Author | Lightnews

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks to 🏳️‍🌈 @Pridenton and all who spoke up and showed up! Because of your advocacy, Denton City Council has officially declared every June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. We see you, we celebrate you, and you belong here. 🌈 #PrideMonth #Denton

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · 6d

🗳️ EARLY VOTING STARTING
Early voting for 17 Tx Constitutional props & DISD school funding starts today.

Funding for ed, water race, mental health, & various tax exemptions-some for the vulnerable , some for the wealthy-all on the ballot.

Make your choices heard 📢.

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · 19d

Admittedly, aggregate data isn’t the same as real world electrical networks but it shows renewables are not after thoughts but the primary infrastructure.

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · 19d

Ember is reporting worldwide aggregate supply capacity in wind & solar now exceed aggregate demand, while fossil supply capacity dropped.
https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/global-electricity-mid-year-insights-2025

1 1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · 23d

https://open.substack.com/pub/douglewin/p/texas-now-1-in-batteries-too-grid?r=2q8lw2&utm_medium=ios

Texas Now #1 in Batteries, Too: Grid Roundup #79

Texas passes California in batteries; ERCOT's residential DR program to be discussed by stakeholders today; Texas' gas interconnection queue up 170% in 18 months; new October peak demand record set

open.substack.com

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · 23d

“Texas has passed California on a gigawatt basis, making Texas #1 in wind, solar, and battery storage. “At the state level, Texas leads US battery storage capacity with about 14.173 GW, followed by California with 13.066 GW...” The next closest states have less than 4 GW.”

1

Reposted by Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2

Doug Lewin @douglewin.bsky.social · 28d

Energy use is way up in Texas but power prices have bucked the national trend and actually declined over the summer, mostly due to solar + storage records. VPPs are also growing in Texas and beginning to put a downward pressure on prices, too. 1/2

1 5 15

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Sep 23

⚡️🔋In July and August 2025, ERCOT reports show gas & coal plants had 50-100% more unforced outages and pushed realtime electricity prices up vs 2024 while solar & BESS added 10 GW, and now make up the bulk of ancillary services.
https://bsky.app/profile/douglewin.bsky.social/post/3lziz4wgnht2w

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Sep 21

Watching Johnny Taylor at Denton Blues Fest!
Come on out!

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Sep 21

Check out the Pillow-fight fund raiser for Arts&Jazz at the Monk!
Grand Champion was Krissi Oden-Berry.
I lost to Steve of Steve’s Wine Bar but had a great time.

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Aug 23

“Oil & gas get most attention, but clean energy has been the TX
economic boom’s secret ingredient.
👉All but 6% of new elec. capacity
added to the state’s grid >2020 has come from renewables/batteries.👈
Energy use >25% in that time!” -D.Lewin

https://x.com/douglewinenergy/status/1958281985576898761

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jul 11

ISO-NE is not ERCOT, but 4-hr BESS was found to be cheaper by $0.50/kwh than LNG peaker plants.

(Full report with model assumptions here: www.cesa.org/wp-content/u...)

🧵2/2

www.cesa.org

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jul 11

“The 4-hour BESS is also more cost effective than the new gas peaker when environmental and societal costs of greenhouse gas emissions are considered.”
https://www.cesa.org/replacing-fossil-fueled-peaker-power-plants-with-battery-energy-storage/
🧵1/2

New CESA Report: The Case for Replacing Fossil-Fueled Peaker Power Plants with Battery Energy Storage - Clean Energy States Alliance

Fossil-fueled peaker power plants are expensive, polluting and inefficient. They are also disproportionately sited in low-income communities, communities of color, and areas already overburdened by pollution, creating equity, public health and environmental concerns. Now, a new report from the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) shows that battery storage can cost-effectively replace aging fossil-fueled peakers in…

www.cesa.org

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 26

Analysis showing the transformative adoption of renewable energy and battery storage has reduced ERCOT costs 40% relative to if we had used natural gas alone.

https://www.theclimatebrink.com/p/how-renewables-are-saving-texans?r=2q8lw2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

How renewables are saving Texans billions

A dive into ERCOT data reveals how solar energy is driving down electricity costs for Texas

www.theclimatebrink.com

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 25

Confirmation of what I posted recently about geopolitical impacts on LNG prices by energy consultant Doug Lewin.
——
“ https://x.com/douglewinenergy/status/1937969308170064036?s=46&t=pws2CCUE_vRzR3ZKgveOdw “

Reposted by Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2

Doug Lewin @douglewin.bsky.social · Jun 23

ERCOT's Kristi Hobbs told the ERCOT Board the risk of energy emergencies is much lower this summer. We've added about 10,000 megawatts in a year "most of it from solar and batteries, that puts us in a better position." Indeed. 16% chance last summer and 0.48% this summer.

4 22 92

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

8/
We don’t control Trump (for now).
We don’t control Iran.
But we do control whether we saddle Denton with expensive, vulnerable gas plants.
Let’s choose security, stability, and local leadership.
#BatteriesNotBurners #NoNewGas #DentonEnergy #LocalControl

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

7/
BESS supports our local renewables. It protects us from international fuel shocks. And it keeps energy dollars here in Denton.
It’s the smart hedge for cost and climate.

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

6/
📈 Battery energy storage (BESS) is already surging in Texas—3,800+ MW added this spring.
No fuel. No volatility. Full control.

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

5/
DME is still exploring a second gas plant.
But do we really want to lock Denton’s power future to global fossil fuel chaos and Trump’s next move on the world stage?

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

4/
📦 So what happens?
More U.S. gas goes overseas
Domestic supply drops
Prices spike here at home
Any new gas plant in Denton would be hit hard.

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

3/
🌍 Iran’s retaliation could disrupt gas shipping routes—especially those supplying Europe & Asia.
That raises global LNG prices—and makes U.S. exports more profitable.

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

2/
This week, Trump bombed Iran without Congressional approval—an act that’s triggered threats of retaliation and fossil fuel blockades.
It’s not just a foreign policy crisis. It’s an energy price crisis. Here’s why Denton should care: 🧵

1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 22

1/
🔌⚠️ Fueling Uncertainty: Why Now Is the Worst Time to Bet on Gas ⚠️🔌
As Denton weighs new power investments, global events are exposing just how risky new fossil fuel infrastructure has become. 🧵👇

1 1

Brian Beck - Denton City Council District 2 @beckfordenton.bsky.social · Jun 21

17/🧵 We can either build yesterday’s infrastructure, or tomorrow’s reliability. Let’s choose the future. 🔋⚡ #BatteriesNotBurners #DentonTX #EnergyJustice #MunicipalPower