AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say connecting the Texas power grid to the rest of the country could have kept power on for millions during the 2021 winter storm.
On Monday, MIT's Climate Policy Center released a research brief on Congressman Greg Casar's Connect the Grid Act. The researchers focused their analysis of the proposed law around four themes: transmission requirements, resiliency to extreme weather events, U.S. and Texas cost savings and climate benefits.
The report found that if legislation like the Connect the Grid Act had been in place in 2021, up to 80% of blackouts ordered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) because of power grid failures could have been avoided.
Right now, the power grid that serves most of Texas isn't connected to neighboring girds. If the Connect the Grid Act were to pass, the ERCOT grid would have to be connected to surrounding states so it could get power from them when needed.
To learn more, read MIT's full report.