![]() When ERCOT asked for voluntary conservation of power due to record high electricity demand from a heat wave earlier this month, it also said wind generation would come in at less than 10% of capacity. Read:The 10 most expensive climate-change disasters of 2021 cost $170 billion - and this U.S. Others said natural-gas equipment was frozen under the extreme conditions. Fossil-fuel backers pointed to the rising use of intermittent wind power, which generates 23% of Texas's electricity. Texas's 2021 outage left more than 200 people dead and rang up $20 billion in damage. But during unusual strain on the system, such as more people blasting their air conditioners longer to combat a record heat wave, it also has no where else to turn.Ī lethal winter power shortage in February 2021 notoriously put the state and its independent utility in the spotlight when ERCOT failed to keep residents warm and pipes from bursting. Because it's an energy-rich state, Texas has been able to set power prices below those seen in other parts of the country, and its independence gives it more pricing authority. The grid will also be tested by increased demand to power electric vehicles (EVs) and conversions to electric heat pumps - all as part of a transition to a "greener" future.ĮRCOT, the main, but not only, Texas grid, is unique in its state-run, and not regional, format used by the rest of the country. Still, all Americans can learn from Texas about the fragility of a national power grid that is expected to be challenged more frequently by hot and cold weather extremes brought on by climate change. The conservation paid off as the Texas grid avoided blackouts - and a repeat of its winter crisis - despite record or near-record temperatures that depleted electric supplies and risked lost power to more than 26 million customers.įor sure, it's a unique situation, as the state-run power grid system for most of Texas runs outside the main U.S. ![]() Read: Why you, and your wallet, must get used to heatwavesĮarlier this month, grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, called on consumers to voluntarily reduce power use when dangerous heat gripped America's second-most populous state. Since the 1980s, there have been three daily record high temperatures for every two record lows set in the U.S., according to the National Weather Service. In reality, heat extremes increasingly tied to climate change can have an impact in many U.S. The heat index, or what the human body experiences with the combination of humidity and heat, could reach 111 degrees in portions of Texas, Oklahoma and South Dakota, into the middle of the week. Once again, Texas, whose typically hot summers are well off the charts right now, is under heat and power-usage warnings. population, or about 60 million people, will likely see a temperature at or above 100 degrees this week. It's not just Europe baking under record-setting heat, nearly 20% of the U.S. at risk for power outages from climate change Issues in Texas with extreme weather and balancing natural gas and wind to run the electrical grid hold lessons for an entire U.S.
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