Episode
Winter Storm Fern Flops, ERCOT Grid Survives & IEA's $15 Trillion Oil Mistake | BDE 01.29.26
- Podcast
- Big Digital Energy
- Published
- Jan 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2607
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Summary
Winter Storm Fern exposed the grid's contradictions, New England burned 40% oil for power while sitting 300 miles from the Marcellus Shale, ERCOT's batteries sat idle during $2,000/MWh spikes, and solar panels disappeared under snow. Meanwhile, the IEA quietly restored their realistic demand forecasts after five years of transition fantasy, revealing a $15 trillion underinvestment hole. Toby Rice reminded everyone what actual energy leadership looks like by getting wells back online in a hard hat instead of pontificating from Davos. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. You're Not Getting Another Corporate Job (Here's the Bypass) | Unrigged 001 https://youtu.be/l9Afd5ZsoFw?si=Gu8-y7S-S0MxfpJl 00:00 - Grading Winter Storm Fern's impact across regions 00:27 - Texas holds steady while Tennessee takes the hit 01:30 - Ice driving disasters make great Instagram content 03:26 - Trucks on ice: the overconfidence problem 04:33 - Casino trips and Livingston's reputation 05:27 - New England burns 40% oil during peak demand 06:25 - Marcellus Shale produces 28 BCF/day but can't reach Boston 07:40 - The hypocrisy of Massachusetts energy lectures 09:29 - Still importing LNG into Boston after 22 years 10:28 - Tennessee outages hit harder than expected 12:00 - Why batteries didn't discharge during price spikes 14:16 - Cold weather physics limits battery performance 16:05 - ERCOT as the world's biggest Rube Goldberg machine 17:32 - Tax subsidies create grid dysfunctio…