Texas ERCOT power shortages (again) April 13

Wed Apr 14 16:31:33 UTC 2021

> On Apr 14, 2021, at 11:07 AM, Niels Bakker <niels=nanog at bakker.net> wrote:
> 
> * brian.johnson at netgeek.us (Brian Johnson) [Wed 14 Apr 2021, 17:37 CEST]:
>> Not what I was saying. The demand for virtue-signaling green energy is not an effective strategy to actually having power available.
> 
> The relevant virtue that's signaled with green energy is that its MWh prices are WAY lower than traditional fossil fuel-based generators.

Not going to get into this, but this is simply not true on multiple fronts.

> 
> 
>> I appreciate the nuances, but the need to imply that a profit motive was the issue is not proven. This issue was NOT foreseeable except with the perfect reverse 20/20 vision. It’s like saying that I shouldn’t have built the house where the tornado hit.
> 
> I've not done exhaustive research of the situation in Texas (although I am a stakeholder, being a customer in several datacentres there) but I'd be surprised if https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulatory_capture had nothing to do with it.

So you want to do what about regulation. Deregulate so this can’t happen (HA), or regulate more so that this gets fixed (HA HA... and running away). 

If your point is that the ERCOT is acting in bad faith, I’d suggest you work with the Texas PUC to resolve that issue. Everything else is just politics.