, to explain the avarage (un)reliability, means that others are notoriously unrealiable. Maine had an average of 15 hours interruption (900 minutes). Yikes! 6 6points reply M O'Connell M O'Connell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Maine skews its average quite a bit because of its population distribution, relatively few people with great distances between them contribute to longer outages as a result of damage. The last time I experienced a power interruption that wasn't a result of maintenance work on the infrastructure itself was in Feb. 2007 when large portions of my area were affected by a massive ice storm that took down many many local lines. It took nearly 7 days to get power back. Utility crews descended on the area from all over the country. The crew who ultimately reconnected my power was all the way from Alabama (to Illinois). More than 2000 miles of transmission lines needed replacing, along with more than 5000 utility poles. 1 1point reply N G N G Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago "Not really sound reasons" is a delightful euphemism for "someone wanted to make a sh1t ton of money by deregulating it and not giving two flying ducks about the future or the poor people it will hurt". 5 5points reply Marcia Cash Marcia Cash Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago the reason is this is Big Oil country, and interstate commerce laws make Texas oil cheaper to other states than we pay for it ourselves. So Texas power grid is separate and lags behind in solar and wind power, so they can keep the oil in state for higher price. 1 1point reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The problem is, in Texas anyway, is that if you drop a letter and add a letter SAIDI becomes Saudi and they'll have none of that THANK YOU VERY MUCH!. 1 1point reply BlahBlahBlackSheepah BlahBlahBlackSheepah Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago America does not understand spending priorities. If you have enough guns everything will work out is the prevailing philosophy (yep I'm American) 1 1point reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Yes, but we also get hurricanes that knock down powerlines and stuff. And tornadoes. And fast moving bushfires. How often does Europe get hurricanes, tornadoes, and bushfires? I'm not defending Texas - Texas can f**k right off. But the rest of the country doesn't usually lose power for no reason. Power companies will frequently cut power during a hurricane so that the inevitable damage doesn't leave too many live wires zapping everything in the storm. Similarly, they might do rolling outages in heat waves with very dry weather so that the power stations don't start fires. Anyway if you're going to compare us to anyone, it should be Australia. 1 1point reply Joe Reaves Joe Reaves Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Australia has a SAIDI of 200 minutes and a reliability of 99.998%. That's the average for the country. I imagine a lot of that comes from outages due to wildfires and hurricanes. 1 1point reply First Name Last Name First Name Last Name Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Exactly. The thing is that to be fair, Abbott has very little power (no pun intended) to do much about the national grid's weaknesses. All he can do is encourage ERCOT to improve the grid in TX, which takes both time and money. I think the political will is there, but the means are not...yet. So placing the blame on him for a situation he did not create and can not fix is a bit unfair. That said, I do often wonder why more Texans are not going off the grid entirely via solar. Particularly in the west, that would seem like a no-brainer. 0 0points reply Karen Lyon Karen Lyon Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago @First Name Last Name: You are wondering why they don't do more solar in Texas? You do realize that it is a HUGE oil state, right? Lots of people in the Dallas-Ft Worth area who literally made their fortunes in oil. In Texas they: 1) don't accept change easily 2)don't want to give up the money oil brings in 3) have lots of politicians and voters who don't believe climate change is a thing, or that oil production contributes to it. That you seem to have such a grip on the issues with the Texas power grid but not a grip on the attitude about how to generate energy there has me confused. 1 1point reply Lara Mig Lara Mig Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago He's off the national grid. He's got his own Texas grid. 0 0points reply Load More Comments Popular on Bored Panda I Used AI To See What These 23 Popular Cartoon Characters Would Look Like In Real Life 30 Y.O. 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30 Of The Best Reactions Texans Had To Being Told Not To Use ACs During A Heatwave
Jonas Grinevičius andIlona Baliūnaitė
Publish Not your original work? Add source Living in Texas this year has been a true challenge-the power grid can't handle the drastic weather changes and millions of people are suffering as a result. There's a blistering heatwave ravaging Texas right now, reaching over 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). And Texans are urged to conserve power so as not to overload the independent power grid the state uses and to avoid an emergency like earlier this year. Back in February, a massive and deadly winter storm hit the state and left millions without power because the infrastructure wasn't upgraded to deal with such events and because Texas has its own electric power grid, managed by ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. More than 151 people died because of the cold and the power outages and several power companies went bankrupt. Now, during the heatwave, Texans are asked to set their thermostats to 78 degrees F (25.6 degrees C) or higher during the day and 82 