A quick thread about electricity. Saturday night, when freezing temps began to hit Denver, about 39 percent of the area’s electricity was provided by renewables, mostly wind, according to Electricity Maps. 1/6 
But by Sunday morning, when the wind died down, only 5 percent was provided by renewables. Natural gas and coal kept our houses warm and the power on. #oilandgas #energy 2/6
Throughout Sunday, solar provided less than 8 percent of electricity and natural gas again was the powerhouse. Monday was no different, as temps stayed cold and the wind didn’t blow. Last week, Gov. Polis called natural gas "unreliable." These charts show something else. 3/6
For the past several days, natural gas has been a workhorse, shouldering a bulk of the load when the sun wasn't shining and the wind wasn't blowing. It kept most of us safe and warm. Yes, natural gas costs are high right now as supplies are low ... 4/6
(and it's caused hardship), but attacking the product, and pretending we don't need it, won't help a supply problem. Instead, we need policies & infrastructure that enable responsible production of some of the cleanest energy molecules on the planet. 5/6 coga.org/factsheets/col…
More production, and increasing supply, can bring down prices. I share this not to criticize any type of energy but to point out we need realistic conversations about how we can reliably power our grid in this hyper-connected, increasingly electrified world.
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