Texas Interconnection

{{main|Electric Reliability Council of Texas}}

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power on the Texas Interconnection that supplies power to 26 million Texas customers – representing 90 percent of the state's electric load.{{cite web | title=Ercot Fact Sheet | publisher=www.ercot.com |url=http://www.ercot.com/content/wcm/lists/197391/ERCOT_Fact_Sheet_2.5.20.pdf |accessdate=2021-04-06}} ERCOT is the first independent system operator (ISO) in the United States{{cite web | title=History of ERCOT | website=Electric Reliability Council of Texas | url=http://www.ercot.com/about/profile/history/index.html | access-date=2021-02-22}} and one of nine ISOs in North America.{{cite web |url=http://www.isorto.org/site/c.jhKQIZPBImE/b.2603295/k.BEAD/Home.htm |title=ISO/RTO Council homepage |access-date=April 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227114834/http://www.isorto.org/site/c.jhKQIZPBImE/b.2603295/k.BEAD/Home.htm |archive-date=December 27, 2012 }} ERCOT works with the Texas Reliability Entity (TRE),{{cite web |url=http://www.texasre.org/about/Pages/Default.aspx |title=Texas Reliability Entity homepage |access-date=April 22, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328213848/http://www.texasre.org/about/Pages/Default.aspx |archive-date=March 28, 2013 }} one of eight regional entities within the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) that coordinate to improve reliability of the bulk power grid.{{cite web | title=NERC | website=NERC | date=2021-02-22 | url=http://www.nerc.com/page.php?cid=1{{pipe}}9{{pipe}}119 | access-date=2021-02-22}}

As the ISO for the region, ERCOT dispatches power on an electric grid that connects 46,500 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units.{{cite web |url=http://www.ercot.com/content/wcm/lists/114739/ERCOT_Quick_Facts_101317.pdf |title=ERCOT Quick Facts |date=2017 |website=www.ercot.com |access-date=2021-02-22}} ERCOT also performs financial settlements for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market, and administers retail switching for 7 million premises in competitive choice areas.ERCOT Quick Facts, {{cite web |url=http://www.ercot.com/content/wcm/lists/114739/ERCOT_Quick_Facts_101317.pdf |title=ERCOT Quick Facts |date=2017 |website=www.ercot.com |access-date=2021-02-22}}

ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors, and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Texas Legislature.{{cite web | title=Governance | website=Electric Reliability Council of Texas | date=2020-10-02 | url=http://www.ercot.com/about/governance/index.html | access-date=2021-02-22}}{{cite web | title=About ERCOT | website=Electric Reliability Council of Texas | url=http://www.ercot.com/about/index | access-date=2021-02-22}}

ERCOT's members include consumers, electric cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers), and municipally owned electric utilities.{{cite web | title=Membership | website=Electric Reliability Council of Texas | date=2021-01-05 | url=http://www.ercot.com/about/governance/members | access-date=2021-02-22}}

Power demand is highest in summer, primarily due to air conditioning use in homes and businesses. On July 19, 2018, consumer demand hit 73,259 MW.{{cite web|url=https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article215328850.html|title=Texas is using a record amount of electricity. Could demand outpace supply?|publisher=www.star-telegram.com}} On Monday, August 12, 2019, a new peak of 74,820 MW was set between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Central Daylight Time (2200 GMT), as high temperatures in Houston hit {{convert|100|F|C}}.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-power-summer-idUSKCN1V21HN|title=Texas power demand sets record high as heat wave bakes U.S. Southeast|date=August 12, 2019|work=Reuters|access-date=August 18, 2019|language=en}} ERCOT had more than 78,000 MW of generating capacity available to meet demand in the summer of 2019, providing an adequate though not generous margin. For 2020, the forecasted peak demand is 76,696 MW.{{cite web|last=|first=|date=December 5, 2019|title=News Release: ERCOT's reserve margin climbs 2% for summer 2020|url=http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/195806#:~:text=%22ERCOT%20maintained%20system%20reliability%20through,President%20and%20CEO%20Bill%20Magness.&text=For%202020%2C%20the%20forecasted%20peak,74%2C820%20MW%2C%20set%20on%20Aug.|access-date=July 28, 2020|website=ERCOT.com|publisher=ERCOT}} A megawatt of electricity can power about 200 Texas homes during periods of peak demand.

On Saturday, January 19, 2019, in an early morning period of low electricity demand, wind energy served more than 56% of total demand at 3:10 am, Central Standard Time.{{cite web|url=https://www.treia.org/news/2019/1/24/ercot-sets-record-wind-output-and-penetration-rate-over-the-holiday-weekend|title=ERCOT Sets Record Wind Output and Penetration Rate Over the Holiday Weekend|website=TREIA-Texas Renewable Energy Industries Alliance|language=en-US|access-date=August 18, 2019}} On Monday, January 21, 2019, ERCOT set a new wind output record of nearly 19.7 GW at 7:19 pm, Central Standard Time.

