Peter Zeihan on Texas electric grid beating the cold weather odds

World observer Peter Zeihan recently paid attention to the frigid weather that gripped the Midwest. For a while, many speculated that the electric grid in Texas (ERCOT) might not withstand last week’s cold spell.

But it did and also caught the eye of Zeihan.

“Governor Abbot introduced a series of winterizing efforts following the 2021 crisis, which enabled the natural gas system to continue operating through the storm. The winterizing technology used is over 50 years old, so I use the term – updates – loosely.

As for the structural updates, Texas is a bit ahead of the game; they’ve introduced some ‘Texas-sized’ wind turbines and expanded solar capacity. Combine the expansion in clean energy and a more reliable natural gas baseload system, Texas had its bases covered.

These changes made in Texas are just one example of how global energy systems will adapt and evolve over the next few decades.”