Thread by @douglewinenergy

About 800,000 Texans are heading into tonight w/out power. It doesn't have to be this way. Distributed energy resources (local generation & storage) along w/ weatherization for homes and buildings could make the grid much more resilient. #txlege 1/
douglewin.substack.com/p/local-outage…

I often hear people say that local outages aren't problems with the power grid. It the job of policymakers & regulators to make sure *all* of it works and is reliable—not just part of it.

The grid is divided into transmission (ERCOT) & the distribution sides... (cont.) 2/

...but it's all part of the same grid!

DER solutions increase reliability for the *entire grid*. They can participate in wholesale markets increasing reliability there and provide power when there are distribution outages. #txlege #txenergy 3/

A study by @PNNLab specifically about Texas/#ERCOT showed the potential for "economic benefits of up to $5 billion annually in Texas alone" from DERs. Lower costs for all & onsite generation/storage for reliability. This grid is possible. #energytwitter 4/
pnnl.gov/news-media/how…

The @PUCTX has a good start by approving a pilot for 80MW of DERs last year. The pilot kicked off last month. I talked with @theamyheart about the pilot on this podcast and wrote about it in the article at the same link. #txenergy 5/
renewableenergyworld.com/podcasts/texas…

@CanaryMediaInc did a great article on the pilot. @Tesla pays its customers to use their batteries. So does @OctopusEnergyUS. This is happening now and there's a lot #txlege could do to help customers be energy indpendent and self reliant. #txenergy 6/
canarymedia.com/articles/grid-…

Note these outages aren't just about severe weather. Texas ranks 44th in the US for frequency of power outages even when "major events" are excluded. Texas is 46th when you include major events and that was *before Uri. See p. 16 here. #txlege 7/
citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/upl…

@HEB installed DERs in the form of gas CHP systems from @EnchantedRock bc they couldn't rely on the distribution grid (again, part of the grid!) & then contested @CenterPoint's attempt to raise rates. They won. Utilities should be paid for performance. 8/
houstonchronicle.com/business/artic…

We could have a system in which we pay utilities for outcomes like higher reliability and ease for customers to connect solar & storage to the grid.

It's called performance based ratemaking and many states are pursuing it. Texas isn't even studying it.
utilitydive.com/news/upheaval-…

#TXLege will have many opportunities to help Texans get #DERs for resiliency. One bill, filed by @ErinForYall would prioritize DERs at critical facilities like hospitals & nursing homes. It passed the House 108-37 but was never heard in the Senate. #txlege capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/His…

DERs are a resilience *and* cost savings strategy that help w *both* the distribution & transmission sides of the grid. If you're w/out power, you probably don't care where the problem originated. You just want solutions. DERs can help. #energytwitter 11/
douglewin.substack.com/p/local-outage…

For those who want to dive deeper and learn more, @EnergySystemsIG created this excellent series looking at how to integrate DERs for cost savings and higher reliability. #energytwitter #txlege #txenergy 12/ End🧵
esig.energy/der-integratio…