Energy
February 28, 2024
Crypto Miners Sue to Keep Us in the Dark
The Texas Blockchain Council aims to stop a new federal requirement that its members disclose how much electricity they’re pulling from the grid.
ERCOT
Energy
January 19, 2024
The Freeze Has Thawed. The Grid Survived. What Was Different This Time?
Governor Greg Abbott said ERCOT performed “flawlessly." But there were several factors at play.
Energy
September 8, 2023
Texas Paid a Bitcoin Miner $31.7 Million to Use Less Electricity During the State’s Hottest Month
Paying Bitcoin companies to turn off their energy-gobbling computers is apparently our best plan to keep the power on for the rest of us.
News & Politics
August 31, 2023
A Guide to ERCOT Conservation Fatigue
Are you worn out from the constant warnings to save power to keep our “fixed” power grid from overloading? You may have ERCOT Conservation Fatigue.
Energy
July 12, 2022
Solar Power Is Bailing Texas Out This Summer
Enjoying that AC? Thank the mighty power of the sun and the renewable energy source keeping the grid afloat.
Politics & Policy
July 11, 2022
Tips to Stay Cool During Record Heat and Potential Blackouts in Texas
Experts and an eleventh-generation Texan give advice on how to ensure safety and comfort in extreme heat.
Energy
July 11, 2022
Bitcoin Miners Could Save the Texas Grid—or Sink It
Our state struggles to serve Texans’ needs on the hottest and coldest days. So why are we welcoming the energy-hogging cryptocurrency industry?
Energy
June 18, 2021
Is There an “Ethical” Temperature at Which to Set Your Thermostat?
It’s a question we are once more forced to ponder—and one for which we have an answer!
Energy
June 18, 2021
What Is Wrong With the Texas Grid?
Our electric system can’t deliver the power we need when we need it most. But political leaders don't seem all that interested in fixing the problem.
News & Politics
March 31, 2021
Were the Texas Blackouts a Crime?
The February power outages were a deadly man-made disaster, but punishing those responsible may prove elusive.
Business
March 16, 2021
Some on Wall Street Profited off Texas Blackouts. In a Private Call, a Top Regulator Pledged He Would Try to Protect Their Windfall.
Public Utility Commission chairman Arthur D’Andrea apologized to investors last week for the “uncertainty” around its profits.
Business
March 4, 2021
Despite Losing Power for Days, Texans Will Pay Higher Power Bills—Perhaps for Decades to Come
The bankruptcies and staggering electricity charges are beginning to arrive. Could it go from bad to worse?
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2021
Who’s Responsible for the Texas Blackouts?
Our governor and lawmakers want to blame everyone but themselves for the February blackouts, the latest crisis of their own making.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
Ed Hirs Has Been Predicting This Mess for Years
The Houston-based energy economist is our blackout Cassandra. Will state officials finally heed his advice?
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
Q&A With ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness
Texas Monthly talks to the ERCOT chief about why the blackouts happened and what needs to change now.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
The Texas Blackout Is the Story of a Disaster Foretold
Those in charge of Texas’s deregulated power sector were warned again and again that the electric grid was vulnerable.
News
February 17, 2021
What Went Wrong With Texas’s Main Electric Grid and Could It Have Been Prevented?
An energy expert explains why some four million Texans suffered a barrage of winter storms without heat in their homes.
Energy
August 4, 2017
Happy Fortieth, DOE!
Electric grid resiliency and security are keys to a bright energy future.