Renewable energy sources, including wind turbines and solar panels, struggled to meet elevated energy demand during Christmas Eve snowstorms in the northeastern US and Texas, according to a report from The Daily Caller.
As a result, utilities in these areas were forced to burn more fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, to prevent power outages.
According to Bloomberg, on Dec. 24, renewables accounted for just 6% of the energy mix in New England, while fuel oil and natural gas produced over 55% of the region’s power.
This was due in part to the fact that wind turbines do not operate well in cold or windy conditions and that solar panels are less effective at generating power in cloudy or snowy weather.
Natural gas shortages and the freezing of gas pipelines and wells also contributed to the reliance on fossil fuels for power generation during the storms.
“People hear so much about renewables and think they are a huge portion of the energy mix when they aren’t, especially not in New England,” said Meredith Angwin, author of “Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid.”
Angwin also noted that while natural gas is normally used as a stopgap to supply the region with energy during the winter, gas shortages have persisted throughout most of the year and have been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In Texas, the Department of Energy declared an energy emergency on Dec. 24 and gave the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) permission to forgo environmental restrictions and burn fuel oil to prevent energy shortages. A
t the time, wind, solar, and thermal energy were able to meet 22% of Texas’ energy demand, but were unable to operate at full capacity due to the weather.
“Though the variability of wind and solar are well known and discussed a lot, these freezes also show the flimsiness of the gas system,” said Michael Webber, an energy resources professor at the University of Texas in Austin.
According to the Energy Information Administration, wind power is the second-largest source of energy in Texas and generated 20% of the state’s power in 2021.
However, wind turbines can be damaged if wind speeds are too high, and their capacity to generate power, known as the capacity factor, is typically around 30%.
Larry Behrens, communications director for Power the Future, a nonprofit that advocates for American energy workers, commented on the situation, saying, “Fossil fuels are needed to keep us alive and we see this when climate idealism meets the reality of the weather. Energy and electricity infrastructure that took years to build is being undone with the stroke of a pen because of what the climate cult is pushing.”
