Regulators say Texas is less likely to experience an energy emergency this summer than it was last summer. Thank the weather and renewable energy resources.
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Texas is less likely to experience an energy emergency this summer than it was last summer, according to U.S. grid regulator NERC.
There is an 18.4 percent chance the state enters emergency operations in a worst-case scenario during peak demand this year, NERC found. The odds have fallen from 19.7 percent last summer.
The small improvement is significant, given Texas’s population growth and forecasted electricity demand.
“For our chances of something wrong to go down while peak demand is going up so fast – that’s headed in the right direction,” said Joshua Rhodes, an energy research scientist at the University of Texas.
Pablo Vegas, CEO of the Texas grid operator ERCOT, delivered the news to board members during a summer outlook presentation …