degrees F (27.8 degrees C) at night to save energy. Which means no relief from the heat. Bored Panda has collected some of the most spot-on reactions to ERCOT's demands. Check them out below. With temperatures soaring during the summer, we need to know how to remain healthy, hydrated, and cool. I reached out to Dr. Andrew Carroll, from Arizona, to hear how to survive in extreme heat, no matter where you live. "Living in Arizona, you learn how to live in the heat. We are currently in our own heatwave, with our temperatures hitting 117 degrees F in the afternoon (47 degrees C)," Dr. Carroll told Bored Panda. "Dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, fatigue, body aches can be the first signs of heat exhaustion. If it's a hot day and you start seeing these signs, get into air conditioning and start drinking fluids with electrolytes (PediaLyte, Gatorade, etc)," Dr. Carroll warned. "You should not return to outdoor activity anymore that day. Heatstroke is typically extreme fatigue, confusion, abdominal and body aches, and lack of sweating. Heatstroke should be evaluated at an Emergency Room, as it can be life-threatening." Image credits: MiiSS_JAZZY_B This post may include affiliate links. #1 HnaXie Report Final score: 313points POST Raven Sheridan Raven Sheridan Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I second that argument! 61 61points reply View more comments #2 JLynn_XoXoX Report Final score: 226points POST TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago 700 from the cold. I wonder how many from the heat. 24 24points reply View More Replies... View more comments #3 DeathMetalV Report Final score: 185points POST TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago “California is now unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity,” he tweeted at the time. “Biden/Harris/AOC want to make CA’s failed energy policy the standard nationwide. Hope you don’t like air conditioning!” Mr Cruz added in the August 2020 tweet. 55 55points reply View More Replies... View more comments During heatwaves, how you structure your entire day can shift dramatically. Dr. Carroll explained how the people living in Arizona survive the heat and it's applicable to everyone. "We survive it by: -Going out to exercise as early at 4:30 am in order to get back by 5:30 am; -Most people who work outside (construction, landscapers, roofers, farmers, etc.) start working around 5 am, and make sure to get back indoors by 2 pm at the latest; -Get most errands done early in the morning (groceries, gas, etc.); -Wait until the sun is no longer shining down before returning to outdoor activities; -Park your vehicle under a tree when you can find one." Dr. Carroll advised everyone to drink twice as much water or electrolyte fluid as they think they need during heatwaves. "Wear clothing which covers the skin completely and a wide-brimmed hat. Exposed skin will lead to dehydration more quickly, and increase your risk of skin cancer due to sun exposure. Do not wear confining or constricting clothing as it can impede your ability to sweat, which is crucial in keeping you cool," he said. #4 hasanthehun Report Final score: 171points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Nope, it also can't handle rain or storms. But what do you expect when you're given the choice between keeping pace with technological development and being able to buy another $1 million property this year. 42 42points reply View More Replies... View more comments #5 MyLoveOfCheese Report Final score: 165points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago (edited) Ted Cruz only cares for Ted Cruz like Donnie Trump only cares for Donnie Trump. They are both Republicans by the way.... 68 68points reply View More Replies... View more comments #6 24baseballReed Report Final score: 163points POST Maul! Maul! Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Please choose better for your own sakes. 29 29points reply View More Replies... View more comments ERCOT also asked Texans to unplug unused devices and avoid using large electric appliances (e.g. washing machines and pool pumps) until the demand for power drops down. This is the second energy conservation alert in Texas so far in 2021. Texas' independent power grid means that the state has far more independence, energy and decision-wise, it also means that when it gets overloaded or an emergency happens, there are fewer options to support your everyday Texans, who suffer as a result. There's less federal regulation but the cavalry won't be rushing to the rescue every time that the state needs help, either, so it's quite literally risking your people's welfare for the sake of more freedom. #7 AviSanjel Report Final score: 163points POST Carmen Sandiego Carmen Sandiego Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Ha! 10 10points reply View more comments #8 birdiebar Report Final score: 163points POST Dre Mosley Dre Mosley Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago 78 is my standard setting. I just need to not be hot, that's it. I don't need my home to be as cool as my refrigerator. 20 20points reply View More Replies... View more comments #9 dinodlz Report Final score: 150points POST Watching Watching Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They disappear when they can't lie their way out of it. Or deflect. See Texas border wall for example.. 