After weeks of catastrophic, sporadic blackouts across the state of Texas this February, many have cast blame upon traditional energy sources. We are told that “green” energy sources such as wind power are reliable, and that the true fault lies behind conservative energy policies in the state. However, other evidence suggests that so-called “green energy” is one of the main reasons behind this crisis. Traditional energy sources simply couldn’t keep up with the demand caused by failing “green energy.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blamed conservatives in Texas for the winter fallout.
“The bottom line is, Texas thought it could go it alone and built a system that ignored climate change,” Schumer claimed, according to The Blaze. “I hope they learned a lesson.”
Schumer attempted to use Texas as an example of what could happen if states don’t acquiesce to the demands of climate change advocates.
“When we build power, when we build anything now, we have to take into account that climate change is real, or people will have to be caught the way the people in Texas were,” he said.
The climate alarmism used by Schumer closely resembles the language of the Green New Deal put forward by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in 2019. The Green New Deal claims that “human activity is the dominant cause of observed climate change over the past century,” and that “a changing climate is causing sea levels to rise and an increase in wildfires, severe storms, droughts, and other extreme weather events that threaten human life, healthy communities, and critical infrastructure.”
Wind turbines account for 24% of power generated in Texas, according to NBC, while natural gas accounts for 56%. Because most power in Texas isn’t supplied by “green” energy sources, many, like Schumer, have argued that traditional energy sources are to blame for the power outages. However, there is one flaw within this argument.
When one looks at actual energy production, wind power is the source that failed the most during this disaster. The Wall Street Journal published a chart, released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which explains the following:
Just before the beginning of this winter weather, between Feb. 7-Feb. 9, wind power dropped production by more than 300,000 megawatt hours (MWh), and natural gas increased production by more than 350,000 MWh. As soon as the bad weather hit on Feb. 10, natural gas increased production by 231,700 MWh, in an apparent effort to compensate for the preemptive drop in wind power. During the storm, wind turbines were only able to increase power production by 85,700 MWh, after an unexplained plummet in energy output beforehand. According to The Wall Street Journal, throughout the course of this event (Feb. 8 and Feb. 16), wind power production dove 93%, while gas production skyrocketed by 450%. Natural gas took over where wind power failed.
While natural gas did compensate for the lack of wind power to an extent, Texan infrastructure was not prepared for extreme winter weather conditions.
Joshua Rhodes, an energy researcher at the University of Texas, spoke to the news outlet the Austin-American Statesman about the shortfalls of natural gas during this crisis.
“The major difference between what happens in the summer and what’s happening now is competition for natural gas. If too many people are trying to consume natural gas, it can depressurize the lines and if that pressure drops too low, they’re no longer able to operate,” Rhodes said. “The whole system isn’t really set up to deliver what we’re demanding of it.”
Wind energy production dove sharply, necessitating a sharp increase in natural gas production, which the current infrastructure wasn’t prepared for. However, it’s unsurprising that this intense winter storm caught Texas off guard, considering that there have only been a handful of notable snow incidents in the state’s history.
While natural gas lacked the capacity to respond effectively, this lack in capacity was triggered by the initial failure of wind turbines. One of the main proposals of the Green New Deal is to place all of the American energy demand upon sources like wind power. The bill would see America “meeting 100 percent of the power demand [sic] in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources.”
In Texas, wind power only bore 24% of the energy demands before the storm – and still failed, creating disastrous results. The Green New Deal proposes that America place 100% of its energy demand on such power sources.
As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said on Fox News, “this shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America.”
The measures proposed by the Green New Deal, such as complete reliance on sources like wind power, have proven to fail under extreme conditions. The mantra “Don’t Mess with Texas” still rings true today. The Green New Deal has no place in the Lone Star State.
Logan Washburn is a freshman studying politics.