The price of energy continues to climb. Problems stem from rising inflation, the war in Ukraine, and often an outdated electrical grid; each is a contributing factor. In some locales, the problem is being tackled on an individual and residential level.
For instance, Fixed Repair, a Dallas appliance repair business, tells Digital Journal that air conditioning installations and repairs are something a homeowner should be confident with, but that also conform to environmentally friendly practices while remaining affordable when it comes to receiving the monthly electricity bill. That means working with dependable brands that also embrace renewable energy sources. For the U.S., this includes companies like Trane, Daikin, and others.
On a bigger scale, what is being done on a state-wide level in Texas to change out the electricity grid to something that’s more modern, more sustainable, and dependable?
According to a new report from E&E News/EnergyWire, after the recent boom in both solar and wind generation, regulators and law makers in the U.S.’s top energy-producing state are said to be going ahead with a plan that will incentivize more clean natural gas companies to power up the electrical grid.
The new grid engineering plan is said to have the potential to reconstruct the state’s electricity mix for decades to come, pushing back the outlook for renewable energy that comes from wind and solar until a time when they are a more feasible approach to dependably providing enough energy to power everyone and everything.
According to E&E News, the new electrical grid plan has acquired necessary approval from the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) in early January, establishing the new terms for upcoming changes in the energy market. The new electrical plan is said to have passed the PUC on a unanimous basis on the back of two consecutive years of winter blackouts that handicapped the big state. It is designed to provide new clean energy while re-establishing reliability in the Texas power grid.
However, critics of the natural gas plan accuse the PUC of creating a model that pushes the state back to the past instead of embracing a future of wind farms and solar energy. Others say the new grid proposal will raise prices for Texas consumers. A select group of state legislators question whether or not the new plan will provide the reliability it promises.
For many years, the Texas energy market is said to have relied upon competitive designs that are intended to allow generators to create higher pricing when tight conditions ensue. Some say this creates more incentives for entrepreneurs to construct more power plants. But as renewable, but undependable, energy sources begin to grow cheaper and more popular among younger generations, the new PUC potentially finds itself in direct conflict with its plan to create a grid that’s dependable during times of extreme cold and heat.
