ERCOT issues conservation another conservation notice for the fourth day in a row

Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read
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For the fourth day in a row, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state's grid operator, has again asked Texans to conserve energy Sunday evening from 4 - 9 p.m.

Officials said due to low wind and potentially solar generation, along with high demand as temperatures swelter across the state, ERCOT expects reserve power to be low Sunday evening. Conditions will start getting tight at about 7 p.m., and at its closest, the total demand and grid capacity will be within 32 megawatts of each other near 8 p.m.

ERCOT said there's a potential for it to enter emergency operations this evening, but at this time the state's grid is not experiencing those conditions. Texas' grid operator said it is working with out-of-state independent operators and other market participants to obtain additional power.

"ERCOT will continue to closely monitor conditions throughout the day and will keep the public informed through our communications channels," a press release sent by ERCOT on Sunday said. "ERCOT continues to use additional tools to manage the grid reliably, including using reserve power, calling upon reductions by large electric customers that have volunteered to lower their energy use, and bringing more generation online sooner."

A conservation appeal, like the one ERCOT has been issuing, is the grid condition level before entering an energy emergency alert. If grid conditions do meet that threshold, there are three different levels, with the final being a call for possible blackouts.

The first two involve low reserve power levels and the use of additional resources to get more power. If conditions still don't stabilize and reserves remain low, ERCOT could call for controlled outages, according to its website.

Through this conservation appeal, ERCOT has called on all government agencies to reduce energy usage at their facilities.

ERCOT said conditions improved yesterday thanks to conservation efforts plus improvements in wind generation and additional tools used to stabilize the grid.

If you are experiencing an outage now, ERCOT said it's a local issue unrelated to the grid.

"Conservation is a widely used industry tool that can help lower demand for a specific period of peak demand time, which is typically late afternoon into the evening hours," ERCOT said.

ERCOT so far has set 10 new all-time peak demand records this summer. A new unofficial peak demand record was set on Aug. 10 at 85,435 megawatts.

Austin Energy provided these tips to help conserve energy:

  • Turn up your thermostat by a few degrees.

  • Do not close AC vents in unused rooms, as this could increase pressure and cause duct leaks.

  • If you have an AC window unit, close off unused rooms.

  • Close shades and curtains on windows to prevent heat from getting indoors.

  • Don't turn on the oven during the hottest time of the day.

  • Unplug appliances, chargers, electronic devices when you are not using them.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: ERCOT asks Texans to conserve energy Sunday evening