Texas Heat May Soon Cause the Power Grid to Break All-Time Record

Summer has arrived in Texas with temperatures across the state working their way into the 90's and even the triple digits by the end of week across much of the state. In fact, some areas of the state will see multiple days of 100 degree temps.

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According to the Houston Chronicle, it's possible that Texas could break it's all time demand for power on Friday. If that happens, how much strain will that put on the grid?

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) forecasted Monday afternoon that demand will hit 81,107 megawatts on Friday, June 16 at 3 p.m. ERCOT's predicted Friday demand would exceed last summer's peak by about 1,000 megawatts—roughly enough energy to power about 200,000 homes.

The good news? At least so far? ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, predicted that the grid will have energy supply to meet the projected peak demand. According to the Houston Chronicle, ERCOT expects demand to keep getting higher throughout the summer.

ERCOT also expects demand to get significantly higher later at some point this summer, with peak demand forecasted to hit 82,308 megawatts before the end of the season. Grid operators said in a May report that they expect the grid will be prepared to meet peak demand.

So, as we go into Friday and the weekend, don't be surprised if you start seeing warning notices about peak demand and possibly even asking customers to ease or conserve their usage.