Texas had a tough winter in 2021.
In mid-February, as temperatures dropped to simple numbers, electricity demand reached a record high across Texas. The supply ran out, prompting the state’s electricity grid operator to implement power outages. At the height of the crisis, more than 4.5 million customers lost energy. The winter storm caused neighboring states such as Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas to impose disruptions as well.
Texas residents shivered from the cold as the outages lasted for days on end. They lost access to water. Some resorted to starting cars in garages to keep warm, then died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The historic breakdown was a wake-up call – if Texas’ power grid was so fragile, what about the rest of the United States? The United States has experienced a 67% increase in weather-related power outages since 2000, according to data from Climate Central. Part of the problem is an aging infrastructure. Most of today’s power grid was built in the 1950s and ’60s, hoping it would last 50 years.
Watch the video above to find out what happened in the Texas power outage and how it is a warning sign for the US power grid.