February 19, 2021
By News Director Jared Atha
A proponent of wind energy says there’s been some misconceptions on the role a lack of produced energy from wind turbines has played in the recent energy crisis that plagued the state this past week.
During an appearance on KECO’s Exploring Energy, Lori Mendoza, a project manager and leasing consultant with Allegiant Land Services and Consulting, says wind energy isn’t expected to carry the load on electric grids, and says its unfair to blame the rolling blackouts that portions of the state saw on the wind energy industry.
Mendoza also says another misconception regarding wind energy is that the industry wants to overtake and replace the oil and gas industry. She says that’s simply not true.
The conversation of renewables and how it contributes to generating power for the state spurned after, on multiple occasions, the Southwest Power Pool declared level 3 energy emergencies which forced power companies to perform rolling blackouts in an effort to conserve energy.
The SPP saw a lack of energy due to the extreme cold weather a large portion of the country saw, which caused energy usage to skyrocket.
As of 9:20 a.m. Friday, the company said the energy emergency alert ended.
The company also announced that it will continue to conserve power until 10 p.m. Saturday, for the entire SPP balancing authority area.
