Joshua Rhodes writes in Forbes on the Texas energy freeze during Winter Storm Uri.
>>>READ:Public Utility Commissioner Explains How Texas Can Move Forward a Year After Uri<<<
- Last year Winter Storm Uri took out much of Texas’ power grid.
- Some are blaming the grid’s free-market, “energy only” structure for the power outages, while others have blamed renewable energy deployment.
- Proposed reforms to make Texas a capacity market, which is seen in California, could lead to increased costs for consumers and governments picking energy winners and losers.
- To improve the reliability of the grid, while protecting consumers and the environment, regulators in Texas should continue to implement an “energy only” market while pragmatically investing in grid infrastructure.
“The fact that we are still talking about the Texas grid a full after the storm indicates just how much of an impact the blackouts had on so many. It changed our awareness of things we once took for granted and has taken center stage in our politics. But, while we have made some progress, to say the grid is fixed would be premature, we are not yet done.”
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
