Texas power grid could face crunch this summer
Record electricity demand and triple-digit temperatures strained the state’s main power grid to near capacity last summer -- but it turns out the challenge was just a trial run for an even bigger test in 2019.
This coming summer, the cushion between peak electricity usage and maximum generation capacity is likely to be the skimpiest in nearly 20 years, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the grid and is commonly known as ERCOT.
A tight initial estimate of the electricity grid’s planning reserve margin ahead of summer 2018 prompted the agency to warn at the time that a variety of emergency measures might be needed -- including rolling blackouts -- if demand exceeded supply. The situation was alleviated without resorting to such efforts, however, after a number of power plants that hadn’t been expected to be operational ended up coming online.
But ERCOT is forecasting even less room for error next year. The planning reserve margin for summer 2019 has been pegged at 8.1 percent, compared to 9.3 percent in early forecasts for summer 2018.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20181204/texas-power-grid-could-face-crunch-this-summer