48 48points reply View More Replies... View more comments Back in May, ERCOT officials promised that the power grid would be able to provide enough electricity to meet the peak demand for energy in the summer. However, now there are fears that the demand is getting too big and that the power reserve margins are too narrow. Hence, the demand to conserve energy. While in February, over 4 million people lost power as power generators iced over. And while some progress has occurred since then-lawmakers have made changes to 'weatherize' power plants to deal with extreme temperatures-experts believe that these reforms aren't enough to prevent another similar disaster. #10 Chonsly_ Report Final score: 145points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Wasn't he the jerk who fled to a warmer climate with jhs family when Texas was deep frozen and people were dying from hypothermia because the electrical infrastructure collapsed due to deferred maintenance? 84 84points reply View More Replies... View more comments #11 johngalt504 Report Final score: 141points POST Carmen Sandiego Carmen Sandiego Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago DO IT. 28 28points reply View More Replies... View more comments #12 shawnavercher Report Final score: 138points POST John C John C Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago i love how "government" is in quotes. spot on, Shawna. spot on. 27 27points reply View More Replies... View more comments #13 LS2longhorn Report Final score: 136points POST Kid 2 Kid 2 Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Can't have it both ways, Texas (**from TX**). 18 18points reply View more comments #14 Riersonian Report Final score: 136points POST Kanzi Kanzi Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The power is in their hands. 8 8points reply View More Replies... View more comments #15 trevorw14 Report Final score: 136points POST K Witmer K Witmer Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Every time he opens his mouth he puts his foot in it and his followers love him more 64 64points reply View more comments #16 SVY2point0 Report Final score: 134points POST Nubis Knight Nubis Knight Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You need airconditioning to get down to 27,7°C? Damn, I really feel sorry for you know. I was crying when my room had 26°C without airconditioning last night, but your temperatures are way higher! O.o 18 18points reply View More Replies... View more comments #17 Angry_Staffer Report Final score: 118points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago 82° Fahrenheit = 27.7 ° Celsius. That's not a temperature where you can sleep well in. 52 52points reply View More Replies... View more comments #18 crunchyrugger Report Final score: 114points POST Lorelei Lorelei Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Remember that one Simpson’s scene? When they sat in a tent attached to the fridge? I’m gonna go do that now. (I live in PA with zero heat tolerance) Texas can join me 18 18points reply #19 GloversRevenge Report Final score: 113points POST Jeanette McKell Jeanette McKell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago and Cruz will blame his wife and children because they want to see snow in June. 24 24points reply View More Replies... View more comments #20 Bobbyisthatyou Report Final score: 106points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Heading to some cooler areas where he can be the jerk he always is without risking a heat stroke. 17 17points reply View More Replies... View more comments #21 kdianem89 Report Final score: 106points POST Ross Keim Ross Keim Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Everything’s bigger in texas, except the power grid 36 36points reply View More Replies... View more comments #22 Tom15404403 Report Final score: 95points POST Leo Domitrix Leo Domitrix Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Turn off the power to your politicians. 28 28points reply View more comments #23 Matthew_N_Day Report Final score: 92points POST Id row Id row Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You voted for him, you got him. Think before you vote next time. He's a known scumbag, but he's republican, so you voted for him. Is party voting really worth it? Vote for the best candidate, not whoever is your party preference. 51 51points reply View More Replies... View more comments #24 predator9494 Report Final score: 89points POST Kanzi Kanzi Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago "How you like me now?" Texas to everyone who relocated because of the election results 16 16points reply View More Replies... View more comments See Also on Bored Panda Woman Shows How "Harry Potter" Characters Were Supposed To Look According To Book Descriptions (35 Pics) 50 ‘Weird Facts’ About The World That Might Give You A Fresh Perspective #25 KRSWong17 Report Final score: 87points POST Jeanette McKell Jeanette McKell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Be sure to drink lots of water :( 22 22points reply View More Replies... View more comments #26 Report Final score: 84points POST WilvanderHeijden WilvanderHeijden Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago Ted Cruz just changed his travelling plans and is heading to the North Pole to spite you. 20 20points reply View more comments #27 JTfromT Report Final score: 83points POST Kanzi Kanzi Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I love King of the Hill 10 10points reply View More Replies... View more comments #28 JoshArnoldy Report Final score: 82points POST Melissa Anderson Melissa Anderson Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago How can I add One 3 3points reply View More Replies... View more comments #29 Mihrimah_FS Report Final score: 81points POST Charles j maner Charles j maner Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Pretty sure it's just "thoughts and prayers" at this point. 34 34points reply View More Replies... View more comments #30 txstate311 Report Final score: 78points POST Ruth Dyke Ruth Dyke Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago It's ok if you do not come back, Ted. 9 9points reply Note: this post originally had 34 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes. Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing! Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Add New Image Add Your Photo To This List Please use high-res photos without watermarks Upload Photo Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB. Not your original work? Add source Publish Change image Upload Photo Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB. Upload Upload Edit Image Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again. Render conversation
