Many in North Carolina can remember Hurricane Fran — though not fondly. Unprecedented rain caused widespread flooding in areas that had seen no floods for centuries. It was terrible for many of our citizens. Texas is now living through a very different problem, though there are some similarities.    

There are three large electrical grids in the United States. One serves states east of the Rocky Mountains. Another serves states west of the Rockies. And a third serves Texas. The two larger grids have required regulations for their states. The states in the co-ops can buy electricity from one another and agree to a reciprocal plan to loan workers for lines and equipment repair. 

Texas decided to go it alone. Some areas of Texas have steady wind, so windmills for power generation made sense. They encouraged solar panel generation through rebates. They shifted to natural gas and high-efficiency nuclear plants for bulk generation. 

Then Mother Nature sent Texas a once-in-a-century blizzard. Snow, ice and bone-chilling and ice-producing cold struck all over the state.

With no prevention against ice, many windmills froze; solar panels were covered with snow; major valves and joints in the natural gas lines and nuclear plant pipes froze. Adding heating elements to prevent this would have driven up electrical rates or taxes. Thus, generation over much of the state went offline. And millions are without power — with no certain end in sight.  

Texas politicians are trying hard to find some liberals to blame it on. Opponents of green energy are saying, “Windmills and solar panels caused it. See, we told you it wouldn’t work.” 

It was simply economics. We in North Carolina didn’t build hundreds of small dams to control flooding due to the cost of doing so. That’s why Fran’s flooding was so destructive in our area. We saved the tax money those small dams would have cost.

Texas did a cost-analysis and calculated that blizzards this bad wouldn’t be a big problem. State officials kept utility costs and taxes lower, and they made their citizens happy. Right?

Oops! 

Ron Taylor

Wilson