In this bonus episode, you’ll hear a panel of experts we brought together to mark two years since the 2021 blackout, where we discuss the future of the Texas grid in the face of climate change and the increasingly extreme weather linked to it.

Bonus

The Campaign

Oct 31st, 2022 18m 25s

Nearly two years after the big blackout in Texas, how big of an issue is the power grid in the 2022 race for governor? We talk with Julian Aguilar, a reporter for the Texas Newsroom. The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, t

The Midnight Connection

Sep 8th, 2022 34m 11s

We’ve already learned how Texas (or at least most of it) is an energy island — mostly cut off from grids in other states. In this episode, we’ll hear about the time when one power company went rogue and threw a transmission line across the Okla

Bonus

BONUS: The Megawatt We Don't Use

Sep 1st, 2022 18m 45s

We’ve talked about the supply-side fixes — but what about the demand side? The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from FRONTLINE’s

The Fixes

1 Aug 25th, 2022 46m 6s

A year and a half after the blackout, lots of Texans are still wondering if they can rely on the power grid. After conservation alerts and one pretty close call this summer, it can seem like the grid is still on a knife’s edge. We look at what’

The Money

1 Aug 11th, 2022 45m 10s

Texans have seen their electric bills rise dramatically since the blackouts last year. We’ll break down all the links in the electric supply chain that each need to get paid — and explain how we’ll still be paying the costs of the blackout for

The Toll

Aug 4th, 2022 36m 24s

In the time since the blackout, state officials, ERCOT and power generators have tried to convince Texans that they’ve got things under control. But a lot of people aren’t convinced. And with good reason. In this episode, we’ll explore how the

Trailer

Coming Soon: Season Two

Jul 15th, 2022 3m 39s

In February 2021, days-long blackouts in Texas left millions of people shivering in the dark. Hundreds died. And it exposed the failures of the nation’s only independent power grid. More than a year later, the lights have stayed on, but problem

Bonus

Bonus: The Winterizing

Nov 18th, 2021 17m 46s

Texas lawmakers passed a law earlier this year requiring power plants to winterize — but what does that really mean? And what about winterizing other things that are needed to make sure the lights don’t go out in a storm again?The post Bonus:

The Fallout

Aug 26th, 2021 45m 15s

So what did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again? And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid? Find a full transcript of this episode here.The post The Fallout ap

Bonus

Bonus: The Great Dam Disaster

1 Aug 12th, 2021 16m 38s

A huge catastrophe. Dozens dead. A city without power or water. It’s like a miniature version of the February blackouts. Except this happened more than 100 years ago in Texas — and leaders faced some of the same questions then as they do now.T

Bonus

Bonus: The Black Start

Aug 5th, 2021 10m 19s

In this mini-episode, we tell what happens next if the Texas power grid were to suffer a catastrophic failure. It almost did in February — and if it had happened, there might have been an even bigger problem. Find a full transcript of this epis

The Blackout

1 Jul 29th, 2021 1h 4m

The story of how the worst blackout in Texas history unfolded — and left millions of people cold, hungry and with no faith in their state’s power grid. A warning: Some of what you’ll hear in this episode may be disturbing, especially if you liv

The Electricity Game

1 Jul 22nd, 2021 53m 4s

How did we get the power grid we have today? Andrew Weber has the story — and it involves football, subterfuge and a whole lot of lobbyists. You can find a full transcript of this episode here.The post The Electricity Game appeared first on KU

The Energy Island

1 Jul 22nd, 2021 43m 8s

It was only when the lights went out in Texas that many of us realized — electrically — we are all alone. Claire McInerny brings us that story. Plus, Jimmy Maas tells us how the electricity market in Texas used to work up until about 20 years a

Trailer

Trailer: The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout

Jun 7th, 2021 2m 57s

Join us as we explore the reasons and decisions that ultimately left millions of Texans in the dark during the crippling winter storm of February 2021. KUT’s Mose Buchele reports on what happened, how we got the electric grid we have today and