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Title Update Jonas Grinevičius Follow Unfollow Jonas Grinevičius Writer, BoredPanda staff Jonas is a Bored Panda writer who previously worked as a world news journalist elsewhere. After getting his bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations at the University of Manchester, he returned home and graduated from Vilnius University with a master's degree in Comparative Politics. Jonas enjoys writing articles ranging from serious topics like politics and social issues to more lighthearted things like art, pop culture, and nature. In his spare time, Jonas writes books and short stories and likes to draw lighthearted illustrations. A huge fan of literature, films, philosophy, and tabletop games, he also has a special place in his heart for anything related to fantasy or science fiction. Read more » Ilona Baliūnaitė Ilona Baliūnaitė Author, BoredPanda staff Ilona is a photo editor at Bored Panda with an MA in Communication Of Creative Society. Before Bored Panda, she worked as a social media manager and freelance graphic designer. When she is not photoshopping or searching for the most interesting photos for stories, she is usually watching good movies and says that The Godfather is the best. Read more » Show All Contributors Get the latest inspiring stories via our awesome iOS app! Download Bored Panda app! Popular on Bored Panda Woman Shows How "Harry Potter" Characters Were Supposed To Look According To Book Descriptions (35 Pics) 50 ‘Weird Facts’ About The World That Might Give You A Fresh Perspective Overworked Employee Quits Because He Wasn't Getting A Fair Wage, Costs The Company $40 Million 40 Embarrassing Moments People Didn't Know Who They Were Talking To And Made A Fool Of Themselves 30 Of The Most Hectic Homes As Shared On 'The Broke Agent' Instagram Account Bride Doesn't Include Wedding Dinner Price In Her Wedding Invites, Is Surprised To See Many Guests Canceling On Her After They Find Out Overworked Employee Quits Because He Wasn't Getting A Fair Wage, Costs The Company $40 Million 40 Embarrassing Moments People Didn't Know Who They Were Talking To And Made A Fool Of Themselves 30 Of The Most Hectic Homes As Shared On 'The Broke Agent' Instagram Account Add your comment POST Mike Crow Mike Crow Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Not to worry, Texas solution this September is to allow everyone to carry firearms without a permit or training. 30 30points reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They need the guns to stop women from getting abortions. 26 26points reply Load More Replies... Ross Keim Ross Keim Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago And to threaten the electricity back into the power lines 10 10points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They don't stop women, especially their young precious daughters, from getting an abortion. They simply send them to visit an out of state aunt. 4 4points reply Monty Glue Monty Glue Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The woosh of the bullets will cool you. If you're shot dead, that works too and you eventually cool off. 8 8points reply Nudge Nudge Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago ah perfect solution--if I'm dead I won't be too hot! Well, once we get to november, anyways. 2 2points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You'll only cool to ambient temperature though. 0 0points reply TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago "We learned our lesson during the winter!" ~not texas power provider 21 21points reply Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago (edited) For context: the Texas Interconnection grid is mostly detached from the two larger grids in the US for, well, not really sound reasons. This makes it prone to instability in cases were either demand (like now or in cold winter) or supply (like when there is much wind, the wind power production was 20% in 2019, so there must be much capacity) get into an imbalance. From an engineering standpoint, the power grids in North America are ridiculously bad. The System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) for central European countries – with interconnected state grids – is about 10-30 minutes a year. The US figure is about 300! Undoubtedly, this is not due to a lack of engineering prowess but of political will to do somethign about it. 16 16points reply Leo Domitrix Leo Domitrix Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago TLDR: Texans are so frothingly against "government" that they don't realize they're hurting themselves, and deregulation sucked. Also, yes, @Hans, our power grids are way out of date. That was being said in the 1980s, when Reagan and crew pushed deregulating. 8 8points reply Load More Replies... Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I just found this: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45796 Apparently, some US states are very reliable, which, to explain the avarage (un)reliability, means that others are notoriously unrealiable. Maine had an average of 15 hours interruption (900 minutes). Yikes! 