"Sade Hogue was five months pregnant with her second daughter when her home lost power during a deadly 2021 winter storm that left millions of Texans without power or heat for days. Hogue and her family went to stay with relatives who still had electricity. Then, a few days later, they also lost power. "Not only are you worried about you, but you're worried about the unborn child because you don't know what the effects of this freeze is doing to the child as well,""
"During the 2021 storm the state's grid struggled to keep up with surging demand for electricity as Texans turned up their heaters while much of the state endured sub-freezing temperatures for multiple days. Many of the state's power plants failed as they were not designed to withstand extreme winter weather. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) which operates the state's grid initiated rolling blackouts to avoid catastrophic damage to the grid."
"Since then, Texas has taken steps to harden its power grid. The state has implemented new standards for power plants and gas facilities to ensure they can withstand extreme winter weather, said Matt Boms, the executive director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, a coalition of energy companies. Texas also has added more batteries to store electricity and help increase energy supply when demand peaks. Renewable energy sources have grown in the last five years too."
Sade Hogue was five months pregnant during the 2021 winter storm when her home lost power; relatives also lost electricity days later, raising concerns for the unborn child. The 2021 storm left millions without power or heat for days, caused at least 246 deaths, and inflicted hundreds of billions of dollars in damages. Texas operates an isolated power grid with only pockets tied to the eastern and western U.S. grids. During the storm the grid struggled with surging demand, many power plants failed because they were not winterized, and ERCOT initiated rolling blackouts to prevent catastrophic grid damage. Since then Texas implemented new standards, added batteries, and expanded renewable energy.
Read at www.npr.org
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