The Great Texas Blackout Revisited: Market Failure Not
16th February 2025
Four years ago, Storm Uri caused Texas’s centrally planned wholesale electricity market (ERCOT) to buckle, vindicating warnings about the state’s wind/solar reliance. The mainstream media implicated natural gas instead, failing to explore the why behind the why. Rather than deregulation, Texas has chosen to add wind, solar, and batteries, while subsidizing natural gas plants to counter intermittency. This duplicated grid is now driving rates up in a state that could have relied on surplus natural gas instead.
Government acts like government, even in red states. My wife and I bought a backup generator (powered by gas) so we’ll never have to rely on such unreliable people again.