The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the electric grid in the state, sent out requests late on July 10 asking Texans to cut back on their energy use the next day amid a heat wave and the potential for rolling blackouts.
According to an
active operations message posted to the ERCOT website, the grid operator issued a watch at 9 p.m. local time for a “projected reserve capacity shortage with no market solution available for Monday, July 11, 2022.”
The request came after temperatures across Texas soared to record highs over the weekend, potentially placing further pressure on the grid amid a surge in demand as Texans look to cool down.
To offset the risk of blackouts, Texans are being asked to turn up their thermostats and postpone running major appliances or pool pumps between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on July 11, which are typically peak afternoon hours.
“With extreme hot weather driving record power demand across Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is issuing a Conservation Appeal,” the gird operator said in a
news release. “At this time, no system-wide outages are expected.”
The grid operator, which manages 90 percent of the state’s power load for more than 26 million customers, said that such conservation notifications are typically issued when projected reserves may fall below 2,300 megawatts for 30 minutes or more.
Wind Power Generation Running Low
ERCOT said that the total forecast power demand is expected to be 79,671 megawatts between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. with only 80,168 megawatts available.While solar power is generally reaching near-full generation capacity amid warm temperatures, wind power is generating significantly less power than what is typical for this time, ERCOT said.
Current projections show wind generation coming in at less than 10 percent of capacity.
Texas produces more electricity than any other state.
According to the online data tracker
PowerOutage.US, 5,833 customers in the state were without power in the early morning hours of July 11.
The alert comes as the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat
warning for most of north and central Texas, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
Experts warned in June that the state could potentially suffer from
rolling blackouts this summer amid sweltering temperatures and record-high demand for power.
Pointing to the six power plants that had gone offline in the state during a mini heatwave in mid-May, energy analyst Ed Hirs, a University of Houston energy fellow, told
Fox 7 Austin, “I think we’re going to need a lot of luck to get through the summer without rolling blackouts.”
In an op-ed for The Austin American-Statesman, Hirs also noted that the Texas population and economy are outpacing generation capacity from traditional electricity sources, such as natural gas, coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric plants.
‘Not in an Emergency Situation’
Despite the warnings, ERCOT said it is using “all tools available to manage the grid effectively and reliably including using reserve power and calling upon large electric customers who have volunteered to lower their energy use.”In a
statement to Newsweek, an ERCOT spokesperson also stressed that the state is not in an “emergency situation.”
“If rotating outages became necessary, ERCOT would direct transmission and distribution companies to shed load/reduce demand in their areas/regions. Each area has an amount they would need to reduce demand by,” the spokesperson said. “It is up to them to manage the rotating outage if it were to occur. At this time, we do not anticipate this happening.”
