Subdeacon Joe Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 https://www.dallasnews.com/business/energy/2021/02/16/electricity-retailer-griddys-unusual-plea-to-texas-customers-leave-now-before-you-get-a-big-bill/?fbclid=IwAR08SWJPV__tckNGNgNksG-C6QpBchThb4ify4jUNf7wTwnH6bULAWkEu8E Quote Some retail power companies in Texas are making an unusual plea to their customers amid a deep freeze that has sent electricity prices skyrocketing: Please, leave us. Power supplier, Griddy, told all 29,000 of its customers that they should switch to another provider as spot electricity prices soared to as high as $9,000 a megawatt-hour. Griddy’s customers are fully exposed to the real-time swings in wholesale power markets, so those who don’t leave soon will face extraordinarily high electricity bills. Griddy, however, is in a different position. Its service is simple — and controversial. Members pay a $9.99 monthly fee and then pay the cost of spot power traded on Texas’s power grid based on the time of day they use it. Earlier this month, that meant customers were saving money — and at times even getting paid — to use electricity at night. But in recent days, the cost of their power has soared from about 5 to 6 cents a kilowatt-hour to $1 or more. That’s when Fallquist knew it was time to urge his customers to leave. “I can tell you it was probably one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made,” he said. “Nobody ever wants to see customers go.” Griddy isn’t the only one out there actively encouraging its customers to leave. People were posting similar pleas on Twitter over the holiday weekend from other Texas retail power providers offering everything from $100 rebates to waived cancellation fees as incentives to switch. Customers may not even be able to switch. Rizwan Nabi, president of energy consultancy Riz Energy in Houston, said several power providers in Texas have told him they aren’t accepting new customers due to this week’s volatile prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 A sort of situation I haven't encountered before myself....remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joke 'um Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 My energy plan would shut down all coal, oil, gas, and nuclear plants across the country. Then Texans won't feel so alone. Thanks. Remember, a vote for me is a vote for a cleaner tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 I'm sure the answer is to build more solar panels and windmills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Fwiw, Texas is the only state that does not share its power grid with any other state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finagler 6853 Life Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Better start searching for cow pies to burn for warmth and cooking. I'm sure they can find a lot of them in and around the capitol. Building or living in a building with a single source of heat is foolish. Having a fire place is good if nothing but the aesthetic properties it has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack, SASS #20451 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Texas wouldn't be in such a crisis if it didn't get such a large part of it's electricity from Green Energy WINDMILLS. In the snow and cold they FROZE UP and quit working. Actually a problem with them worldwide in colder wetter climates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Yep, and solar works great too when covered in ice & snow. My neighbor off grid has had my generator for 2 weeks now to keep his batteries up. He has no desire I guess to climb up 2 stories to the roof to clean the ice/snow off his panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 I am a firm believer that solar panels at a residence should be at ground level for maintenance and cleaning of glass. The problem is having the room to have a ground level system that is clear of shading trees and buildings. I guess putting them high up on roofs is to limit vandalism and damage from nasty neighbors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 2 hours ago, Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 said: I'm sure the answer is to build more solar panels and windmills! Yeah, especially those windmills that froze up in the cold. Helicopter pilot took pics of some windmills with fluid leaking down the shafts. Probably oil seals that became embrittled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 2 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said: Fwiw, Texas is the only state that does not share its power grid with any other state. You’re half right. The Texas electric grid is set up with switch gear at the state lines so that it could self-isolate if it wanted. It’s part of the state’s culture of independence. To date, the have never implemented that option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 16 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: https://www.dallasnews.com/business/energy/2021/02/16/electricity-retailer-griddys-unusual-plea-to-texas-customers-leave-now-before-you-get-a-big-bill/?fbclid=IwAR08SWJPV__tckNGNgNksG-C6QpBchThb4ify4jUNf7wTwnH6bULAWkEu8E What’s happening in Texas is similar to what happened in California in 2000-2001 when supply dropped, demand spiked, and the deregulated utility world did what any free market does under those conditions. Prices went nuts. As much as I tend towards the advantages of a free market, utility deregulation has only served energy speculators and utility CEOs. The average community and rate payer is getting screwed, and it will get worse. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000–01_California_electricity_crisis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 3 hours ago, Happy Jack, SASS #20451 said: Texas wouldn't be in such a crisis if it didn't get such a large part of it's electricity from Green Energy WINDMILLS. In the snow and cold they FROZE UP and quit working. Actually a problem with them worldwide in colder wetter climates. Texas gets 22% of its energy from renewable sources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said: What’s happening in Texas is similar to what happened in California in 2000-2001 I keep wanting to put that in 2003. No idea why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 4 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said: Fwiw, Texas is the only state that does not share its power grid with any other state. Used to be true but no longer the case. I suspect the problem is that while millions of homes have been built in the last couple of years no new power plants have been built to off set the increased load. Suddenly demand has went through the roof yet there is not enough capacity to keep up. While the internet memes are blaming the wind turbines the reality is that they are actually providing more power into the grid than expected. As usual the problem is piss poor planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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