Just in time for the potentially crippling storm hitting the Southern Half of the United States, this podcast interview with Dr. Brett Bennett of the Texas Public Policy Foundation highlights the money spent on wind and solar, but not on resilience.
While significant improvements have been made to the ERCOT Grid system, a fundamental issue remains.
We have about $150 Billion in wind, solar, and batteries, and if we had spent only 25% less on renewables and put that toward resilience, we would not have concerns about grid stability. We are about to see how the grid holds up in this new storm rolling in this weekend.
Bookmark this as we look at wind and solar production over the weekend when demand increases.
This was posted on Jan 23, 2026, at 10:21
Key topics in the interview include:
1. The reliability and resilience of the Texas electricity grid:
– Dr. Bennett discusses how the Texas grid is still vulnerable to major winter storms, despite some operational improvements since the 2021 Winter Storm Uri.
– He also explains that the underlying market design issues have not been adequately addressed, leading to a growing capacity gap and over-reliance on intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar that are not well-suited for winter peak demand.
2. The need to properly value reliability in the Texas electricity market:
– Dr. Bennett emphasizes that the current market structure overvalues cheap, intermittent energy sources like wind and solar, while undervaluing the reliability provided by dispatchable generation like natural gas.
– One key point is that policymakers need to require wind and solar generators to meet certain reliability standards and pay for the transmission infrastructure they require.
3. The growth of data centers and their impact on the grid:
– We discuss the rapid growth of data centers in Texas and how they can be an asset or a liability for the grid, depending on how they are integrated and how they contribute to infrastructure costs.
– Dr. Bennett suggests that data centers should be required to pay their fair share for grid infrastructure and manage their energy usage to help reduce system volatility.
4. Decommissioning of wind turbines and managing the energy transition:
– The discussion touches on the growing issue of wind turbine decommissioning and disposal, noting that Texas has started to build a regulatory framework around this, but more work is needed.
– Dr. Bennett suggests that getting the market design right is key to ensuring a smooth and cost-effective energy transition, rather than relying on subsidies and policies that can distort investment signals.
Overall, our discussion provides a comprehensive overview of the key challenges facing the Texas electricity grid and the policy changes that Dr. Bennett believes are necessary to ensure a reliable, affordable, and sustainable power system for Texas.
Here is one for Texas to think about. I wrote an article, “New England Ratepayers Would Save Up to $700 Billion Replacing Wind, Solar with Natural Gas, Nuclear”
Key Findings: Massive Savings and Better Reliability
Under the current trajectory, New England’s renewable-heavy approach would require building out 6.4 times the current grid capacity to handle peak demand fluctuations—leading to overbuilding, curtailment, and skyrocketing costs. In contrast, natural gas and nuclear options need only 1.7 times the capacity, providing dispatchable power without weather-dependent risks.
All-Nuclear Scenario: Total cost of $415.3 billion through 2050, with a 92% reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions. This saves $399.5 billion compared to renewables.
All-Natural Gas Scenario: The cheapest option at $106.9 billion, reducing emissions by 24.5% and saving $708 billion over renewables. However, it may require pipeline expansions, which could face local opposition.
Nuclear-Gas Combination (Happy Medium): $195.8 billion total, with 50% emissions cuts and $619 billion in savings.
The Bottom Line
I think we need to work with folks like the Texas Public Policy Foundation to help our legislators understand the physics and fiscal responsibility to run the grid. Because what we are doing is not working, as we can see that Democrat run states tend to be 37% more expensive than Red states, but we can do better.
I pray everyone is ready for this test on the Texas Grid system this weekend. Please look at the worst-case scenarios and get food, water, medicines, go bags if needed, and alternative heat supplies ready. Gas for the generators, and be safe.
I am recording another podcast this afternoon with Robert Bryce , and we are covering some of his great articles and opinions on what is going on.
Lots of things we are trying to unwind from Davos, and we will be talking about that on Monday with David Blackmon Irina Slav and Tammy Nemeth of The Nemeth Report on the Energy Realities Podcast on Monday.
Thank you, Dr. Bennet, for stopping by the Podcast, and I look forward to visiting with you when you have your next report finalized.
Check out The Texas Public Policy Foundation https://www.texaspolicy.com/
Check out Dr. Bennett’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-bennett/
Thank you to all of our great subscribers, patrons, and Steve Reese at the Reese Energy Consulting for sponsoring the Energy News Beat Podcast.
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