Extreme Texas heat puts strain on power grid

AUSTIN, Texas - Extreme temperatures in Texas this summer are putting a strain on the power grid as more people stay indoors and crank up the A/C.

"We had a record demand yesterday and at the peak on these very high demand days, yesterday and today seeing 35 to 40% of the power in the state generated by wind and solar," said Doug Lewin, president of Stoic Energy.

ERCOT previously issued a Voluntary Conservation Notice when they saw record demand due to the heat.

"Nobody has to worry about it today. We don't have to worry. Not only do we not have to worry about outages or conservation calls, but we also don't even have to worry about high prices because there's so much wind and solar on the system," said Lewin.

Energy analysts say the state's solar energy supply has doubled since last year.

"It seems like that's really been sort of a lifeboat, that solar is really making sure that there's enough energy on the grid to keep people's a/c's on," said climate reporter Dharna Noor.

Doug Lewin with Stoic Energy says the additional solar energy brought online has helped Texas avoid rolling blackouts.

MORE COVERAGE:

• Texas power grid saw most demand for single day in June, ever
• ERCOT asks Texans to conserve energy due to extreme heat
• Austin first responders see increase in heat-related calls

"Two weeks ago, a big nuclear unit went offline, and storage was able to jump in and keep the grid running smoothly without problems. Same when a coal unit shipped offline one week ago," said Lewin.

"I think solar is probably the biggest factor right now. At times, it accounts for like 15% of the energy that's powering people's homes, keeping the lights on, keeping the ac on," said Noor.

ERCOT says residents who've experienced recent outages should know they're local in nature and, not related to overall grid reliability.