The unreliable electric grid threatens Texans; having once again, been asked to conserve power. Last Friday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) requested that consumers “conserve power when they can by setting their thermostats to 78-degrees or above and avoiding the usage of large appliances” during the peak hours of 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. The conservation alert was initiated because six power generation facilities went offline, resulting in a loss of 2,900 megawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 600,000 Texan homes.
ERCOT has yet to announce what specifically caused these power generation facilities to go offline. However, ERCOT confirmed, during a Wednesday presser, that maintenance issues weren’t the reason, and they’ll release more details about the why, this Thursday. In fact, power operators were told by ERCOT to hold off on maintenance projects in expectation of those high temperatures last week, to avoid potential complications like blackouts.
Curbing demand, when supply and demand are out of balance, is one of the first strategies used by ERCOT to avoid these incidents. Although asking for energy conservation isn’t an uncommon procedure, it imposes a continual strain on consumer relationships. ERCOT’s previous incidents with the electric grid, during Winter Storm Uri and this past February winter storm, aids in the growing belief that the grid isn’t fixed. Subsequent incidents, like this past Friday, will only cause more worry.
Additionally, May isn’t Texas’ hottest month, causing energy experts and Texans to wonder about what is yet to come from another blistering summer. Climate change is accelerating, causing summers to become warmer; heat conditions will become unbearable, ultimately increasing the demand for energy. So, how can consumers feel confident about their overall safety?
ERCOT Interim President and CEO, Brad Jones, and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) Chairman, Peter Lake, held a press conference this Tuesday, addressing last Friday and the upcoming summer. They attempted to assuage consumer concerns, by stating “they were ready for summer, and will continue to operate in a margin of safety.” They also said that the conservation alert was not an alert, but only a “request” for consumers to conserve energy in order to be “proactive” because of the generation facility outages.
In fact, Brad Jones said that if the generators didn’t go offline, then they wouldn’t have issued a conservation notice. During the press conference, Peter Lake continually said that Texans should entrust ERCOT and the PUCT and that their “reforms” are working; that’s the reason the lights will stay on. Chairman Lake also said “6 or 7 (generators) had a bad day” and that wasn’t a need for concern.
Despite ERCOT’s and PUCT’s confidence, the compilation of these mishaps is adding fuel to the fire of consumers already fed up with their performance. This upcoming summer’s heat will be a true test to uncover just how successful these PUCT “reforms’’ have been.