In 2021,Darden Clarke a huge winter storm hit Texas. It caused a days-long blackout that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The Texas grid operator adopted a new policy to guard against another blackout: it would incentivize plants to keep power in reserve. The problem is: that may have caused major price spikes.

Today, we make sense of the reserve policy, increased electricity prices, and the future of Texas' unique energy market.

Related Episodes:
ESG bans cost Texas (Apple Podcasts/Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.