{{main|Wind power in Texas}}

File:Roscoe Wind Farm at Sunrise.JPG at sunrise.]]

File:GreenMountainWindFarm Fluvanna 2004.jpg]]

Wind power in Texas consists of over 40 wind farms, which together have a total nameplate capacity of over 30,000 MW, as of 2020.[https://www.awea.org/Awea/media/Resources/StateFactSheets/Texas.pdf AWEA Texas Fact Sheet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125234501/https://www.awea.org/Awea/media/Resources/StateFactSheets/Texas.pdf |date=2021-01-25 }} (Q3 2020){{cite web|url=https://www.utilitydive.com/news/utility-wind-rush-set-to-strengthen-as-low-prices-allow-resource-to-spread/437409/|title=Utility wind rush set to strengthen as low prices allow resource to spread across nation|website=Utility Dive|language=en-US|access-date=October 19, 2019}} Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state{{cite web|url=http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/reports/upload/3Q-2012-AWEA-Public-Market-Report_1-31.pdf|title=AWEA Third Quarter 2012 Market Report|author=|date=|website=awea.org|access-date=April 11, 2018}} and only a few countries exceed its installed capacity. According to ERCOT (Energy Reliability Council of Texas), wind power accounted for at least 15.7% of the electricity generated in Texas in 2017, as wind was 17.4% of electricity generated in ERCOT, which manages 90% of Texas's power.{{cite web|url=http://www.ercot.com/content/wcm/lists/144926/ERCOT_Quick_Facts_72418.pdf|title=ERCOT Quick Facts for 2017 published July 2018|author=|date=July 1, 2018|website=ercot.com|access-date=September 9, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/vcrbv143x9u8y6c/ERCOT_Quick_Facts_for_2017_2518.pdf?dl=0|title=ERCOT Quick Facts for 2017 published February 2018|author=|date=February 1, 2018|website=dropbox.com|access-date=February 8, 2018}}

The wind resource in many parts of Texas is very large. Farmers may lease their land to wind developers, creating a new revenue stream for the farm. The wind power industry has created over 24,000 jobs for local communities and for the state. Texas is seen as a profit-driven leader of renewable energy commercialization in the United States. The wind boom in Texas was assisted by expansion of the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard, use of designated Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, expedited transmission construction, and the necessary Public Utility Commission rule-making.{{cite web |url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2011/08/stetsons-off-to-gov-perry-on-wind-power |title=Stetsons Off to Gov. Perry on Wind Power |author=Lauren Glickman |date=August 25, 2011 |work=Renewable Energy World }}

The Roscoe Wind Farm (781 MW), near the town of Roscoe, is the state's largest wind farm. Other large wind farms in Texas include: Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, Sherbino Wind Farm, Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm, Sweetwater Wind Farm, Buffalo Gap Wind Farm, King Mountain Wind Farm, Desert Sky Wind Farm, Wildorado Wind Ranch, and the Brazos Wind Farm.

{{main|Solar power in Texas}}

Image:Applied materials solar arrray1.jpg

Solar power in Texas, along with wind power, has the potential to allow Texas to remain an energy-exporting state over the long term. The western portion of the state especially has abundant open land areas, with some of the greatest solar and wind potential in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://solarindustrymag.com/state-state-view-u-s-renewable-energy-2017/|title=A State-By-State View Of U.S. Renewable Energy In 2017|last=|date=|website=solarindustrymag.com|access-date=February 7, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/201.htm |title=Comparison of Solar Power Potential by State |last=|date= |website=neo.ne.gov |access-date=February 7, 2019}} Development activities there are also encouraged by relatively simple permitting and significant available transmission capacity.{{cite web|url=http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/is-texas-about-to-embark-on-a-solar-development-boom|title=Is a Solar Development Boom About to Begin in Texas?|author=|date=|website=greentechmedia.com|access-date=February 7, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re_solar.htm|title=State Energy Conservation Office|first=Texas Comptroller of Public|last=Accounts|date=|website=www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us|access-date=April 23, 2018}}

Interconnections can be tied to each other via high-voltage direct current power transmission lines (DC ties), or with variable-frequency transformers (VFTs), which permit a controlled flow of energy while also functionally isolating the independent AC frequencies of each side. The Texas Interconnection is tied to the Eastern Interconnection with a 220 MW DC tie near Oklaunion, and a 600 MW DC tie near Monticello, and is tied to NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) systems in Mexico with a 300 MW DC tie near McAllen, and a 100 MW VFT tie near Laredo.{{cite report | author=ERCOT | date=2020-07-31 | title=ERCOT DC-Tie Operations | edition=Version 3.0 Revision 13 | url=https://www.ercot.com/files/docs/2020/07/30/ERCOT_DC_Tie_Operations_Document.docx}} There is one AC tie switch in Dayton, Texas that has been used only once in its history, after Hurricane Ike.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In October 2009, the Tres Amigas SuperStation was announced to connect the Eastern, Western, and Texas Interconnections via eight 5 GW superconductor links, but the Eastern Interconnection withdrew from the project in 2015, rendering the project moot. Construction was never started.{{cite news |last1=Boswell-Gore |first1=Alisa |title=Tres Amigas: What could have been |url=https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2021/03/14/news/tres-amigas-what-could-have-been/168111.html |access-date=28 May 2023 |work=The Eastern New Mexico News |date=13 March 2021}}

