Photo: Michael Paulsen/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Texas broke its solar, wind, and battery records all within a single week
In the first week of March alone, Texas’ ERCOT power grid, which supplies nearly the entire state, set three records: most wind production, most solar production, and greatest battery discharge.
Just two years ago, batteries had only ever provided as much as 766 megawatts into the grid at once — that record-breaking week, it provided 4,833 megawatts. Batteries alone are now providing almost as much instantaneous power as nuclear power plants in the state.
Texas has been leading the way in renewable energy generation, producing almost twice as much wind and solar electricity as California last year. It’s also a leader in new capacity additions, averaging about 1 gigawatt per month.
Even more good:Even after offering billions of taxpayer dollars for a loan program specifically for private gas power plant developers, the state has struggled to add new gas power capacity. Renewables are just too good.
The gender pay gap has narrowed in the U.S. over the last two decades, most significantly among younger workers
In 2024, women earned an average of 85% of what men earned, a slight narrowing over the 81% women earned compared to men two decades ago in 2003.
While that gap is still devastatingly high, the news is even better for younger workers between the ages of 25 to 34. In 2024 women in that age group earned an average of 95% of what men earned — a 5% gap compared to the 15% gap for workers of all ages.
It’s also a more noticeable difference over the long term: Compared to the 15-cent gender pay gap for all workers in 2024, in 1982 it was a 35-cent pay gap. This is important progress to celebrate (especially during Women’s History Month) as we continue work to get that gap to zero.
I was going to watch regardless (especially with Hannah Waddingham in the cast!), but I’m even more excited for Ted Lasso Season 4 now that Ted is back too!
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