Texas was long considered the energy hub of the United States. It has been an oil powerhouse since the 20th century and produce even more petroleum and natural gas since the fracking revolution. It has also dominated the Green Revolution, producing gigawatts of win and solar power, thanks to its sunny landscape and location in Tornado Alley.
But its image as an invincible energy producer came crashing down in February 2021, when extreme cold caused water pipes to crack, water treatment plants to fail, and much of the energy grid to fail.
In this article we will look at ways to grid-proof your life with solar power generators. But before getting into those, it's worth taking a moment to ask the obvious question. What happened?
Here's what the Atlantic has to say:
How could this have happened? For four days, millions of people in Texas—the so-called energy capital of the world—shivered in the dark, unable to turn the lights on or run their heaters during some of the coldest days in decades. At least 30 Texans have died so far, including a 75-year-old man whose oxygen machine lost power and an 11-year-old boy who may have perished of hypothermia. Desperate families have tried to stay warm by running generators and grills indoors, leading to more than 450 carbon-monoxide poisonings, many of them in children.
The article then goes on to describe the specific points of failure in the Texas power grid.
The first reason the grid failed is that nobody planned for this. “We are not known for our winters here,” said Joshua Rhodes, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute. Second, natural gas failed. Texas “had a system that depended on one fuel alone, natural gas, to provide two-thirds of our supply when we needed it most in the winter,” another researcher. Then “an Arctic blast hit all of our components at once.”
We've taken a look at the problem. What do we do about the solution?
Solar Generators in Texas.... Or Any Other State
A portable solar generator has a battery or battery pack that gets its power from solar panels. Direct current electricity is made and then goes to a battery. It then goes to an inverter and becomes A/C power. They can be charged by a wall plug-in, and even a car 12 volt connection.
But will they provide enough wattage and size to truly live off grid. While power needs can vary wildly from somebody on a weekend camping trip to a couple permanently living off grid, portable solar generators can go much further than many ever thought possible in meeting your power needs.
Solar generators are clean, have few parts, rarely break, and don't produce any pollution. They are fantastic. Scroll down to see some of GoSun's offerings in this category. We offer battery power banks, along with solar panels of different sizes that will always keep your battery charged.
Powerbank
Our PowerBank unleashes the freedom of portable power. Capable of charging laptops, tablets, cameras, phones, lights, and other devices - just plug in anywhere, anytime. Or use it to power the Chill or Fusion
Here's an unboxing video of the Powerbank. See for yourself why this little generator packs a major punch!
Solar Panel 10
Solar Panel 30
Our SolarPanel 30 is perfect for charging devices using nothing but sunshine. All you have to do is connect any device and place in the sun. Under full sun, this will charge about at fast as a typical wall outlet charger.
Solar Table 60
This is our strongest solar power charger. Designed to charge the PowerBank, the SolarTable 60 can charge laptops, tablets, cameras, phones, and lights – or even power the Chill and Fusion at night.
It's also durable. The SolarTable 60 is made of tempered glass table surface and shade, which can be made to cover devices you want to keep cool, like the Chill. By keeping your appliances in the shade, this solar generator lasts longer and provides power that goes practically all day.