On Thursday afternoon and evening, when forecasts anticipated tight system conditions due to heavy demand for power as the state's extreme heat wave persisted, the state's grid operator urged Texans to save energy.
ERCOT, or the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, issued a warning that there was a "high potential" for emergency operations. Bringing all electricity generation, including underutilized reserves, online would be the initial stage. Rolling power interruptions would have been the worst-case scenario.
But ultimately, there was no need for an emergency response since the grid held.
"Thank you to Texas residents & businesses for your conservation efforts, which along with additional reliability tools, helped us to get through a tight peak time," ERCOT tweeted on Thursday evening.
According to ERCOT, the situation was exacerbated by forecasts for relatively low wind energy production before and after sunset. Texas has the highest capacity for wind power of any state, and recently constructed solar farms have helped maintain the grid throughout the summer.
ERCOT requested that Texans use less electricity on Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. by raising their thermostats, avoiding using large appliances like washing machines, and turning off their pool pumps.
At a public meeting on Thursday morning, ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas stated, "We are expecting... to have extremely tight conditions this evening." The situation is tighter than it has ever been this summer, according to what is being observed.
The grid operator has requested that individuals reduce their energy use four times this summer; the most recent request was made on Sunday. Due to the intense heat, population increase, and economic growth, the state has already smashed its record for energy use ten times this summer.
.png)
.png)
0 Comments