The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ER-COT) is advising consumers of the possibility of tight energy supplies this summer, as the population and energy usage have increased faster than “on-demand dispatchable generation”, (traditional generation from sources like natural gas) are being implemented. This makes the state dependent on wind and solar to make up the difference. It is good that renewables are at a point to substantially contribute to the supply of energy, however, both these sources can be inconsistent. When the sun is not shining, or the wind isn’t blowing, they don’t produce power.
The chart below shows the 2022 amounts of gen- eration by fuel type in the ERCOT grid. If shortages do occur, the state would first call for voluntary conservation, as in the past. This would hopefully be enough to prevent rolling brownouts.
What you can do now to help ensure your home remains cool and comfortable, is to seal drafts, up- date or add insulation, and learn to practice basic conservation skills.
Remember that high energy-use activities like laundry, vacuuming, baking, etc. should be con- ducted before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. weekdays, or on weekends, in order to avoid the Peak usage rate. RGEC’s Time Of Use rate has been in effect since June 2018, and applies from May through September annually.
- 1,000 Watts = 1 Kilowatt
- 1,000 Kilowatts = 1 Megawatt
- 1,000 Megawatts = 1 Gigawatt
