As the hot summer approached, Texas leaders expressed concern about potential blackouts and brownouts. Yet, thoughtful planning, a functional electricity market and clean energy helped ensure the lights stayed on. Power outage concerns Hotter temperatures and continued population and commercial growth drove record electricity demand this past summer. Additionally, in early 2018, Luminant (now Vistra)… Keep reading →
FERC has issued an otherwise routine order in AEP Energy Partners, Inc.
Three of the top five fastest growing cities in the country are here in Texas, and explosive population growth puts a lot of pressure on our electric grid to keep up with demand. Fortunately, the state’s main grid operator, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has done a great job of keeping the lights on,… Keep reading →
For the past 25 years, I have had the opportunity to work on clean energy and clean air issues for Texas. Throughout this time, I have come to believe the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages about 90 percent of Texas’ grid, is the best grid operator in the country. In my opinion,… Keep reading →
How ERCOT’s idea for aggregating solar, storage and other DERs could unlock the state’s grid-edge potential Texas, despite being one of the country’s largest and sunniest energy markets, has not seen a lot of growth of distributed solar power. Beyond low energy prices, one big reason is that the Texas deregulated energy market, which covers… Keep reading →
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages 90 percent of Texas’ electric grid, has been busy. In the last two months of 2014, the agency released two very lengthy reports examining the future of a lower-polluting power grid in light of upcoming EPA clean air protections, in particular the Clean Power Plan. As… Keep reading →
It is that simple, yet not simple Between 2006 and 2009, Texas installed roughly 7 GW of wind capacity, nearly all in West Texas, where it is windy. But since there is virtually no load in the area, nearly all generated power had to be transmitted to major load centers in the South and East… Keep reading →
They say everything is bigger in Texas and often that’s true, especially when it comes to big hair and the bravado of politicians. This amounts to a lot of drama and theatrics. I mean, as someone who grew up in Dallas, I can tell you that the soap opera by the same name wasn’t too… Keep reading →
Texas both produces and consumes more energy than any state in the U.S. It controls one-quarter of U.S. proven oil reserves. Energy companies looking to grow or to establish a U.S. presence set up operations in Texas. The primary electricity transmission system in Texas is independent of the rest of the country (a long-time source… Keep reading →
Enbridge’s 110 MW Texas wind project will deliver electricity to the ERCOT market under a 20-year agreement with Microsoft Corporation. On January 6, 2014, Canada’s Enbridge Inc. announced an agreement with Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas) to construct the Keechi Wind Project, a 110 MW wind energy project in Texas, at a cost… Keep reading →
