ERCOT region breaks own wind generation record, tops 15,000 MW
November 30 (SeeNews) – Wind farms generated over 15,000 MW of the electricity used in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region for the first time ever at noon on Sunday, November 27, the grid operator announced.
During the peak output, the ERCOT system used 15,033 MW of wind electricity, representing some 45% of total power demand at the time. More than half of this, over 8,800 MW, was generated by wind parks in West and North Texas.
The portion of load served by wind ranged from 35% to more than 46%, with an average of almost 41% throughout the day.
The prior wind power production record of 14,122 MW was set on November 17, while the current record for percentage of load served, at 48.28%, was set on March 23, 2016.
At present, the ERCOT system is being served by more than 17,000 MW of installed wind power capacity. This is expected to surpass 19,000 MW by the end of the year, the grid operator said.