In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a contract award of $360 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help build Pattern Energy’s Southern Spirit Transmission Project, a proposed 320-mile, 525-kV high voltage direct current line to connect the ERCOT grid with grids in the Southeast. If constructed, the line would provide three gigawatts of bidirectional capacity between Rusk County, Texas, and Choctaw County, Mississippi, and will use voltage source converter technology to enhance grid reliability—helping to mitigate disruptions like the power crisis in the winter of 2021. The project received final approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in May 2014.https://www.powermag.com/1-5b-federal-boost-for-four-major-transmission-projects-as-doe-unveils-national-grid-study/https://grist.org/energy/southern-spirit-transmission-line-louisiana-mississippi-texas/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-pattern-energy-avangrid-invenergy-grid-united-transmission-facilitation-capacity/728913/

In February 2011, gas shortages and low temperatures led to 30 GW of capacity being unavailable and caused load shedding. There were prior severe cold weather events in 1983, 1989, 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.ferc.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/08-16-11-report.pdf|title=Report on Outages and Curtailments During the Southwest Cold Weather Event|publisher=Federal Energy Regulatory Commission|year=2011|access-date=February 19, 2021}}

In February 2021, record low temperatures during the February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm caused large loss of coal, natural gas, wind, and nuclear power production, and a shortfall of over 10 gigawatts of customer demand, resulting in rolling blackouts across Texas affecting more than 4 million people. Although some wind turbines iced up, wind power produced more overall power than expected for this time of year.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-power-outage-frozen-wind-turbines-b1803135.html|title=Are frozen wind turbines to blame for Texas power outages?|last=Massie|first=Graeme|newspaper=The Independent|date=February 17, 2021|access-date=February 19, 2021}}{{cite journal |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360544219314136|last1=Alipour |first1=Panteha |last2=Mukherjee |first2=Sayanti |last3=Nateghi |first3=Roshanak |title=Assessing climate sensitivity of peak electricity load for resilient power systems planning and operation: A study applied to the Texas region |journal=Energy|date=15 October 2019 |volume=185 |pages=1143–1153 |doi=10.1016/j.energy.2019.07.074 |s2cid=199086614 |url-access=subscription }}{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/texas-power-grid-crumples-under-the-cold/|title=Texas' power grid crumples under the cold|last=Timmer|first=John|website=ArsTechnica|date=February 15, 2021|access-date=February 19, 2021}}

Millions of people were without power and water for numerous days, leading people to resort to boiling snow as their only water source.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/02/17/968665266/millions-still-without-power-as-winter-storm-wallops-texas|title=Winter Storm Leaves Many In Texas Without Power And Water|first1=Brakkton|last1=Booker|first2=Vanessa|last2=Romo|date=February 17, 2021|via=NPR}} Officially, the state of Texas blamed the 2021 storm for the death of 151 people, later revised to 246.{{Cite web |last=Mulcahy |first=Shawn |date=2021-02-19 |title=Many Texans have died because of the winter storm. Just how many won’t be known for weeks or months. |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/19/texas-power-outage-winter-storm-deaths/ |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=The Texas Tribune |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Vlamis |first=Kelsey |title=The death toll from the Texas winter storms keeps rising. At least 151 people died, from causes ranging from hypothermia to carbon monoxide poisoning. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-winter-storms-death-toll-at-least-151-people-2021-4 |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} The true number is believed to be four to five times that number, as many deaths are often attributed to underlying medical conditions instead of being related to loss of power, which could cause the failure of life sustaining at-home medical devices. For comparison, other states hit by the same winter storm, but without the power failure experienced by Texas, did not have an increase in the number of deaths like Texas did, indicating a correlation in the increase in deaths and the loss of power.{{Cite web |last=Aldhous |first=Peter |last2=Lee |first2=Stephanie M. |last3=Hirji |first3=Zahra |date=2021-05-26 |title=The Texas Winter Storm And Power Outages Killed Hundreds More People Than The State Says |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/texas-winter-storm-power-outage-death-toll |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=BuzzFeed News |language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/27/22456856/deaths-undercount-texas-freeze-power-outage|title=Go read this investigation into the real death toll from the Texas freeze|first=Justine|last=Calma|date=May 27, 2021|website=The Verge}}

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{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/connecting-past-and-future-history-texas-isolated-power-grid Connecting Past and Future: A History of Texas' Isolated Power Grid]

{{North American Electric Reliability Corporation}}

Category:Electric grid interconnections in North America

Category:Electric power transmission systems in the United States

Category:Energy infrastructure in Texas

Category:Wide area synchronous grids