US power cuts show the urgent changes needed in our energy systems
A deadly storm that left millions in the US without electricity on Tuesday and Wednesday shows the urgent need to change electricity systems to be both more climate friendly, and climate resilient.
The storm, which at time of writing has killed 23 people, left power grids offline across the Southern US. Many have pointed out that such extreme weather will only get more likely as global heating continues, and that such disasters show the necessity of drastic climate action and a shift to renewable energy.
Texas in particular has suffered from power cuts, with its electrical system failing to hold out against the freezing temperatures. The state’s centralised electricity grid is largely independent from the rest of the US and is mostly powered by natural gas; despite false claims by conservatives that renewable energy was to blame for the power shortage, it has been found that most of the issues were in fact with these gas generators. As calls for a ‘Green New Deal’ in the US get stronger, and President Biden begins rolling out a series of environmental policies, it seems inevitable that drastic changes will occur in the energy sector.
Although the above assertion may seem obvious, there has been much discussion on what sort of changes may occur. Most renewable energy projects still use the same templates as used for fossil fuels, being large, out of the way projects, that centralise energy production and rely on an uninterrupted grid. This method has long since been seen as the best way of providing large amounts of electricity to consumers, however, with more extreme weather on the way, some are questioning whether that is the best way forward.
The power cuts in Texas perhaps exemplify this shift in perspective, at the expense of the ERCOT, Texas’ grid operator. Speaking to KTRK Houston, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said: “This was a total failure of ERCOT…ERCOT stands for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, and they showed that they were not reliable.” Shifting ideas about what reliable energy supply means will likely continue in the future, especially as the South faces down the potential for another large storm within the week.
A growing movement are calling for a shift in how we produce energy, moving away from people being simply energy consumers, and embracing the term ‘energy citizen’ instead. This would mean much more microgeneration — producing energy locally, often funded by local energy cooperatives — and increase the resilience of energy production. At the same time, these microgenerators would allow people to understand how their energy is produced and be more conscious of how they use it. Additionally, greater connectivity between different microgeneration facilities would ensure that mass blackouts as seen in Texas would be much less likely.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, new energy facilities could easily be environmentally friendly, with the costs of onshore wind turbines and solar panels plummeting. This would ensure that the electiricty is not only reliable, but also renewable, reducing the likelihood of extreme weather events putting further pressure on energy systems.
However, there are worries that such small-scale production would not be able to provide with the quantity of electricity necessary to enjoy modern life. They would not benefit from the ‘economies of scale’ that large energy facilities enjoy, perhaps increasing costs. A mixed approach is likely the best way forward, yet even this may require deep cutbacks in some parts of society’s energy consumption
