Sitting in the dark
#25
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (14)
It's not Oncor, it's ERCOT.
During the days of regulated utilities, ERCOT had a rolling reserve of 25% for situations just like this.
Then de-regulation hit and it's below 10%. Yesterday it was negative and this morning it's less at 1%. We're on the ragged edge all the time.
And I wonder ... since deregulation, has your electric bill gone down any?
Write a letter to your congressman.
----- Original Message -----
From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@ERCOT.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 06:54 AM
Subject: news release --Power Emergency -- Rotating outages in progress -- Conservation Critical
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Power Emergency – Conservation CRITICAL--Rotating Outages Have Begun
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has instructed utilities to begin rotating outages to compensate for a generation shortage due to numerous plant trips that occurred because of the extreme weather.
Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of electric service, typically lasting 10-45 minutes per neighborhood. The locations and durations are determined by the local utilities. Critical need customers such as hospitals and nursing homes are generally not included.
It is not known at this time how long the need for rotating outages will last.
Consumers and businesses are urged to reduce their electricity use to the lowest level possible, including these steps:
* Limit electricity usage to only that consumption which is absolutely necessary. Turn off all unnecessary lights, appliances, and electronic equipment.
* Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
* Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
BACKGROUND
A Power Emergency indicates that the regional electric grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has instructed utilities to implement rotating outages to reduce load.
Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of electrical service initiated by each utility when supplies of reserve power are exhausted. Without this safety valve, generators would overload and begin shutting down to avoid damage, risking a domino effect of a region-wide outage.
Rotating outages primarily affect residential neighborhoods and small businesses and do not typically include critical-need customers such as hospitals and nursing homes.
The outages are limited to 10-45 minutes before being rotated to a different neighborhood. Some customers may experience longer outages if power surges cause equipment failure during the restoration process. Customers can minimize power surges by turning off appliances, lights and other equipment, except for one task light to determine when power has been restored.
ERCOT REGION
The ERCOT Region includes Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Abilene and the Rio Grande Valley. It does not include the El Paso area, the Texas Panhandle, Northeast Texas (Longview, Marshall and Texarkana), and Southeast Texas (Beaumont, Port Arthur, and the Woodlands).
From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@ERCOT.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 06:54 AM
Subject: news release --Power Emergency -- Rotating outages in progress -- Conservation Critical
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Power Emergency – Conservation CRITICAL--Rotating Outages Have Begun
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has instructed utilities to begin rotating outages to compensate for a generation shortage due to numerous plant trips that occurred because of the extreme weather.
Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of electric service, typically lasting 10-45 minutes per neighborhood. The locations and durations are determined by the local utilities. Critical need customers such as hospitals and nursing homes are generally not included.
It is not known at this time how long the need for rotating outages will last.
Consumers and businesses are urged to reduce their electricity use to the lowest level possible, including these steps:
* Limit electricity usage to only that consumption which is absolutely necessary. Turn off all unnecessary lights, appliances, and electronic equipment.
* Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
* Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
BACKGROUND
A Power Emergency indicates that the regional electric grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has instructed utilities to implement rotating outages to reduce load.
Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of electrical service initiated by each utility when supplies of reserve power are exhausted. Without this safety valve, generators would overload and begin shutting down to avoid damage, risking a domino effect of a region-wide outage.
Rotating outages primarily affect residential neighborhoods and small businesses and do not typically include critical-need customers such as hospitals and nursing homes.
The outages are limited to 10-45 minutes before being rotated to a different neighborhood. Some customers may experience longer outages if power surges cause equipment failure during the restoration process. Customers can minimize power surges by turning off appliances, lights and other equipment, except for one task light to determine when power has been restored.
ERCOT REGION
The ERCOT Region includes Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Abilene and the Rio Grande Valley. It does not include the El Paso area, the Texas Panhandle, Northeast Texas (Longview, Marshall and Texarkana), and Southeast Texas (Beaumont, Port Arthur, and the Woodlands).
Then de-regulation hit and it's below 10%. Yesterday it was negative and this morning it's less at 1%. We're on the ragged edge all the time.
And I wonder ... since deregulation, has your electric bill gone down any?
Write a letter to your congressman.
#28
Launching!
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: El Paso, TX again
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rolling Blackouts are all over El Paso. No hot water till just a few minutes ago. Me and my wife had about 11 blackouts that we had to go through. Wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have my 3 month old daughter. Plenty of winter clothes and blankets helped. I hope the region is better prepared next time.