Watch: Police rescue cat whose head is stuck in a glass
In Palmhurst, Texas, police officers fought in the heat to save a distressed cat with a glass wrapped around its head.
As parts of Texas continue to experience record heat, with more heat forecast, people are turning on their air conditioners and setting up fans to cool off. State officials are now reporting that the power grid has reached record levels of strain.
What’s the status of the Texas power grid and what’s expected for the rest of August? Here’s what you need to know.
People also read: Does an open garage door keep your home cooler? How to stay cool in the Texas heat
ERCOT reports record high electricity demand as predicted in June report
Demand on the Texas power grid hit a record high on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas told the Dallas Morning News. With much of the state under a heat warning, demand peaked at 85,559 megawatts in the late afternoon, surpassing the record of 85,508 megawatts set last August.
While outdoor temperatures directly affect demand, other factors include the Lone Star State’s growing population and the expansion of industrial-scale users, such as data centers and cryptocurrency mining. Texas is also the only state in the U.S. that operates its own power grid to bypass federal regulation.
Although power supplies across the state were largely unaffected by the storm as of midday Wednesday, Harris County reported that approximately 8,500 customers experienced outages.
In June, ERCOT predicted challenges for August, such as an increased likelihood of an emergency alert at certain times of the day. While midnight to 4 p.m. shows a low likelihood of an emergency alert, the chances increase between 4 and 7 p.m. before jumping to over 16% at 8 p.m. and falling to 5% over the next hour. Changes in the order of controlled blackouts also jump around 9 p.m.
“The risk of reserve shortages is highest in the evening hours … when daily loads are typically near their highest levels and solar production is scaled back,” the June report said.
Walt Baum, CEO of the newly formed electric energy advocacy group Powering Texans, said the report underscores the need for Texas to aggressively expand electricity generation capacity.
“It’s important to note that ERCOT’s latest monthly outlook for August is intended to prepare for all possible scenarios, including a worst-case scenario in which demand would peak for a limited time,” said Baum, whose member companies are trying to add 5,000 megawatts to the Texas grid.
It turns out that ERCOT’s predictions for August were correct. Tuesday’s peak in demand and the power outages in Harris County coincided with news that Houston had installed a new battery energy storage system.
Houston receives battery energy storage system
Some Harris County residents may be experiencing power outages right now, but energy company Jupiter Power is looking to change that. On the same day that electricity demand in Texas peaked, Jupiter announced the completion of its 400 megawatt-hour (MWh) on-demand power plant.
The Callisto I Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is designed to help supply the city with reliable, emission-free energy. The site, a former fossil-fueled power plant, is located in downtown Houston near the Medical Center and the Houston Ship Channel. According to the announcement, the plant will be able to provide an additional 400 MW/800 MWh of battery storage capacity.
