Windmill Politics

Funny how the debate about the Texas blackouts is turning into a predictable culture-war issue. The New York Times offers this hectoring headline: “No, Wind Farms Aren’t the Main Cause of the Texas Blackouts,” over a piece by Dionne Searcey. Of course they aren’t the main cause — as Searcey notes, they make up only about 7 percent of the power mix this time of year. But renewables, mostly wind, make up a disproportionate share of the downed capacity, about 40 percent of it — 18 gigawatts of the 45 gigawatts taken offline — according to the left-leaning Texas Tribune, relying on figures from the state electricity-grid manager.