TEXAS — Before the sun even rose Thursday, parts of the state already saw temperatures near 80 degrees. As many Texans prepare for a stretch of heat, energy experts say the grid is equipped for summer demand.
Energy fellow at the University of Houston, Ed Hirs, explained that the massive surge in wind and solar resources has significantly helped with grid reliability.
“The growth has been so tremendous that solar overtook coal-fired power three years ago in terms of providing electricity to the grid,” Hirs said.
The result has allowed the grid to keep up with peak air conditioning demand, barring any major storms. He says the primary concern for the grid is still in the winter, as freezing storms can knock out multiple generation sources at night when solar is already offline.
Summer conditions are not as concerning because, “hot days coincident with a lot of sun, and that really helps us with the solar farms,” Hirs said. Even on days when the wind isn’t blowing as much, Hirs added that “we still have enough of the coal, natural gas and nuclear power fleet get us through.”
The City of Austin sent a notice to residents, warning Texans to prepare for the heat and the potential for outages with increased demand.
San Antonio’s CPS Energy also reached out to customers, encouraging them to conserve power to both save money and help the community on high-demand days.