[mmglr]

> Texas is unusual in that almost the entire state is part of a single grid that lacks extensive integration with those of the surrounding states.

PNM in NM already has problems keeping the power running in that state. So I don't think peering with them will be of any help. I can't speak to OK, LA and AR.

It's a shame that nuclear has become a political football. As a Texan I would like to see more investment in Nuclear.

[randmeerkat]

From the article Texas seems to be having issues with coal and nuclear power right now too:

“...But that doesn't explain the shortfalls in coal and nuclear, and the ERCOT executive wasn't willing to speculate.”

[inter_netuser]

How can that be? Why are nuclear plants unable to produce?

Aren't they baseload plants and run at pretty much the same capacity most of the time?

[edbob]

In one of four nuclear plants in Texas, "According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the shutdown of the nuclear reactor was caused by a disruption in a feedwater pump to the reactor, and that caused the plant to trip automatically and shut down early Monday."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/how-and-why...

[randmeerkat]

Maybe the plants themselves are having issues with equipment freezing?

[MattRix]

Correct. Nuclear still requires water, and the water pumps/pipes are freezing because they weren’t properly weatherized.

[jimktrains2]

It is interesting. The us and canada are split into a handful (8 iirc) NERC zones. Texas is almost entirely its own zone, and coördinates with noöne else. I believe Quebec is entirely/mostly seperate as well, but coördinates with/is part of the rest of the north east's NERC subsidiary. The zones or groups of zones only connect to other zones via a handful of DC connections, as part of the point of the zones are to coordinate AC frequency and to prevent national cascade outages. I think Texas has 2 to the eastern interconnect and one to Mexico.

(I'm no expert; I just did some research looking at data centers once.)

[tharkun__]

Quebec has a lot of hydro. Quebec is actually the one NA state/province where I personally do not mind the fact that insulation and how to heat your house are really inefficient and sucky if you compare to some parts of Europe for example. That's because the cost has already been paid mostly. As in people relocated, methane released from vegetation suddenly being submerged in water, animals displaced etc.

I don't know the actual numbers behind the impact of flooding forest lands for hydro dams vs. burning coal but I would gather the longer the dam is usable the more favourable this equation becomes for hydro power. Any pointers to studies welcome.

Quebec is exporting its power to the US and there were some projects in the process of approval recently. I don't remember how far down the powerlines were to extend but definitely not all the way to Texas. Possibly even terminating in Vermont already.

Quebec is also prone to power outages in winter storms though I suspect that power transmission to the US would be much less affected by this than local distribution. Much easier to down a regular wooden above ground power line with trees growing all over it somewhere in Quebec proper vs downing a large metal power line going cross country in a basically 'clean shaven' corridor or through farmland.

[stephencanon]

> there were some projects in the process of approval recently.

I think you’re thinking of Northern Pass, which was rejected by New Hampshire in 2018.

[belval]

Quebec has had a lot of incentive programs for better building insulation. I don't have any data but I'd be surprised if we weren't on top for energy efficiency.

[tharkun__]

Well then you should definitely be. We are not ;)

That said yes there were lots of programs (which I also took advantage of like the reno Vert and what not) and it probably helped put us on the map especially in NA. But not compared to Europe. I have some friends in Germany who have a Passiv Haus for example.

Walking around here I see a loooot of icicles drooping from roofs. So you know they're literally heating the snow off their roof.

[commandlinefan]

Hasn’t CA had ongoing problems with power consumption and rolling blackouts too?

[BearOso]

I thought they just did that because their infrastructure was old and prone to sparking and causing wildfires.

[jwhitlark]

Wasn't the age, we just didn't want to pay for burying the power lines, so high winds in hot dry weather... Oops.