Texas grid operator urges electricity conservation as heat wave drives up demand

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/10/texas-blackouts-power-ercot/

Texas has hurt itself with a closed electrical grid that they refuse to add to the national grid.   If they did that they would have to follow federal rules for safety and reliability.  They would rather have a broken system that creates more profit than an electrical grid that supplies dependable energy to the people.   After the system failed for the second time and even more people died during the winter Governor Abbott promised to fix it, requiring expensive upgrades so people wouldn’t face this again.   But that did not happen, why?   Well after he got a huge campaign contributions of over a million dollars from the energy profit makers he forgot the entire thing.   I wonder why.  Profit over the needs of the people.    Hugs

 

The state’s grid operator asked that Texans voluntarily reduce their power use on Monday as the blistering heat continues, and said no rolling blackouts are expected this week.

BY SNEHA DEY AND MITCHELL FERMAN JULY 10, 2022UPDATED: JULY 11, 2022

 

 

With a punishing heat wave across Texas driving record high power demand, The Electric Reliability Council of Texas late Sunday sent out a request that Texans cut back on their energy use on Monday.

ERCOT, the state’s power grid operator, asked Texans to turn up their thermostats and postpone running major appliances between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday. ERCOT has also called on large electric customers to lower their electricity use.

Total forecasted power demand is expected to surpass 79 gigawatts on Monday, ERCOT said — which would set another record.

 

An ERCOT spokesperson told the Tribune Monday that the grid operator does not expect rolling blackouts this week.

Low winds are also making it harder for the grid to keep up with demand during hotter-than-usual July temperatures. Current projections show wind generation coming in less than 10% of its capacity on Monday, ERCOT said.

Winds in Texas often drop during the daytime, especially in the summer. ERCOT forecasts more wind power will be available to the grid on Tuesday.

Power grids must keep supply and demand in balance at all times. When Texas’ grid falls below its safety margin of excess supply, the grid operator starts taking additional precautions to avoid blackouts. The first precaution is to ask the public to cut back electricity usage.

Power grids around the world are facing tests this summer as climate change has led to hotter temperatures and Russia’s war with Ukraine has strained fuel supplies. In Japan, officials asked residents in late June to conserve electricity during unusually hot weather. In the U.S., officials have warned about possible power outages this summer due to record heat and demand for power.

In May, ERCOT asked Texans to conserve power during a heat wave that coincided with six power plant outages.

Texas is facing extreme heat conditions, with much of the state under temperatures above 100 degrees. As of Monday morning, the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories or excessive heat warnings for 154 of the state’s 254 counties. Some regions are breaking heat records: On Sunday, San Antonio saw the hottest temperatures on record in the city at 106 degrees, while Austin hit an all-time record high for July at 110 degrees.

Climate change has made Texas heat both hotter and longer lasting. The average daily minimum and maximum temperatures in Texas have both increased by 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 125 years. The state just saw its hottest December on record since 1889.

 

teeveedub • an hour ago

Texas GOP: “We don’t have a reliable enough independent energy grid for you to run your appliances.”

Also Texas GOP: “We should secede!”

Randy503 teeveedub • 2 minutes ago

I would think it would be kinda tough to manufacture electric cars in a state that doesn’t provide enough electricity. But what do I know? I ain’t no billionaire genius.

La’Kietha Paula • 9 minutes ago

Beto wants to connect to the national power grid but that would come with some baggage like winterizing and updating

Sarah • an hour ago

They were right: everything really *is* bigger in Texas. This includes the shortsightedness of their government for not taking early steps to fix the issues with the power grid.

Girlgoon Sarah • an hour ago

They have a provider monopoly that is in good standing with the politicians along with congestion pricing of energy that inflates profits during such times. There isn’t much motivation to break the vicious cycle.

Gigi • 31 minutes ago

Texan Republicans have been working overtime dreaming up ways to penalize women who might want to have an abortion, but they still haven’t fixed the power grid that they’ve known is a problem for more than a decade.

Epic Collision Sam_Handwich • an hour ago

I guess he could be the poster child for a poor education.

Uncle Mark eats the rainbow The_Wretched • an hour ago

“Be mad at Jina. Focus your rage upon them, so y’all don’t see what a complete clueless, lying fuck-up I am.”

TnCTampa Sam_Handwich • an hour ago

How can the democrats be expected to compete with that. /s

Pizza Rat King • an hour ago

Come to Texas, low taxes, no rights, unreliable infrastructure, all the bullets you can eat!

agcons • an hour ago

Excellent idea. Abbott and Paxton can lead by example by turning off their refrigerators and freezers.