TriEagle Energy is currently offing a remarkable rate for 36 Month electricity plans for the Oncor area which serves Dallas, Fort Worth and surrounding areas.

Typically, 36 month rates are more expensive than shorter term plans – often by quite a bit.  But as of early May 2013 TriEagles 36 month and 24 month rates are cheaper than many shorter term rates from other electricity providers.

It’s not clear how long TriEagle’s offer will remain.

Electricity in Dallas just got a little less cheap.  Oncor has started passing through a new fee to all customers in their area, which includes both Dallas and Fort Worth.  If you are an average electricity consumer in North Texas expect to pay about $5 a month for your electricity.

The West Texas electricity power line infrastructure is feeling the strain of the natural gas and oil booms in Texas.  ERCOT, the organization that is responsible for the reliability of the Texas electricity grid has just announced $57 million in upgrades to the transmission lines that serve West Texas.

ERCOT also provided a report on how the electricity grid held up during the summer of 2012.  There had been a great deal of concern that there would not be enough power to meet the needs of consumers throughout the state if temperatures got too hot or if there was some kind of supply disruption.

In the same report they also issued their forecast for the Fall (should be enough electricity) and for the winter (might or might not be enough electricity).

The full report from ERCOT can be read here.

Prepaid electricity plans are becoming very popular in Dallas because they work well for both customers and the electric companies.   Under a prepaid electricity plan you pay for the power you are going to use up front.  It’s like a pay as you go plan.  Usually you can get started for very little (in some cases as low as $25).  You can also sometimes get same day activation of your power.

Many companies provide prepaid plans as part of their offerings but there are a few companies out there that specialize specifically on prepaid electricity plans that feature no deposit and no credit check.  Pre-paid electric companies are a relatively new entrant into the Texas power scene.  The service they offer is made possible because smart meters allow electricity to be measured in 15 minute time slices.  This allows electricity to be sold like minutes on a phone plan.

According to this report when you factor in inflation electricity rates in Texas in 2012 are about the same as they where in 2002.

Read full story: Texas Electricity Rates 2012

According to the Dallas Morning News it’s possible that TXU’s debt issues could spill over  into Oncor which is owned by TXU.  If this were to happen it would mean higher electricity rates in Dallas regardless of whether you use TXU as your provider.  Oncor manages the actual delivery of electricity to your home and a portion of your electric bill reflects a charge from Oncor.

See Also: TXU – Are They The Most Expensive Electric Provider In Texas?

Texans are being warned by the organization responsible for the reliability of the Texas electricity grid, ERCOT, that the state will fall short of power next summer. The threat to the grid can be attributed to the combined effect of ever increasing demand for electricity in Texas and the loss of several power plants on the horizon. The planet closings are largely a consequence of new EPA rules.  Dallas electricity rates have been very low in recent years resulting in less incentive to build new planets.

ERCOT had a difficult year in 2011, a year that saw around 7,000mw of capacity lost from the grid. This resulted in rolling blackouts during a severe winter events in February.

ERCOT has taken steps to try to reduce the chances of a repeat of February 2011 when the grid was unable to meet demand and was forced to implement targeted blackouts. Working with the PUC they are attempting to update rules to allow for greater participation of contingent electricity sources in the event of an electricity demand emergency.

With power reserve margins dangerously low planning becomes all the more critical. When coordinating available supply to match demand that will meet or potentially exceed that supply there is very little room for error. Because of that ERCOT is putting additional pressure on grid operators to closely monitor all of their projects under development that are expected to bring additional supply online in the foreseeable future.

In many ways the Texas electricity system has found itself caught in a perfect storm of weather conditions, new environmental regulations, and economic conditions. Texas, like many other areas, experienced a string of wild weather in 2011. The weather challenges faced by the Texas electricity grid started early in the year as February saw an ice storm that effectively shut down transportation and kept Texans inside their homes where they turned on their heaters and demanded record electricity output from the grid. The record demand along with weather-related failures at certain key points in the power generation infrastructure forced ERCOT to implement controlled blackouts.

The record cold winter was follow by a record hot summer. As Texas bounce between weather extremes the electrical grid sometimes struggled to keep up with demand. Along with the extreme temperatures, 2011 is also notable for the continuation of an historic drought in Texas as wells as unrelenting wildfires.

The timing of the harsh onslaught of natural disasters is somewhat ironic when you consider that while dealing with these the Texas electricity system is also beginning to realize the impact of recent new EPA regulations. The true impact of the new rules has been debated for a while but the time is rapidly approaching when the hypothetical impact is giving way to the real world impact as electricity plants that are not able to meet the new rules are closing down at exactly the time when Texas is struggling to generate enough electricity to meet demand. The concerns raised in Texas are being echoed across the country. Grid operators are openly warning of the consequences of closing plants by the hundreds, even temporarily, to have systems updated to comply with the new rules. There is a very real concern that blackouts will result.

Dallas electricity from biofuel

Even the casual observer can see that the price of gas may well bounce up and down but over time will continue to move higher as fossil fuel reserves diminish. This makes the development of alternative fuel products an economic necessity going forward. Countless wars have occurred because of the political and economic tensions fueled by our need to have access to the oil that powers our energy needs. Fortunately in recent years funding from governments, universities and forward thinking power companies has led to breakthroughs in energy technologies that will result in the implementation of far more efficient, environmentally friendly and less costly means of powering our electricity demands. Probably the most intriguing possible new energy sources comes in the form of algae. Algae is endlessly renewable and may be grown in essentially endless quantities.

Up to 50% in the biomass of algae consists of material that may be converted to bio-diesel which is a clean and efficient supply of fuel. Not like oil, algae are renewable and ubiquitous. Algae grow almost any spot on earth. Oil doesn’t get replenished. Algae can be grown anyplace that has access to carbon dioxide, water and, of course, sunlight. It is pond scum, the most prominent of all the varieties of algae that is most effectively suited to develop biodiesel. Leftover material from the approach of converting algae to biodiesel might be recycled into fertilizer or animal feedstock. This creates extremely small waste from the entire method and, in fact, positively impacts the food supply unlike other crop-based fuels.

Big energy as well as agricultural organizations around the globe are beginning to see the possible windfall that algae may represent in the area of energy production. In fact, currently private sector research is taking place on a larger scale than government or university funded research. Many renewable energy experts feel that research into algae as a source for biofuel is not being given enough attention and enough public funds. They feel that this is a tremendous opportunity to begin to break our dependence on fossil fuel energy sources. Many people really feel passionately that algae may be the key to changing our energy mix away from fossil fuel and that algae could create most of our electrical energy and fuel our vehicles if only more funding and effort were put into the analysis required to perfect the technologies for processing algae into fuel. Despite the large amount of interest from the private energy sector compared to the public sector skeptics maintained that oil companies will not easily allow oil to be usurped as the energy source of choice for the world electricity grids and transportation needs.

As oil supply continues its inevitable steady decline oil companies will be able to realized ever increasing profits from their product. Oil companies are well-positioned to make unprecedented amounts of profit from this endgame in oil as they can realize much higher margins from turning over less product. The fossil fuel revolution has facilitated a period of unprecedented prosperity for mankind. But it has not come without a price. Because algae can be grown in every corner of the globe it has the potential to be a great equalizer when it comes to the geopolitical implications of energy. Wealth currently being funneled into the ever-increasing coffers of oil-rich nations would instead be retained by local economies creating local jobs and opportunities where previously none existed.  This could be a free market based counterbalance to the growing wealth gap that is increasing becoming a source of tension in both developed and undeveloped nations.

Using algae as biodiesel would have positive benefits for everyone.