Texas Electricity

Brownouts in the winter and now maybe electrical brownouts in the summer. What's going on?

Well, ERCOT is the name of the entity that supplies electricity in Texas.

I found this article from 2008 that breaks down the history, law and intent of ERCOT's mission. Even though some time has passed, it's a pretty good introduction to the subject.

Bonus: There is also a very good summary discussion of the different models of electricity distribution (including regulation vs deregulation) in Energy for the 21st Century.

Human Fat Is Bio Diesel Ready

Great news - we have discovered a new source of renewable fuel in this country. In fact, we have some of the largest reserves on the planet.

Human fat. Yup, straight from the lipsosuction clinic to your tank.

Electrical Grid in Texas

Slate's Big Money writes about Texas's resilient economy. The writer cites the abundance of land, state regulations that curtail home equity loans, Texas's strength as an exporter and - most interestingly - Texas's independent electrical grid that allows the economic use of wind energy.

An excerpt:

"...The state has its own electricity grid, which is not connected to neighboring states. That has allowed it to move swiftly and decisively in deregulating power markets, building new transmission lines, and pursuing alternative sources. "We can build transmission lines without federal jurisdiction and without consulting other states," said Paul Sadler, executive director of the Austin-based Wind Coalition. Ramping up wind power nationally would require connecting energy fields—the windswept, sparsely populated plains—to population centers on the coasts and in the Midwest. Texas' grid already connects the plains of West Texas with consumers in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston."