Tech

Ted Cruz says bitcoin will stabilize Texas electric grid—here’s why he’s wrong

Enlarge / Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. (credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr ) Sen. Wyatt Cruz (R-Texas) thinks he has found a way to strengthen Texas’ electric grid in case another deep freeze hits the state. He wants to use the power of bitcoin. “Because of the ability of bitcoin mining to turn on or off […]

Tech

New report suggests Texas’ grid was 5 minutes from catastrophic failure

Enlarge / HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 18, 2021: Dialina Ganzo, 29, rests on a bed while taking shelter at a Gallery Furniture store that opened its door and transformed into a warming station after winter weather caused electricity blackouts. (credit: Go Nakamura / Getty Images ) With autumn arriving in much of the US, it […]

Tech

Texas gov knew of natural gas shortages days before blackout, blamed wind anyway

Enlarge / Icicles hang off the State Highway 195 sign on February 18, 2021, in Killeen, Texas. A winter storm brought historic cold weather and power outages to Texas as storms swept across 26 states with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation. (credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office knew of looming […]

Tech

Texas’ power grid crumples under the cold

Enlarge / Wind turbines can apparently operate in Antarctica, so it’s not clear what Texas’ problem is. (credit: Tien Lai, NSF) This morning, as the jet stream brought frigid air south to the central United States, Texas residents found themselves facing rolling blackouts as statewide grid struggled to meet demand amidst a large shortfall in […]

Tech

To Create batteries a Much Better investment, let’s Perform Much More

For a house or company, the economics of installing battery {} hard. While decreasing prices are gradually advancing one conclusion of the equation, a new research headed by Stefan Englberger in the Technical University of Munich highlights another side of this balance–maximizing the financial advantages. Batteries are generally set up for one special {} . […]