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Building In More Resilience

In theory, experts said, there are technical solutions that can avert such problems. But they can be costly to install, and the difficulty is in anticipating exactly when and where such solutions will be needed.

Wind turbines, for instance, can be equipped with heaters and other devices so that they can operate in icy conditions — as is often done in the upper Midwest, where cold weather is more frequent. Gas plants can be built to store oil on-site and burn the fuel if needed, as is often done in the Northeast, where natural gas shortages are more common. Grid regulators can design markets that pay extra to keep a fleet of backup power plants in reserve in case of emergencies, as is often done in the Mid-Atlantic.

But all of these solutions cost money, and grid operators are often wary of forcing consumers to pay extra for safeguards if they don’t think they will be needed.

“Building in resilience often comes at a cost, and there’s a risk of both underpaying but also of overpaying,” said Daniel Cohan, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University. “It’s a difficult balancing act.”

In the months ahead, as Texas grid operators and policymakers study this week’s winter storm, they may start to ask how and whether the grid might be bolstered to handle extremely cold temperatures. Is there aging infrastructure in dire need of repair? Would it make sense to build more connections between Texas’ power grid and other parts of the country to balance out electricity supplies — a move the state has long resisted? Should homeowners be encouraged to install costly backup battery storage units or more efficient heat pumps that use less electricity? Should the state’s electricity markets be tweaked to keep additional power plants in reserve?

One difficulty is that climate change is making it harder to prepare. Overall, the state is getting warmer as global temperatures rise, and cold-weather extremes are, on average, becoming less common over time.