6 6points reply M O'Connell M O'Connell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Maine skews its average quite a bit because of its population distribution, relatively few people with great distances between them contribute to longer outages as a result of damage. The last time I experienced a power interruption that wasn't a result of maintenance work on the infrastructure itself was in Feb. 2007 when large portions of my area were affected by a massive ice storm that took down many many local lines. It took nearly 7 days to get power back. Utility crews descended on the area from all over the country. The crew who ultimately reconnected my power was all the way from Alabama (to Illinois). More than 2000 miles of transmission lines needed replacing, along with more than 5000 utility poles. 1 1point reply N G N G Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago "Not really sound reasons" is a delightful euphemism for "someone wanted to make a sh1t ton of money by deregulating it and not giving two flying ducks about the future or the poor people it will hurt". 5 5points reply Marcia Cash Marcia Cash Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago the reason is this is Big Oil country, and interstate commerce laws make Texas oil cheaper to other states than we pay for it ourselves. So Texas power grid is separate and lags behind in solar and wind power, so they can keep the oil in state for higher price. 1 1point reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The problem is, in Texas anyway, is that if you drop a letter and add a letter SAIDI becomes Saudi and they'll have none of that THANK YOU VERY MUCH!. 1 1point reply BlahBlahBlackSheepah BlahBlahBlackSheepah Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago America does not understand spending priorities. If you have enough guns everything will work out is the prevailing philosophy (yep I'm American) 1 1point reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Yes, but we also get hurricanes that knock down powerlines and stuff. And tornadoes. And fast moving bushfires. How often does Europe get hurricanes, tornadoes, and bushfires? I'm not defending Texas - Texas can f**k right off. But the rest of the country doesn't usually lose power for no reason. Power companies will frequently cut power during a hurricane so that the inevitable damage doesn't leave too many live wires zapping everything in the storm. Similarly, they might do rolling outages in heat waves with very dry weather so that the power stations don't start fires. Anyway if you're going to compare us to anyone, it should be Australia. 1 1point reply Joe Reaves Joe Reaves Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Australia has a SAIDI of 200 minutes and a reliability of 99.998%. That's the average for the country. I imagine a lot of that comes from outages due to wildfires and hurricanes. 1 1point reply First Name Last Name First Name Last Name Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Exactly. The thing is that to be fair, Abbott has very little power (no pun intended) to do much about the national grid's weaknesses. All he can do is encourage ERCOT to improve the grid in TX, which takes both time and money. I think the political will is there, but the means are not...yet. So placing the blame on him for a situation he did not create and can not fix is a bit unfair. That said, I do often wonder why more Texans are not going off the grid entirely via solar. Particularly in the west, that would seem like a no-brainer. 0 0points reply Karen Lyon Karen Lyon Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago @First Name Last Name: You are wondering why they don't do more solar in Texas? You do realize that it is a HUGE oil state, right? Lots of people in the Dallas-Ft Worth area who literally made their fortunes in oil. In Texas they: 1) don't accept change easily 2)don't want to give up the money oil brings in 3) have lots of politicians and voters who don't believe climate change is a thing, or that oil production contributes to it. That you seem to have such a grip on the issues with the Texas power grid but not a grip on the attitude about how to generate energy there has me confused. 1 1point reply Lara Mig Lara Mig Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago He's off the national grid. He's got his own Texas grid. 0 0points reply Load More Comments POST Mike Crow Mike Crow Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Not to worry, Texas solution this September is to allow everyone to carry firearms without a permit or training. 30 30points reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They need the guns to stop women from getting abortions. 26 26points reply Load More Replies... Ross Keim Ross Keim Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago And to threaten the electricity back into the power lines 10 10points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago They don't stop women, especially their young precious daughters, from getting an abortion. They simply send them to visit an out of state aunt. 4 4points reply Monty Glue Monty Glue Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The woosh of the bullets will cool you. If you're shot dead, that works too and you eventually cool off. 8 8points reply Nudge Nudge Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago ah perfect solution--if I'm dead I won't be too hot! Well, once we get to november, anyways. 2 2points reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago You'll only cool to ambient temperature though. 