AUSTIN, Texas — Green energy is helping to keep the Texas power grids alive amid a weeks-long heat wave that has left power usage at an all-time high.
The perfect meteorological conditions have allowed renewable energy generated by wind turbines and solar panels to supply the grids with enough power to meet demand, experts told ABC News.
About 1 megawatt of power can generate electricity for 200 Texas homes during periods of peak demand, according to ERCOT, which supplies power to about 26 million customers, representing about 90% of the state's power load. On Thursday, the more than 31,000 megawatts generated by solar and wind was enough to power more than 3.6 million homes.
Wind and solar are also the fastest-growing electricity sources in the country, with solar power accounting for 43% of the capacity added in 2020 and wind power amounting to 38%, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. ERCOT's annual seasonal assessment, released in May, predicted that the peak usage would come on Aug. 10 and remain at 77,317 megawatts. Those sentiments were echoed by ERCOT Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake, who warned in early May that the state's main power grid could be at risk for outages during the summer if wind turbines did not produce enough electricity and usage remained in high demand.
Without wind and solar power, there would have been a higher likelihood of outages last week, Doug Lewin, president of Stoic Energy, director of the Texas Energy Summit and author of The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter, told ABC News.Overall, the heavy addition of solar and wind power in recent years has likely contributed to cheaper energy prices.
The additional wind and solar power also led to significant water savings because traditional fossil fuel-based power plants would have required an additional 20 billion gallons of water a year to function, the report found.
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