AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Texas' electric grid operator is urging customers across the state to conserve electricity this week as potential record demand combined with "significant" forced generation outages are creating tight grid conditions.
ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, issued a Conservation Alert around 12:40 p.m. Monday afternoon. Officials say the grid conditions aren't expected to change much throughout the week, with temperatures in the 90s and nearing 100 across large swaths of the state.
As of 1 p.m. Monday, ERCOT was forecasting the possibility that demand could exceed available generation capacity later this afternoon. The all-time June record is 69,123 megawatts, set on June 27, 2018, between 4 and 5 p.m. in the afternoon; as of 1 p.m. Monday afternoon, the demand on the grid was less than 1,000 megawatts below that mark.
ERCOT officials said roughly 11,000 megawatts of generation capacity was offline for repairs Monday; of that, approximately 8,000 megawatts is thermal while the remaining 3,000 megawatts are "intermittent resources". According to ERCOT's summer forecast, a typical day sees about 3,600 megawatts of generation offline for repairs.
"We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service," said ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning and Operations Woody Rickerson. "This is unusual for this early in the summer season."
A decrease in wind output is also expected to complicate matters. Wind output for Monday is expected to be 3,500 to 6,000 megawatts between 3 and 9 p.m. ERCOT officials say that's roughly 1,500 megawatts lower than what is typically available for peak conditions. Officials say their forecasts show that wind output is expected to increase as the week goes on.
Earlier this year, ERCOT officials forecasted a summer peak demand of 77,144 megawatts, over the record peak demand of 74,820 megawatts set back in August 2019. One megawatt typically powers about 200 homes on a hot summer day.
The grid issues come just months after February's damaging winter storm, where millions of Texas residents were left in the dark and cold for several days without electricity. ERCOT's management of that situation prompted a number of changes at the council, including a state investigation, resignations of directors, and the termination of its President/CEO, Bill Magness. The crisis also spurred lawmakers to reform ERCOT's board of directors during this year's legislative session.
Officials offer the following tips to help reduce your energy usage:
*Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher – every degree of cooling increases your energy use by six to eight percent.
*Turn off lights and pool pumps and avoid using large appliances like ovens, washing machines and dryers.
*If you don’t need something – turn it off and unplug it if possible.