ERCOT issues voluntary conservation notice due to expected record demand for power – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
With another day of scorching heat in the forecast across the country, ERCOT is asking Texans to voluntarily reduce their electricity use Tuesday afternoon, if it is safe to do so, due to extreme temperatures and the expectation of another day of record power demand.
ERCOT’s Voluntary Conservation Notice is in effect on Tuesday, June 20 from 16.00 to 8 p.m. CT. The agency said they are not under emergency conditions and that voluntary conservation is a widely used tool to reduce demand during periods of high use, typically late afternoon and early evenings ̵[ads1]1; the hottest part of the day.
“The voluntary conservation notice is part of ERCOT’s Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS), which notifies the public of grid conditions,” the agency said. “ERCOT is asking all government agencies, including city and county offices, to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.”
Last week, ERCOT, the agency that manages the state’s power grid, issued a Weather Watch from June 15 to 21, in anticipation of record demand due to excessive heat.
On Monday, Texans broke the June record by 3,000 megawatts using 79,304 MW of power. Last summer, ERCOT said Texans set 11 new peak demand records. The current all-time record is 80,148 MW which was set on July 20, 2022.
Following ERCOT’s request Tuesday morning, the Public Utility Commission of Texas reiterated its call for conservation and urged Texans to help reduce demand on the grid.
ERCOT said it is using additional tools Tuesday to reliably manage the grid, including using backup power, encouraging reductions from large electric customers who have volunteered to reduce energy use, and bringing more generation online faster.
Energy saving tips can be found at ercot.com/txans.
Why the need to reduce usage?
• Extreme heat. Large parts of Texas experience very high temperatures for an extended period.
• Register demand. Texas is seeing record demand because of the heat.
• Thermal interruptions. Interruptions in forced thermal power plants are higher than normal.
• Solar energy. Solar generation declines into the evening hours, before going completely offline at sunset.
• Wind. Low wind production compared to historical performance during the summer peak.
MAP: HOW VULNERABLE IS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO EXCESSIVE HEAT
People living in dense cities and remote rural areas are most vulnerable during heat waves, data shows. The full story from NBC News can be read here. Use the map embedded below to see your area.
As summer temperatures rise in North Texas, NBC 5’s Ben Russell tells us how to keep our electricity costs down.
