In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that left millions of households without electricity, resulting in over 200 fatalities and economic damages of approximately $100 billion. The Texas blackout has been used to support a variety of claims regarding renewable energy, electricity markets and climate change. We identify the blackout’s drivers and what has been learned since then. These lessons apply to power systems worldwide, including those of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the broader Middle East and North Africa region.

Research Lead
Marie joined KAPSARC in 2021 as a research lead in the Utilities and Renewables program. Her current research focuses on…
Expertise
- Electricity Markets
- Energy Transition
- Energy and Climate Policy
- Renewables
- Reliability and Resiliency of Power Systems
- Power Systems Modeling
Publications See all Marie Petitet’s publications

How Firm Capacity and Forced Outage Rate Assumptions of Renewables Impact Capacity Expansion Model Results
In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that…
9th March 2023
Lessons From the European Electricity Crisis
In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that…
20th February 2023