Texas news station KBTX-TV reports on a recent discussion by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) surrounding the reliability of Texas' power grid ahead of the winter months. Matthew Boms of Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (United's state affiliate) spoke to the impacts of past storms on state residents, emphasizing the need for proactive policies that make energy-efficient solutions more accessible.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) met last week to discuss the state’s power grid ahead of the winter months.
Matthew Boms, executive director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, told KBTX there is a strong possibility for a strong winter storm, something we’ve seen more of in recent years.
“According to ERCOT’s projections, if we do have a storm that’s similar to Winter Storm Elliott - which was back in 2022 - there would be a 50% probability of rolling outages, and if we had another winter storm like Uri that would go all the way up to about 65% probability of outages,” he explained.
In December 2021 after Winter Storm Uri, Texas passed legislation for weatherization requirements for ERCOT. Boms said it’s a step in the right direction.
“But anybody who lives in Texas and has experienced cold weather knows how expensive that can be to heat your home and, unfortunately, we are not an efficient state when it comes to energy efficacy. We rank in in the bottom percentile, actually, of all states in the country,” noted Boms.
Although there are things consumers can do, like heat pump insulation and switching to smart thermostats, that is often an expensive precaution.
“What we need really at the state policy level is smart decision-making and proactive policies from our decision makers to help make these technologies more accessible for Texans,” he added.
Read the full article here.