Articles

As temperatures continue to climb across the country this summer, the heat is certain to again wreak havoc on the electric grid. Every part of our aging infrastructure experiences immense strain when the mercury rises, and we all pay the price. Businesses use more power and that bumps up their summer bills. But the real cost of summer heatwaves stems from grid inefficiencies and operational challenges. Prolonged heat raises power prices, increases carbon-intensity, and ups the risk of brownouts ...

A recent report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) indicates a wider cushion between supply and demand than previously expected for this summer because of the effects of the new coronavirus. Meanwhile, the grid operator also finds an ongoing shift underway in the state’s power mix towards intermittent wind and solar and the possibility of record setting peak demand. All of these elements could affect power prices this summer. Supply buffer up ERCOT forecasts its cushion between...

The Texas wind farm fleet is continuing to grow, but its effect on power prices depends on where the wind farms are located. Generally, Texas wind farms have dampened wholesale power prices, but they’ve also increased price volatility and can have an outsized impact on summer-time prices. Texas wind fleet grows, and keeps growing The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid for most of the state, has about 23,865 MW of wind power, up from 100 MW two decades ago. The...

With summer on the horizon, it’s a good time to talk about scarcity pricing — a hot topic last year when real-time wholesale power prices in Texas hit a $9,000 per megawatt-hour (MWh) cap multiple times over a three-day stretch. Generally, wholesale power prices are driven by supply and demand. Prices go up when limited power supplies are used to meet growing demand. Picture a hot, humid day. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid and power markets in nearly a...