ERCOT Asking Consumers to Reduce Electric Use
On Monday, July 27, power demand hit 66,677 megawatts (MW) at 5 p.m., the time of day most common for summer weekday peak consumption, easily surpassing the previous record of 65,808 MW set on July 31, 2012.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the grid, is asking consumers to use less electricity wherever possible between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday – a time of the day when demand typically peaks.
As temperatures climb above 100 degrees, the grid operator for Texas has urged conservation during peak electric demand hours. ERCOT said one MW is enough electricity to power about 200 homes during peak demand. A combination of weather patterns, high demand, and unexpected power plant maintenance sparked the conservation request. Julitz says that several power plants are down for repairs, and we are not expecting much wind generation.
