DALLAS — We recently talked about electricity rates and usage. In over a decade, demand for power in Texas has increased by 29%.
That’s part of the equation for why we get those occasional conservation notices from the state imploring us to turn some stuff off so we don’t overwhelm the grid. Doing that could lead to blackouts like the deadly days-long interruptions we saw during the February 2021 deep freeze when the Texas grid almost collapsed.
If we want to avoid those tight conditions and encourage conservation, some have wondered why so many electric plans offer as much as you want to use “free” electricity on certain days or times of the day. They also question plans that incentivize using a set amount, let’s say 1,000 kWh per month or more, but they charge you more per kWh if you use less than that.
Well, I asked the Public Utility Commission of Texas whether those kinds of plans conflict with the state’s calls for conservation to protect the grid. They responded:
“While we always appreciate Texans efforts to conserve electricity when requested to do so, we encourage each individual consumer to make decisions on their power use based on their personal safety needs and financial considerations.
The retail electric plan incentives you describe are allowed under the PUCT’s rules. There are many ways providers may structure consumer plans. It could be that under the plan you describe, using credits to incentivize nighttime and weekend power use could shift consumer electricity demand to those times when demand is typically lower. For details on a specific plan, you’d need to contact the offering provider.”
The other part of the equation when we get those urgent "cutback your electricity" notices from the state is supply.
This summer we have generally had plenty of it, even when plants have gone offline, temps have soared, and demand has hit a new all-time record.
What changed?
Well, a few big contributors have been renewables. On many high-demand days this summer, an energy expert says solar alone has provided about a quarter of all the electricity in Texas.
Doug Lewin, the President of Stoic Energy, says Texas is number one in electricity production now from wind and solar farms and is expected to pass California next year and become number one for electricity storage in batteries, which are regularly tapped to provide extra power when conditions are tight in Texas. We've got 8,000 Megawatts of storage.
At the time of Winter Storm Uri - not even four years ago - we had like 200 (MW). So, 200 to 8,000 in less than four years and that's not showing signs of abating. We will probably not double, but add 70 to 80% before next summer. We'll probably be somewhere around 15 (thousand Megawatts)”
But Lewin warns that progress could be stunted in the months ahead.
Watch our full conversation with him here or click here to listen to the podcast episode.