Why does ERCOT still issue conservation notices during Texas' predictably hot summers?
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- ERCOT asked Texans to voluntarily conserve power Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. due to extreme heat and forecasted record demand. While it did not experience an emergency status, the state's power grid said conditions were tight.
Residents were asked to turn thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, turn off power and pool pumps, and avoid large appliances like ovens, washers, and dryers. This left some wondering what this means for our electric grid and power supply this summer.
READ MORE: ERCOT issues power conservation alert amid near-record high temperatures in Texas
The debate over our state's power grid has been a sore spot for years. Some Texans expressed it was understandable for ERCOT to use these conservation notices during the unusually cold winters we saw in recent years. But they wanted to know why the notices are still being issued during our extremely hot summers, which are common in the area.
Daniel Cohan, associate professor of environmental engineering at Rice University, explained the state uses multiple sources for energy, such as wind, solar, and fossil fuels. But when there's low wind generation, limited solar during cloudy days, and thermal outages at power plants, it creates a strain when the demand for energy is high.
Furthermore, ERCOT can't bring in power from neighboring states because it operates as an island.
"If multiple things go wrong, (like) we get a record heat wave at the same time that the winds are slow and more than usual power plants are failing, that's the sort of recipe for a combination of conditions that could cause larger problems than just neighborhood scale blackouts," Cohan said.
Charles McConnell, the director of the Center for Carbon Management and Energy Sustainability at the University of Houston, believes this is not a sustainable strategy from ERCOT.
"I, for one, can't subscribe to a sustainable strategy that requires consumers to turn their thermostats up. That's not a strategy. That is, in my view, a desperate attempt to try to get through situations that are difficult," McConnell said.
He urges more conversations among officials about the best way to keep up with energy demands long-term.
"There seems to be a debate about whether or not the future should be simply renewable energy (wind and solar) and shutting down all of the fossil fuel facilities (coal and natural gas). Environmentally, wind and solar are non-emissions. But others argue we need fossil fuel facilities because they provide reliable baseload power, especially in extreme weather conditions like now," McConnell said.
He added, "It shouldn't be a debate, either. It should be about how we can enable the best mix for the good of the public."
Cohan explained that what's been keeping the lights on in Texas is the addition of new solar farms over the last several years. There are also efforts to develop new power plants and improve the maintenance of existing ones, since there are more going down for outages than ERCOT expected.
He believes the state needs to increase our connections to other grids to make Texas less isolated and vulnerable.
"We could be doing a lot more on energy efficiency and conservation. Texas does much less than other states to try and help homeowners and renters have more energy-efficient places to live and work," Cohan said.
It's unclear how many more conservation notices we could see from ERCOT this summer. But experts over at Energy Ogre said you won't get charged more for using power during peak times since residents pay a flat rate. But they advise to be prepared for a higher electricity bill soon.
"When you get your bill in late June or early July, just understand that May is usually cooler and we didn't have those high temperatures," David Kinchen, chief operating officer at Energy Ogre, said. "Next week is looking hot. The trend could stick around for a while as we get these heat domes in the area. So it's probably going to translate in the near future for people's bills in terms of usage. There's possibilities where people could see their bills double."
Kinchen said there are small things that can add up when it comes to reducing energy usage, such as using the eco setting on your dryer or using your dishwasher without the heat setting.
With the heat wave already so extreme in the month of June, Cohan encourages Texans to have a plan in place in case it gets even hotter in July and August and leads to rolling blackouts.
"Half of our power plants are well over 30 years old. If temperatures get several degrees higher than they are now and we see more old power plants break down, we could see tighter conditions if a real intense heat wave were to come in the next couple of months. None of us can predict the weather weeks in advance. So it's a wait and see," said Cohan.
In an email to ABC13, a spokesperson with ERCOT said it will "operate the grid conservatively by bringing generating resources online early to mitigate sudden changes in generation and demand."
A statement continued:
"ERCOT will continue to use all operational tools available, including implementation of new programs, like the new ERCOT Contingency Reserve Service (ECRS), as well as executing previous sessions' legislative reforms (like summer and winter weatherization inspections)
ERCOT has worked closely with the Public Utility Commission and elected officials to implement reforms and increase grid reliability, including weatherization, bringing more generation online sooner if needed, and purchasing more reserve power. As a result, the reliability and resiliency of the grid has been strengthened significantly."
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