(Bloomberg) -- As a bitter cold front bears down on Texas, all eyes are on the state’s power grid and whether it can withstand temperatures well below freezing.

Here's what five energy experts are watching:

Equipment Freeze-Ups

Michael Webber, a University of Texas at Austin professor specializing in energy and the chief technology officer at cleantech venture fund Energy Impact Partners, is keeping an eye on whether natural gas equipment freezes up, choking off fuel for power plants. That’s what triggered outages last year, and he’s already seeing signs it could happen again near Dallas. He's also paying attention to ice, which could take down power lines and cause localized blackouts.

Ice Storms

David Naylor, chief executive officer of Rayburn Electric Cooperative, near Dallas, is monitoring how deep the ice storms push into Texas and how the wind farms handle it. Ice can build up on wind-turbine blades, reducing output or forcing operators to shut them down.

Renewables

Michael Jewell, an attorney who specializes in energy issues, is watching how both wind and solar fare, in part because ice and snow can reduce output from renewables. Wind power fell during last year’s storm, but renewables typically make up a smaller portion of Texas’s power mix in the winter when the days are short and winds are usually weaker, so the loss wasn’t as big a factor as fossil fuel plants that went down.

Grid App

Simon Mahan, executive director of the Southern Renewable Energy Association, is watching the state grid operator's app, which shows current demand  as well as available capacity. That will be one of the first places to see if generation starts to fall off this week, and he’s recommending it for any resident who’s concerned  about blackouts. Still, Mahan recognizes that it’s unusual for people outside the power industry to be so concerned about regional transmission organizations that usually operate in the background. ”No normal person should have to spend mental time thinking about RTOs,” he said. “People  are more aware of how fragile our system is.” 

Demand Surge

Pat Wood, former chairman of the Texas Public Utilities Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is going to keep an eye on what type of generators are online on Friday morning at 8 a.m., when demand is projected to set a winter record. Referred to in the industry as net load, Wood will see how much of that power is being supplied by natural gas, coal, nuclear and battery minus renewables. Right now, the "wind forecast looks ok, so I'm not anxious, just vigilant," he said. When wind generation drops off, the rest of the grid has to step up to make up for those losses.

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