AUSTIN, Texas — As temperatures climb in Central Texas, so does energy demand statewide.
Officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) warned the state could see record power demand on Tuesday.
However, ERCOT's website showed demand hovering just under the August 2023 record of 85.5 gigawatts. Officials say they will generate enough power to meet the need, even into the evening as the sun sets and solar generation dips.
So, what happened? In June, CEO Pablo Vegas predicted a 12% chance of blackouts in August, but that hasn't happened. During a board meeting in Austin on Tuesday, Vegas and other officials credited new energy sources that have been brought online as to why it hasn't happened.
Most of these new energy sources have been solar, wind and battery storage.
“Battery storage is really very important as the sun goes down," University of Houston Energy Fellow Ed Hirs said. "Then we need batteries to pick up because ... Everyone gets home, turns on their air conditioners. They want to be cool at night.”
Hirs added that natural gas, nuclear and coal-fired power plants are strained and that Texas can't do it without the solar and wind kicking in.
Meanwhile, ERCOT's board spent most of Tuesday's meeting talking about the next steps after three aging gas-fired units near San Antonio will close in March 2025.
Unlike during August 2023, ERCOT has not issued any calls for conservation this summer.