Extreme heat pushes highs over 110 in Texas as power grid nears brink

[IronLionZion]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/11/texas-record-heat-ercot-power-grid/

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas projects record-high demand as temperatures skyrocket



A serious summer heat wave is baking Texas with record temperatures and high humidity. Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings blanket much of the Lone Star State, with the National Weather Service calling the conditions “extreme” and “dangerously hot.”

On Sunday, more than a dozen record highs were set throughout the state as temperatures soared as high as 113 degrees. Houston shot up to 105 degrees, matching its highest temperature ever recorded in July.

Sunday was the state’s second-hottest day since at least 1950, according to Maxar, a weather consulting firm.

The record-challenging heat is forecast to persist through Tuesday, combining with a moist lower atmosphere to produce heat indexes above 110 degrees in the southeast part of the state.

The statewide scorcher is enough to induce record high demand and tax the state’s beleaguered power grid, prompting the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to issue a public appeal for conservation during the hottest times of day.

“With extreme hot weather driving record power demand across Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is issuing a Conservation Appeal, asking Texans and Texas businesses to voluntarily conserve electricity, Monday, July 11 between 2-8 p.m.,” the agency wrote on its website. “ERCOT also issued a Watch for a projected reserve capacity shortage from 2-8 p.m. At this time, no systemwide outages are expected.”

It will be hard to blame this one on wind/solar but they will sure try.

[Beachnutt]

1. I had to delete a post yesterday because some

on here didn't believe it...
It was a picture of thermometer in Conroe Tx reading 114 with humidity at 39%.

[flying_wahini]

3. I believed it. I used to live there.

108* on my back porch yesterday.

[IronLionZion]

5. High temps in Texas in summer are hard to believe?

I bet people didn't expect Texas to freeze over in winter either.

[Celerity]

8. Why delete it if it was (and I am assuming it was, although I did not see the post) legit?

[Beachnutt]

11. Because some were being very argumentative

about it and I didn't really appreciate the discourse so I just deleted it.
Here is the thread
https://democraticunderground.com/100216910008

[herding cats]

2. They're saying the wind isn't blowing

Which has wind produced energy at only about 10% of expected amounts.

Which, while true, the grid is old and needs updated. In good times it's ok, but with the population growth in Texas and the extreme weather brought on by climate change, Texas needs to ramp up new power supplies fast.

Sadly, what Texas needs to do is invest in modern nuclear power. Which is never going to happen in an oil and gas state.

[flying_wahini]

4. We have nuclear power. The nearest one to my house is 40 mi away in Glen Rose.

[herding cats]

9. Yes, but we need more.

The new ones are so much better than the old ones like we have now.

[IronLionZion]

6. They should build a wall to keep out the heat

just like they kept out the trucks hauling food and supplies.

[herding cats]

10. Don't give the fools any ideas.

They'd do it if they thought they could sell it to their idiot voters here.

[Beachnutt]

12. Or join the national grid

[herding cats]

13. That, too.

But, until we bump up our production we're just a hindrance during extreme weather.

[Beachnutt]

14. I agree totally

Hopefully we can Beto in and maybe fix this mess..

[Kaleva]

7. With climate change, it's going to continue to get worse.