Heat Wave

7/26/18
 
   < < Go Back
 
from TPPF,
7/20/18:

What to Know: Texas is sweltering this week under a high pressure system and a resulting heat wave, but the state’s power grid is holding up nicely.

“Texas homes and businesses set a power consumption record for July on Monday and are expected to break the all-time peak over the next week as consumers crank up their air conditioners to escape a brutal heat wave, according to the operator of most of the state’s power grid,” reports Reuters. “To keep air conditioners humming, Texas utilities bought electricity from all sources, boosting power prices to their highest since the winter heating season in January. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said demand reached 70,587 megawatts on Monday, topping the 69,647 MW record for the month set on July 3. One megawatt can power about 1,000 U.S. homes.”

The TPPF Take: The strength and reliability of the state’s power grid – despite the recently announced closure of three coal-fired power plants – is due to good planning on the part of the power companies, with little government intervention.

More From TPPF: