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Texas is expected to get another arctic blast next week, and this one will be even colder than the first. So, can our power grid handle it? This might be ERCOT's biggest challenge since Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Tom Overbye, Director of The Smart Grid Center at Texas A&M's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said that, "I would not be surprised if we set a record for maximum winter load. ERCOT is actually forecasting that on January 21st."
He says that while temperatures aren't actually expected to be as cold as they were in 2021, increases in the Texas population over the last four years, as well as more data centers and crypto mines, have greatly increased ERCOT's demand.
The good news is, Overbye says that we should be able to handle that increased demand. He said, "The grid is much better prepared for cold weather than it was. We also have more generation, and the generation is much better winterized."
He did warn, however, that we could still see some, albeit minor, power outages. He said that while the grid as a whole should be fine, something like a tree freezing, falling, and knocking out a power line is still a real possibility, and that could cut power to hundreds of customers.