The Texas power disaster and the end of energy ideology

The Lone Star State will need to think hard about whether it wants to maintain an independent electricity grid following the devastating failure last week

“The energy system was dressed for summer, and extreme winter showed up” Costa Samaras, Carnegie Mellon University professor, on February’s power failure in Texas. About 20 years ago in 1999 a fellow named George W Bush deregulated the Texas energy market. Governor at the time, Bush touted his accomplishment a year or two later when running for president and highlighted the unleashing of a new energy source: wind power. His successor, Rick Perry, would further pursue the growth of renewables and now Texas is not only the top producer of wind power in the country, but also ranks roughly fifth among wind producers of the world.  So it must have been strange for Texans employed in that new indu