Ideas for club projects

[Marvin VE3VCG]

The video glosses over a central issue of the Texas disaster: ERCOT is a smallish (80,000 MW), isolated grid with only low capacity interties to the huge neighboring grids (Eastern Interconnection: 700,000 MW, Western Interconnection: 270,000 MW).  It's that way because the fiercely independent Texans wanted no part of meddling by the Feds or other states in their electricity supply.  ERCOT is vulnerable to loss of internal generating capacity because little generation help can be provided from outside Texas.  "Tres Amigas" is a 5000 MW HVDC tie system proposed in 2009 to connect E.I., W.I. & ERCOT.  It has become bogged down in politics, nothing has been built yet, and it may never transfer a single MW.

Backup Power:
Marvin mentioned cellphone batteries dying in his presentation.  A simple solution is a solar charger.  At our last Xmas lunch, two people took chargers home as door prizes.  I got a real good deal on them from an electronics parts & surplus store in Arizona.  If there's interest among club members, I can watch for them to get marked down again & do a bulk purchase.

My 2 ¢

Dave, VE3WI

Thanks Dave, your 2 cents even when adjusted for inflation  is worth a good deal more. You are correct of course with regard to Texas. I've seen several other videos which go into greater detail about why the Texas power grid struggled and failed. The Devil really is in the details, the politics and the profit margin. I chose the video I did because it didn't get into those details. Texas really does think of itself as being an independent nation and not just another state.

The idea to use solar chargers to keep phones charged is a good one. I am currently working on a workbook for community groups to use while planning and running a community mesh network. Solar chargers and or community charging stations are 2 of the ideas I already have in the first draft. Charging stations could be a project to undertake for service groups, churches, civic minded volunteers etc.

I will float the idea about going a bulk purchase for solar chargers for the club in the forum and see what kind of response I get.