Texas power grid faces potential new crisis

Nearly five years after the Lone Star State’s historic power outage, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. is increasingly vulnerable to winter power outages, the Texas Public Policy Foundation reports, and the state’s risky gamble on solar power is to blame. “The core problem is a mismatch between the types of generation being added and what the grid needs for winter reliability,” writes Brent Bennet. “Since 2021, ERCOT has added 31 GW of solar and 17 GW of battery storage but only 3 GW of natural gas generation. By 2030, approximately 60 GW of new solar, batteries, and wind will be added at a cost exceeding $60 billion, yet these resources will contribute only about 9 GW of firm power during peak winter hours.”

Rhodies call for cheaper power

The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity circulates a petition calling on a state senate committee to reverse its “Act On Climate” energy rules and pursue policies that prioritize “affordable and abundant energy for the people of Rhode Island instead of seeking out unreliable and costly green energy sources.” The Center recommends repeal of the state’s electric vehicle mandate, withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and a 20-year hold on all global warming-related mandates, “so that Ocean Staters will not have to pay massive price increases.”

Americans want energy policy that focuses on...energy

The John Locke Foundation reports on I&I/TIPP polling that shows strong public support for the aggressive oil and energy strategies being pursued by the Trump administration. When asked, “How important is it for the United States to secure reliable access to foreign energy supplies, including oil, to protect the U.S. economy?” some 69% of respondents said it was either “very important” (36%) or “somewhat important” (33%). Another 12% rated it “not too important,” and 7% said it is “not at all important.” The rest were not sure.

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