Why the Texas Power Grid Is Still Facing Challenges

The electric power grid in Texas, which collapsed dramatically in a 2021 winter storm, is being tested once again as the state endures an Arctic blast. Demand for electricity has broken wintertime records as the state’s population continues to grow amid a rapid change in its energy mix, with wind and solar displacing fossil fuels. That’s been stoking a debate about the dependability of the power system for the second most-populous US state.

Texas is already the biggest power user in the nation, and electricity use there has soared this winter as residents crank up their electric-powered heaters. The jump in demand comes as the state becomes more dependent on intermittent wind and solar power, raising concerns among some critics that this makes the grid more vulnerable to disruption. During the latest winter freeze, officials have urged residents to conserve power in the morning hours because of seasonally low solar production and unusually low wind generation. Another source of vulnerability is that Texas is virtually self-reliant when it comes to electricity and cannot depend on neighboring states during extreme conditions. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), the main grid operator, provides about 90% of the state’s electricity needs and has very few high-voltage transmission lines connecting to nearby grids. It’s a deliberate design meant to avoid federal oversight of the power market.