Record cold temps and power supply shortages affect millions

Unwavering winter weather wreaked havoc across the country last week, resulting in widespread power outages, costly infrastructure damage and dozens of deaths. People have died as a result of the extreme weather in at least eight states, with carbon monoxide poisoning, automotive crashes, ice accidents, and exposure topping the list of perils. In all, the Associated Press reported Wednesday that at least 30 people had died in weather-related incidents last week.

Texas was among the hardest hit by the critically cold cycle. The Texas Tribune reported Monday, "The storm that hit Texas is rare for both its scope and its intensity. On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for all 254 counties. Cities like Dallas and Austin had temperatures in the single digits Monday morning. Close to the coast in places like Houston and Corpus Christi, the weather was in the teens."

The cold snap caused Texas' independent energy grid known as Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to break down Sunday, Feb. 14. ERCOT announced Sunday night that it had set a winter record for power demand, reaching 69,150 megawatts between 6 and 7 p.m. There were 4 million Texans without power as of Monday, as 30,000 megawatts of power generation had been forced off the system, according to reports. This directly impacted adjacent regional grid operators Southwest Power Pool (SSP) and Midwest Independent Systems Operator (MISO), as they were asked to direct resources to ERCOT to help meet the demand.

All forms of energy generation faced challenges in the historically significant storm. While it is true that ice forced wind turbines to shut down just as a brutal cold wave resulted in record electricity demand, that's been the least significant factor in the blackouts, according to Dan Woodfin, a senior director for ERCOT. The main factors were frozen instruments at natural gas, coal and even nuclear facilities, and limited supplies of natural gas. "Natural gas pressure" in particular was one reason power was coming back slower than expected as of Tuesday, he noted.

Wind energy shutdowns accounted for less than 13% of total outages, or about 3.6 to 4.5 gigawatts. The fact is that wind only comprises a quarter of the state's energy generation. Charts available at http://www.ercot.com/gridinfo/generation, illustrate that Texas uses a mix of both traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy sources to power its grid.

The impact was felt right here at home in North Dakota, with controlled outages ordered in many area communities. "In our history as a grid operator, this is an unprecedented event and marks the first time SPP has ever had to call for controlled interruptions of service," Lanny Nickell, SPP's chief operating officer, said Monday afternoon."It's a last resort that we understand puts a burden on our member utilities and the customers they serve, but it's a step we're consciously taking to prevent circumstances from getting worse, which could result in uncontrolled outages of even greater magnitude."

The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) issued a statement Tuesday noting that the agency was aware that many utilities in North Dakota were experiencing controlled outages due to historically low temperatures and high demand for energy. "These outages may occur with little to no notice to your utility, and are not managed by the North Dakota Public Service Commission, or any other state office or agency," PSC officials stated.

Conservation orders were issued, effective until further notice, and residents were asked to prepare for loss of power. Northern Plains Electric Cooperative, which serves much of rural Eddy County, experienced several substation outages throughout its service territory on Tuesday morning (Feb. 16) due to required load shedding from Western Area Power Administration, one of its power suppliers that is regulated by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). As a result, members experienced outages that lasted between 45 to 60 minutes.

Otter Tail Power Company, which serves customers in New Rockford and Sheyenne, issued a call for preparedness. "We're not planning for rolling blackouts nor other outages at this time, but we encourage you to be prepared in case of an emergency. We'll be sure to provide updates as soon as we can if the situation changes," the company posted to Facebook on Tuesday morning as other utilities were experiencing outages. There were no issues reported by Otter Tail customers, to our knowledge.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and North American Electric Reliability Corp. ordered a joint inquiry to identify problems associated with the bulk power system and appropriate solutions to address them.

As of press time Thursday, 2.7 million Texas households were still without heat, and as many as 12 million people lacked a reliable supply of drinkable water. Area grid operators continued to direct customers to conserve energy. Here are ways readers can conserve energy:

• Turn down your thermostat as low as tolerable – 65 degrees or lower if possible. Turn off electric heat in your garage or shop if there no are water lines present.

• Make sure lights are turned off when leaving a room and only use lights when needed. Switch off televisions, computers, video game consoles and cable boxes when not in use.

• Don't run appliances, such as dishwashers and clothes washers/dryers unless necessary, and turn down the temperature on your electric water heater.

• Those who have alternative heating fuels, such as wood fireplaces, should consider using them.

• Open curtains to let in sunlight during the day.

• Set ceiling fans to turn clockwise, pushing warm air down.

• Use low-temperature cooking methods and if using the oven, only open the door when necessary.