As the Dutch have known for many years, when there is no wind – the windmill stops turning. Historically, that was a time for the miller to turn to other tasks. After all, what can you do? But wind as an alternative energy source means that a lack of wind may have much greater effects.
Wind pattern has always been an important determinant of location, both for traditional windmills and for more modern energy-generating turbines. To ensure more reliable wind availability, turbines are placed in coastal areas, on ridges, and in other windy sites. Texas has the most wind generation of all US states. The success of this alternative source has stimulated the growth of wind farms, and transmission lines are planned to further expand to include more populated areas.
But what happens when the wind just doesn’t blow? At the end of February, Texans had an opportunity to find out firsthand. Just as the wind declined, a weather system caused temperatures to drop. The combination of decreased supply and increased demand caused Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to stop service.
In fact, the conditions required the power provider to turn to emergency guidelines. Stage 1 is declared when power reserves drop below 2,300 megawatts (MW); Stage 2 applies when reserves are below 1,750 MW. In an emergency, certain customers are deemed “interruptible.” Typically, these include large industrial customers. In return for an interruptible designation, there is some financial incentive.
In this specific case, regular customers were unaffected. However, the incident again draws attention to the tenuous nature of power supplies. Whether reliant on fossil fuels, or drawing energy from solar or wind sources, energy generation is not completely dependable. In North America, major interruptions are fairly infrequent. That said, as society increases its need for electricity, some large cities experience brown-outs and blackouts. In other countries, including Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, electricity availability may be curtailed by time of day and interruptions more common.
