How Texas power grid weathered blazing heat, record electricity demand
Houston Chronicle
L.M. Sixel Aug. 2, 2018 Updated: Aug. 2, 2018 12:05 p.m.
This summer was supposed to be brutal with days of triple-digit temperatures, less generating capacity and predictions the power grid couldn’t support the state’s electricity needs. Some of the dire warnings were spot on, as Texas broke records for heat and electricity use during the heat wave last month.
But regulators didn’t call for consumers to cut back. The lights stayed on. And wholesale prices didn’t spike as high as some feared.
Power experts figure it will take months for state regulators to report on whether there was any behind the scenes drama during the hour-by-hour power surges during the July heat wave that pushed temperatures in Houston above 100 degrees. At the moment, though, the state’s grid manager, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, credits careful planning for weathering conditions that tested grid reliability in Texas.
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