How Texas could prevent the next freezing blackout

By Joshua Mann

As CenterPoint Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNP) wraps up final repairs in the wake of a massive, days-long blackout that stretched across Houston and beyond, Texans are left to ask themselves the same questions they had to ask the last time this happened, back in 2011.

Somewhere near the top of that list are probably going to be questions about how to stop this from happening again. The answer is that there’s a lot the state and industry can do in a situation like this one, but no solution is …

The Texas Power Grid Failure is More Complicated than Green v. Carbon

The hyper-partisans have already been using the power grid failure as grist for the renewable energy versus fossil fuel debate. However, while the mix of power sources was played a role in the current crisis, it was not the main culprit. Its origins relate to more fundamental issues about markets versus regulation and that all too common human trait – procrastination.

To unwind what is happening this week, we have to begin with the State’s decision to largely deregulate electricity generation in 1999. The legislation, Senate Bill 7, was bipartisan with an equal number of Republican and Democratic co-sponsors. That legislation separated the …