Many people have been asking me about what happened in Texas, this week, and what it means for the ideas of being all-electric.
Hopefully, most of you have read the analyses that show clearly the issue was under-investment in weatherization to protect against climate events. (kind of like under-investing in maintenance of electrical lines in California subject to high winds).
One interesting perspective I read today talked about the failure of the building owners to reduce their consumption of energy, which put strain on the energy infrastructure. One analysis suggested that, had Texans invested in efficient heat pump systems in some significant quantity, it could have reduced system demand and helped to avoid the capacity problems that led to the rolling blackouts. (HERE).
This is interesting because, as we talk about our Fairfax Energy Future, electric heat pumps is clearly a technology that is going to help us, especially as we think about the issue of building electrification.
II.
Another thing that would have helped people in Texas would have been some kind of on-site energy generation and storage, which could have relieved load on the grid, so that demand could have balanced a bit better.
And, as you know, we are working to develop the first Fairfax Solar Co-op! People are already signing up, which is exciting. Once we hit a critical mass of people, we will get us all together and start to talk about how to get the process really moving. Please join us and lets collaborate to make the world a better place.
Thank you all, and have a great day!