Nextdoor’s Post

In the aftermath of last week's devastating windstorm, 70,000+ individuals are still without power, and the extent of damages is immeasurable. Amidst this storm, Fibertown's data centers stood strong. We've assisted our customers and external companies in their recovery from incidents beyond our facilities. Our commitment to continuity and reliability remains unwavering, even in the face of adversity. As we approach what promises to be a significant hurricane season, it's important to prepare for the unexpected. Learn more about Fibertown's disaster recovery solutions here: https://lnkd.in/emUDqqFE #disasterrecovery #hurricaneseason #businesscontinuity #datacentersolutions

Texas Power Grid and Hurricane Beryl     Friends, this category one storm caused more damage than expected, and the weather forecast did not predict it very well. What happens if a category 3-5 hits us? The point is we all need to be better prepared.     In the Houston area at least 2.5 million homes ended up losing power and many still do not have power. I have been putting up some family and friends who do not have power still. There are also many who rely on electricity for medical equipment to survive.     The Power utilities should in the future have a system like my waste company letting people know what is the statis on each customer, i.e., some clarity or ballpark of when power will be restored so you have some ability to plan.    Even with the challenging work of power utilities for many reasons, our power grids are vulnerable to storms and cold more so than in the past. Can power companies do better yes with a caveat that cost for utilities has changed as Warren Buffet has mentioned. Today power utilities have less capital available to harden and replace older grids and equipment and with costly inflation regulators are trying to hold costs down for customers.     So, how do you solve or vastly mitigate future issues? First you need power utilities to make more income so they can do the work they know how to do and second, they need more income but not charging higher electric bill, so you say how? These power utilities need other or new larger revenue sources and advanced sensors and controls like CWT’s AIS. I have been pushing hard for intelligent changes and I have spent considerable resources on building a low-cost answer that would improve our grids in multiple ways.     The CWT team has some advanced low-cost solutions that rolls out like smart meters we call AIS (Advanced Infrastructure System) that would be helpful, however power utilities are rightly reluctant to change and technology because they have made less or lost money with recent technologies and most cannot be rolled out to all customers due to cost and repair not so with AIS.      A power utility historically has made 10% profit but with all the recent technologies and lawsuits and other issues they are not making 10% today. If you had a mom and pop or any business with only 10% profit you would not be doing well, and they are not even doing that now.     NOTE- So how do you have the money to build and maintain power grids in the best ways you would need additional capital resources and better technologies.  You should never have 2.5 million people (about twice the population of Hawaii) without power today. Redundances and networks capable of dealing with all preserved and planned potential issues can be done.     Thank goodness for all the arduous work, the line crews and support staff are accomplishing restoring power and of course those who have traveled here to fix our grids.     Sincerely, Stephen E Williams 832.637.7003 [email protected]

⚠️ WEEKLY OUTAGE REPORT ⚠️ Major outages this past week in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana and Michigan affecting 248,293 customers. With temperatures rising in west, air conditioning units cranking full blast and wildfire risks building it is likely we will see outages in the coming week. Meanwhile Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Grenada’s Carriacou Island, one day after becoming the first Category 4 storm in the Atlantic to have developed in June. In May America’s weather-forecasting agency predicted that this year’s hurricane season could be the most active ever. Beryl does not appear to be tracking towards the US at this time but the Caribbean and Mexico will be impacted. Energy reliability and resilience is becoming increasingly front of mind for our customers as the cost and risks of outages on their businesses can be significant. Until outages impact our businesses we often do not plan for the risks. The misconceptions that batteries are too expensive or do not add value to your energy strategy are flawed. Solar only systems need to turn off when the grid goes down, to have a resilient energy system our businesses need a controller and a battery and or, gas and diesel generators. What energy system is right for your business? Do you have a strategy for managing your energy security?

Earlier this year, a decayed utility pole fell during high winds in the Panhandle, causing power lines to ignite the largest wildfire in Texas history, burning over one million acres and killing two people. More recently, Hurricane Beryl's relatively weak winds caused significant damage in Houston, leaving over two million households without power. In the extreme heat that followed, at least three people died from heat exposure, and many were without air-conditioning for a week, prompting the opening of a temporary hospital due to a surge in patients. The main issue has been an overreliance on crisis response rather than prevention. By shifting the focus from crisis response to preventive actions, the resilience of the electrical grid can be significantly improved, reducing the likelihood of failures during severe weather events.

⚡️ Don't let power outages bring you down! With a back up generator, you can power through any storm with ease. Whether it's a thunderstorm, hurricane, or even just a random power outage, having a generator on hand can make all the difference. I can't tell you how many times I've been grateful for my back up generator. When the lights go out and the fridge stops working, it's such a relief to know that I have a reliable source of power to keep things running smoothly. Not only does it provide peace of mind, but it also ensures that I can stay connected and comfortable no matter what Mother Nature throws my way. It's not just about convenience either. In emergency situations, having a back up generator can be a lifesaver. It can power medical devices, keep food from spoiling, and provide heat or air conditioning when you need it most. It's truly a game changer when it comes to staying safe and comfortable during unexpected power outages. If you've been on the fence about investing in a back up generator, let me tell you - it's worth every penny. You never know when you might need it, and having that extra layer of security is priceless. So don't wait until the next storm hits - get yourself a back up generator and power through any storm with confidence! ⚡️ #backupgenerator #powerthroughthestorm #peaceofmind