0 0points reply TrickQuestion TrickQuestion Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago "We learned our lesson during the winter!" ~not texas power provider 21 21points reply Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago (edited) For context: the Texas Interconnection grid is mostly detached from the two larger grids in the US for, well, not really sound reasons. This makes it prone to instability in cases were either demand (like now or in cold winter) or supply (like when there is much wind, the wind power production was 20% in 2019, so there must be much capacity) get into an imbalance. From an engineering standpoint, the power grids in North America are ridiculously bad. The System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) for central European countries – with interconnected state grids – is about 10-30 minutes a year. The US figure is about 300! Undoubtedly, this is not due to a lack of engineering prowess but of political will to do somethign about it. 16 16points reply Leo Domitrix Leo Domitrix Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago TLDR: Texans are so frothingly against "government" that they don't realize they're hurting themselves, and deregulation sucked. Also, yes, @Hans, our power grids are way out of date. That was being said in the 1980s, when Reagan and crew pushed deregulating. 8 8points reply Load More Replies... Hans Hans Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago I just found this: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45796 Apparently, some US states are very reliable, which, to explain the avarage (un)reliability, means that others are notoriously unrealiable. Maine had an average of 15 hours interruption (900 minutes). Yikes! 6 6points reply M O'Connell M O'Connell Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Maine skews its average quite a bit because of its population distribution, relatively few people with great distances between them contribute to longer outages as a result of damage. The last time I experienced a power interruption that wasn't a result of maintenance work on the infrastructure itself was in Feb. 2007 when large portions of my area were affected by a massive ice storm that took down many many local lines. It took nearly 7 days to get power back. Utility crews descended on the area from all over the country. The crew who ultimately reconnected my power was all the way from Alabama (to Illinois). More than 2000 miles of transmission lines needed replacing, along with more than 5000 utility poles. 1 1point reply N G N G Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 1 year ago "Not really sound reasons" is a delightful euphemism for "someone wanted to make a sh1t ton of money by deregulating it and not giving two flying ducks about the future or the poor people it will hurt". 5 5points reply Marcia Cash Marcia Cash Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago the reason is this is Big Oil country, and interstate commerce laws make Texas oil cheaper to other states than we pay for it ourselves. So Texas power grid is separate and lags behind in solar and wind power, so they can keep the oil in state for higher price. 1 1point reply v v Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago The problem is, in Texas anyway, is that if you drop a letter and add a letter SAIDI becomes Saudi and they'll have none of that THANK YOU VERY MUCH!. 1 1point reply BlahBlahBlackSheepah BlahBlahBlackSheepah Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago America does not understand spending priorities. If you have enough guns everything will work out is the prevailing philosophy (yep I'm American) 1 1point reply Evil Little Thing Evil Little Thing Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Yes, but we also get hurricanes that knock down powerlines and stuff. And tornadoes. And fast moving bushfires. How often does Europe get hurricanes, tornadoes, and bushfires? I'm not defending Texas - Texas can f**k right off. But the rest of the country doesn't usually lose power for no reason. Power companies will frequently cut power during a hurricane so that the inevitable damage doesn't leave too many live wires zapping everything in the storm. Similarly, they might do rolling outages in heat waves with very dry weather so that the power stations don't start fires. Anyway if you're going to compare us to anyone, it should be Australia. 1 1point reply Joe Reaves Joe Reaves Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Australia has a SAIDI of 200 minutes and a reliability of 99.998%. That's the average for the country. I imagine a lot of that comes from outages due to wildfires and hurricanes. 1 1point reply First Name Last Name First Name Last Name Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago Exactly. The thing is that to be fair, Abbott has very little power (no pun intended) to do much about the national grid's weaknesses. All he can do is encourage ERCOT to improve the grid in TX, which takes both time and money. I think the political will is there, but the means are not...yet. So placing the blame on him for a situation he did not create and can not fix is a bit unfair. That said, I do often wonder why more Texans are not going off the grid entirely via solar. Particularly in the west, that would seem like a no-brainer. 0 0points reply Karen Lyon Karen Lyon Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago @First Name Last Name: You are wondering why they don't do more solar in Texas? You do realize that it is a HUGE oil state, right? Lots of people in the Dallas-Ft Worth area who literally made their fortunes in oil. In Texas they: 1) don't accept change easily 2)don't want to give up the money oil brings in 3) have lots of politicians and voters who don't believe climate change is a thing, or that oil production contributes to it. That you seem to have such a grip on the issues with the Texas power grid but not a grip on the attitude about how to generate energy there has me confused. 1 1point reply Lara Mig Lara Mig Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 1 year ago He's off the national grid. He's got his own Texas grid. 0 0points reply Load More Comments Popular on Bored Panda I Used AI To See What These 23 Popular Cartoon Characters Would Look Like In Real Life 30 Y.O. 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