ERCOT issues conservation appeal Tuesday amid tight grid conditions again

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, is again asking that Texans conserve energy due to the extremely high temperatures with little relief.

ERCOT's conservation appeal has been issued for Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

"Operating reserves are expected to be low in the afternoon and evening due to a high level of unexpected thermal generation outages and forecasted low wind generation," the agency said.

ERCOT issued conservation appeals last week as well due to tight grid conditions, though a six-hour appeal issued on Friday expired.

Last week, ABC13 spoke to Professor Harish Krishamoorthy with the University of Houston Energy Division about what this could mean for people at home.

Krishamoorthy said demand on the grid isn't a local issue. All of Texas has been seeing record-breaking heat.

Ideally, when one part of the state is hot and needs more energy, another is cooler, allowing energy to be redirected to where it's needed. But that's not the case this summer.

"Our energy needs are only going to go higher, especially living in a city," Krishamoorthy said. "In terms of the long term for the ERCOT side of things, I think more energy storage and more capacity can help."

The conservation advisories come after Houstonians were asked to voluntarily limit outdoor water usage due to the ongoing intense heat and lack of significant rainfall across Houston and the surrounding areas.

You can always check grid conditions on the ERCOT website.

READ MORE: City of Houston asks residents to voluntarily limit outdoor water usage amid ongoing heat wave

The video above is from a previous report.