Texas had a tough winter in 2021.
In mid-February, with temperatures dropping to digits, electricity demand hit a record across Texas. The supply ran out, prompting the state’s 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 blackouts as well.
Texas residents shivered from the cold as the interruptions lasted for days at a time. They lost access to water. Some resorted to igniting cars in garages to stay warm and died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The historical breakdown was a wake-up call: if Texas ’power grid was so fragile, and the rest of the United States? According to Climate Central, the United States has faced a 67% increase in climate-related power outages since 2000. Part of the problem is an aging infrastructure. Most of the current power grid was built in the 1950s and 1960s, with the hope that 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 U.S. power grid.