This summer, which blessedly seems past us, has been extremely brutal for Texas Electricity. One thing for sure that this summer has exposed was as some limitations, of the Texas electricity grid. Overall, I’m of the opinion that our grid held up pretty well, all things considered. But there is no denying the fact that at times the Texas grid basically ran out of electricity. We came dangerously close to rolling blackouts on several occasions, and future EPA changes might make things worse.
Interestingly enough, however, I ran into a couple of snippets in articles last week that could offer solutions that would prevent that kind of dangerous shortage from happening again. The Texas grid is isolated from the rest of the country’s major electric grids. Which means that when we get in trouble there’s not much we can do to get relief from our neighboring states. However, that might change. First was a snippet I saw in a recent Ft. Worth Star-Telegram article:
The state Public Utility Commission should be receptive to a proposal by Entergy Texas to join an electric grid serving the Upper Midwest for a number of reasons.
The National Weather Service confirmed that this summer was Texas’ hottest on record. The average temperature from June to August was a sizzling 86.8 degrees. Moreover, the ongoing statewide drought is expected to linger through this winter. If it does, the state’s energy demands could be high again next year.
Numbers like that support efforts by Texas companies to pursue power-sharing agreements with other utilities. Entergy’s proposal is appealing because it can provide access to affordable electricity in the summer.
That kind of planning ahead should be encouraged by state agencies. The last thing Texans want to hear about in the midst of a bad summer is the possibility of power blackouts.
Entergy operates grids in East Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. This could be an easier solution for shortages going forward. It would enable Texas to get energy when our demands get overwhelming for the grid, and it should act as a buffer against any price escalation that we saw this summer as well.
Along those lines, but much bigger in scope, is the Tres Leches Power Station. I’ve mentioned it before, years back when it was just an idea, but it looks like Tres Leches is moving forward and is not far from breaking ground. This fall, according to the article. The Tres Leches project is a huge, huge construction. It will actually connect all of America’s major, and up until now separate, electricity grids. It will allow renewable energy to pass to other areas of need, which has been a problem up until now. It will allow other areas of the country to help out when electricity becomes scarce. The whole article is actually a great read, and it seems like great news of Texas as well as everywhere else in the country. A deal with Entergy could be a short term solution for Texas electricity, and the Tres Leches sub-station could be a long term fix for any energy shortages like Texas faced this past summer.