Heat strains Texas power grid as population keeps growing
Heat strains Texas power grid as population keeps growing
In Texas, there are signs the power grid is straining under the weight of record temperatures. The operator of the independent grid asked customers four times last week to reduce their power consumption. And the thing is, the ranks of electricity users is growing all the time.
Texas is home to many of the fastest-growing cities as Americans seek new jobs and more affordable housing across the Sun Belt. All the Texas growth is also straining the Texas grid this summer.
More people have moved to Texas in the past 20 years than to any other state — some 9 million people, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
“The joke is, you know, California is moving to Texas and. Well, we have seen a lot of that, and everybody here wants an air conditioner, and I don’t blame them,” said Austinite Joshua Rhodes, an energy researcher with the University of Texas who is dealing with an energy crisis of his own.
“My AC is out, so I’m having a good time down here,” he said.
As for those with functioning ACs, Rhodes said they’re a big contributor to peak demand numbers on sweltering Texas afternoons. “Over half of that demand is coming from the residential sector. And the majority of that is coming from air conditioning.”
This summer, peak demand for the Texas grid is 11,000 megawatts more than it was two years ago. Grid operator data shows that growth like that took 10 years last time it happened.
“I struggle to find adjectives to express how just wild these levels of demand are, particularly not just to see it once, but day after day after day, said consultant Doug Lewin with Stoic Energy, author of the Texas Energy and Power Newsletter.
The demand for electricity is also increasing in other new ways, Lewin said. “We’re at 220,000 electric vehicles in Texas out of 25 million vehicles on the road. That number is going to shoot up in coming years.”
He proposed that newcomers become part of the solution.
“We could have a robust system to help people get solar panels and storage and live in energy-efficient homes. That’s entirely possible with the right policy,” Lewin said.
And Texas — a leader in energy production — is up for the challenge, said Glenn Hamer with the Texas Association of Business.
“It’s almost like a home team advantage that we have here because of the culture and energy in Texas,” Hamer said.
The growth that is adding to the grid’s load is not a bad problem to have, he said.
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