AUSTIN – The Texas power grid operator has called on the public to conserve energy on Monday, as excessive heat could cause an energy emergency.
At 9 p.m., Texas Electric Reliability Council issued a clock stating that it predicted a shortage of energy reserves Monday “with no market solution available,” according to an active operations message posted on the ERCOT website . ERCOT also calls for voluntary energy savings.
ERCOT went so far as to indicate that power could be cut off and said “no system-wide interruptions are expected,” according to a press release.
The clock is a notification that precedes an “energy emergency alert,” which is a more severe alert indicating that ERCOT could order a shutdown of operations or be limited to large-scale electrical users, such as facilities. manufacturing or department stores. These alerts range from calls to conservation to shutdowns.
A 9:30 p.m. projection indicated Texas could break its all-time electricity demand Monday with 80 gigawatts of use projected in the afternoon. This is above what ERCOT predicted the peak of summer demand in a seasonal readiness report.
The busiest time will be between 2pm and 3pm, during which time ERCOT predicts that wind energy will only produce approximately 8% of its capacity. At that time, solar energy will produce 81% of its capacity, but it accounts for a much smaller share of Texas ’total power generation.
It will have dispatchable energy, which consists mainly of natural gas power plants, to generate most of the electricity during these peak demand hours.
The alert comes when temperatures in Dallas are expected to reach and possibly exceed 105 degrees on Monday. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area that covers much of the state. Isolated high temperatures could reach 112 degrees, the weather service said.
The heat wave is causing an increase in electricity consumption and could lead to difficult energy conditions throughout the week.