Grid On a Hot Streak: Texas sets energy demand record 3 days in a row

Public Utility Commission of Texas: Tips to conserve energy

The heat wave this week has caused record electricity demands in Texas, prompting authorities to buy energy from Mexico and ask customers to conserve energy.

Texans set electricity demand records Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, Texans used 68,294 megawatts of power during peak hours, higher than last year’s record of 65,776 megawatts. The Texas electricity grid can only support about 68,000 megawatts at a time, said Kent Saathoff, vice president of system planning and grid operations for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

A megawatt is enough energy to power about 200 homes in Texas during hot weather when air conditioners are running for long periods of time, according to ERCOT.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, ERCOT declared an energy Emergency Level 1, or a Power Watch, throughout the state. During a Power Watch, ERCOT can buy power from other grids.

ERCOT bought about 150 megawatts of energy from Mexico on Tuesday and on Wednesday, Saathoff said.  

Saathoff thought Texas might reach the second level, a Power Warning, on Wednesday, but the energy demand went down before that happened. During a Power Warning, ERCOT shuts down power to industrial plants that have a contract with the regulator; those plants receive compensation during the shutdown. During the third level, a Power Emergency, rolling brownouts occur.

During a rolling brownout, American Electric Power of Texas shuts off power to a certain area for about 45 minutes, said Lee Jones, customer affairs manager for the company. AEP then shuts off power to another area and returns power to the first.

Texas last faced rolling brownouts in February of this year, when a cold snap caused energy plants to malfunction and not produce enough electricity to meet demand.

Now, heat is the problem.

Saathoff said even a slight temperature drop of a few degrees, especially during peak hours, will lower the risk of a Power Warning or a Power Emergency.

Local energy providers have encouraged customers to reduce their electricity usage between 3 and 7 p.m., when the most power is used.  

Representatives of Magic Valley Electric Cooperative, which transmits electricity to 92,000 customers in the Rio Grande Valley, are reminding customers about conserving energy this week, said Danella Hughes, communications coordinator for the co-op.

Consumers can shut off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances between 3 and 7 p.m., according to the website of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. They should also put off doing laundry or running the dishwasher until after peak hours, avoid opening refrigerators and freezers and run the air conditioning at 78 degrees or higher.

--

Gail Burkhardt covers Mission, western Hidalgo County, Starr County and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.

--

Public Utility Commission of Texas: Tips to conserve energy