frenchman_in_ny 7 hours ago

There's a very specific reason (or quirk) as to why Texas leads the nation in renewable energy -- ERCOT. Basically, 90% of Texas' electric load is serviced by in-state assets, and they have very few interconnections to the rest of the grid. The electricity dispatch curve is priced on the margin, on the cost to operate the last-fired generator (natural gas), and ERCOT has moved to grow solar as a way to reduce prices.[0]

ERCOT has also had a number of spectacular -- and costly -- failures.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Reliability_Council_o...

  • Scoundreller 5 hours ago

    What's their argument against interconnects though?

    Especially as you install more wind and solar, capturing (or sending) generation across a wider geographic area should regress-to-the-mean production and consumption better without turning on peaking plants that may be on for only hours a year. Or get natgas generation from areas where the natgas infra hasn't frozen solid.

    • toomuchtodo 5 hours ago

      Avoiding federal regulatory oversight.

      https://www.ferc.gov/introductory-guide-electricity-markets-... ("ERCOT is not subject to federal (FERC) jurisdiction because its grid is not connected to those of other states. Thus, power sales in ERCOT are not considered sales in interstate commerce and not subject to federal (FERC) oversight. That said, ERCOT runs some electricity markets that have similarities to those described herein.")

      Edit: This is only up until recently; Texas is seeking to potentially interconnect with neighboring grids, forgoing FERC independence in the process.

      Texas Bill [H.B. 199] Opens ERCOT to Grid Interconnection - https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/stories/texas-bill-o... - July 25th, 2025 ("A completed interconnection—either synchronous or non-synchronous—would likely bring ERCOT under partial federal jurisdiction for the first time since its creation. Currently, ERCOT operates almost entirely within Texas to avoid triggering FERC oversight under the Federal Power Act.")

      Connecting Past and Future: A History of Texas’ Isolated Power Grid - https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/connecting-past-and-... - December 1st, 2022

      Why Texas Has Its Own Power Grid - https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2003/08/why-texas-has-it... - August 18th, 2003

      • lesuorac 4 hours ago

        This has got to be more of FERC doesn't want to regulate ERCOT though no?

        > [1] In the 1939 case United States v. Rock Royal Co-op, the Supreme Court had included milk processed and sold entirely within the state of New York within the federal government's purview because the company used a mixture of raw milk from farms within and outside the state of New York.

        Like there's no way all of the energy in Texas only comes from Texas supplied materials.

        I can't find the court case I want but there's another one about how somebody's local consumption had an effect on the interstate price so growing plants for local use can be federally regulated. And therefore, to me, FERC's existence effects the price of electricity on the rest of the states.

        [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Wrightwood_Da....

      • Scoundreller 5 hours ago

        Maybe my wording is incorrect, I should have said "ties" instead of interconnects. Texas has several, just not much in aggregate capacity (can supply ~1-2% of peak demand):

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Interconnection (see Ties section)

        (Yes, they have to be HVDC or VFT).

        Quebec operates like Texas does, for political reasons too, with ample export and import capacity (import/export capacity = 15/20% of peak consumption)

  • inamberclad 3 hours ago

    It makes fantastic sense in Texas too because air conditioning is such a high portion of demand. Clean energy production reaches its peak at midday when everyone has their AC going flat out.

cogman10 5 hours ago

Yup, my home state of Idaho also has a shockingly green energy portfolio. All of the PNW is like that because it's on a shared grid that has been primarily powered by hydro for as long as I've been alive.

And still, we've seen a massive amount of green energy installed here. Both windmills and solar farms.

  • kixiQu 4 hours ago

    For what it's worth Oregon and Washington are pretty much at the bottom of new renewable installs: https://www.propublica.org/article/oregon-washington-green-e...

    • cogman10 4 hours ago

      Yup, Idaho's on that list as well.

      But when you look at a grid map you pretty quickly understand why that's the case.

      https://app.electricitymaps.com/map/zone/US-NW-IPCO/live/fif...

      Right now, about 6% of my power comes from natural gas. That's the only fossil fuel power I'm currently using. Everything else is solar/hydro/wind. Not sure why nuclear isn't listed, I thought we had an active plant here. But you get the picture.

      For my grid, new solar or wind is simply not needed so why would we be anywhere near the top of installation? Batteries is what we actually need.

      There is a point where it's a bad idea to install more renewables.

  • kitten_mittens_ 4 hours ago

    Idaho Power’s local generation is quite clean. But…during the summer in Idaho, almost a third of energy comes from Wyoming and Utah where coal is still a substantial part of generation.

    • cogman10 4 hours ago

      Idaho power has been working at installing batteries across the state I believe for this very reason.

      They have a plan to be 100% renewable by 2030 and I believe they'll actually hit that target given how close they already are.

davedx 9 hours ago

Renewable energy is profitable

  • abetusk 8 hours ago

    Renewable energy is already profitable.

  • rob74 8 hours ago

    Yeah, but if hindering it is an excellent way of pandering to your fossil fuel donors while at the same time "owning the libs", to hell with it!

dzonga 9 hours ago

I lived in texas before & the first time I saw massive wind farms alongside oil pumps was in texas.

wind turbines are wonderful things to look at. but yeah some of those were constructed in the years there was a "blue" admin n I guess market forces took over too.