🌪️ Dealing with Sudden Weather Changes and Power Outages: Preparation is Key! 🌟 Recently, Houston was hit by a hurricane, reminding us of the unpredictable nature of weather and its ability to disrupt our lives. In such times, the difference between chaos and calm often lies in how prepared we are. The more prepared you are for emergencies, the less they feel like emergencies. Here are a few tips to help you stay ahead of sudden weather changes and power outages: 1. **Create an Emergency Kit**: Stock it with essentials like water, non-perishable food, flashlights, batteries, and a first-aid kit. 2. **Stay Informed**: Keep an eye on weather updates and have multiple sources for receiving alerts, such as weather apps, radios, and notifications. 3. **Have a Plan**: Develop an emergency plan for your family or household, including evacuation routes and communication strategies. 4. **Backup Power Solutions**: Invest in portable chargers, generators, or solar-powered devices to ensure you can stay connected during outages. 5. **Secure Important Documents**: Keep copies of important documents in a waterproof and fireproof container. 6. **Home Readiness**: Reinforce your home to withstand severe weather. Ensure you have surge protectors to guard against power spikes. Being prepared doesn't eliminate the challenge of sudden weather changes, but it certainly makes navigating through them more manageable. Let's use the recent events in Houston as a catalyst to boost our preparedness and resilience. Stay safe, stay prepared, and remember: the more prepared you are, the less emergencies happen. #EmergencyPreparedness #WeatherReady #HurricaneResponse #StaySafe #HoustonStrong

In the wake of the widespread and protracted power outages from Hurricane Beryl, Houstonians are understandably upset with the performance of the "last mile" of their grid—that portion responsible for getting power to their homes and businesses. But the loss of an estimated 440+ million individual-hours of power isn't the only story with Beryl. It’s not even the biggest. The real takeaway is that Houston's grid is more vulnerable to extreme weather than even the habitually catastrophizing media want us to believe. Yes, Beryl was a legit Cat 1 storm. And it did directly hit Houston. But it packed only a fraction of the destructive force the city can expect from the Cat 5 storms meteorologists tell us are increasingly in our future. Anyone who follows the wind-energy sector knows that wind force is a cubed function of wind speed. So if wind speeds double, wind force increases by a factor of eight. The same math applies to hurricanes. Since minimum winds of a Cat 5 storm are approximately twice those of a Cat 1 storm, Cat 5 winds pack about EIGHT TIMES the kinetic force. Greater storm size, duration, and rainfall can even further push up the destructive potential. Of course, it’s not appropriate to extrapolate the additional destructive force from a Cat 5 storm to linear increases in outages, property damage, deaths, etc. For one, if 80% of customers can expect to lose power in a Cat 1 storm like Beryl, only 20% of customers remain to be knocked out by a Cat 5 storm. This is cold comfort, we know, but important to acknowledge. In addition, not all the increase in destructive force will focus on Houston. Still, a Cat 5 storm hitting Houston directly in the next few years would clearly be a much more dangerous event than it would be with a more resilient grid... as revealed by Beryl. How much more dangerous is difficult to say for sure, but if nothing else there's certainly considerable extra risk in a greater duration of outages. As we previously posted, cumulative individual-hours of outage from Beryl equate to the entire population of Austin *or* San Antonio having no power for almost a week. Might we expect a Cat 5 storm to result in the equivalent of *both* Austin and San Antonio losing power for *two* weeks, or even a month, in the middle of summer? If our math here is even close to correct, Houston appears to have a serious problem that needs to be addressed ASAP. And the solution is absolutely NOT to spend more on green initiatives that might (or might not) imperceptibly lower temps and hurricane intensity 75 years from now. The Texas power sector needs to get back to the basics of providing reliable energy—and fast. That includes dropping designs for some Dream Grid that doesn't comport with the laws of physics or economics, much less add to resiliency. Let’s hope our local and state leaders have finally gotten the message. ⚡⚡⚡👀 #Houston #electricity #publicsafety

"The Texas power sector needs to get back to the basics of providing reliable energy—and fast. That includes dropping designs for some Dream Grid that doesn't comport with the laws of physics or economics, much less add to resiliency. Let’s hope our local and state leaders have finally gotten the message." This is a great description of the reality of the local Houston power grid...and more broadly, the ERCOT grid. The only thing I disagree w/ is dropping designs for a "dream grid"...I think a "dream grid" (whatever that eventually means) is a worthy objective. But the notion of a "dream grid" and what that is, is a moving target based on political winds and doesn't solve the practical business problem of NOW. If you're a power thirsty business not excited about waiting for government and large bureaucratic institutions to get their act together, give RPower a shout. We can help you protect your future....and do so in a manner that creates tangible results in the form of revenue and savings. It's also CAPEX free and you'll also be a part of the solution to this power conundrum rather than sitting on the sidelines waiting. Shoot me an email if you want to learn more. [email protected] #wearepower #rpower #naturalgas #resilience #energy #hurricaneberyl #houston #ercot Patrick Bartell Robyn Johnson Jamie Smith Nash Whitney Susan Good

It's Hurricane Season, and the Paragon Micro Team is ready to help support you in maintaining during power outages. A crucial link in the reliability chain is your uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. When the power goes out, it's the UPS that tides your IT and cooling systems over till your backup generators kick in. In some cases, you may be relying on UPSs alone to get you through an outage. You need to ensure your UPSs are up to the job. You may also find that some equipment has become more critical. For example, if you’re utilizing cloud-based applications and resources, the network equipment that provides a connection to the cloud suddenly becomes far more important for business productivity. To ensure continuity choose a UPS that will give you enough runtime during an extended power outage. We can hope that this hurricane season is a mild one, but we can’t count on it. Reach out today [email protected] to make sure you are prepared.