Articles tagged: ERCOT
As the Power Grid Wavers Again, Texans Are Still Recovering From the Winter Storm
Experts say the energy reform bill signed by Governor Greg Abbott doesn’t go far enough to protect Texans from future blackouts.
This article was produced through the NPR NextGen/Texas Observer Print Scholars program, a new collaboration designed to offer mentorship and hands-on training ...Read More
ERCOT Asked Texans to Conserve Power as Electric Grid Again Struggled to Keep Up with Demand
A higher than expected amount of plant outages for maintenance created tight conditions for Texas' power grid. It returned to normal late Tuesday evening.
“ERCOT asked Texans to conserve power as electric grid again struggled to keep up with demand” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit...Read More
The Lege This Week: Elections and Abortions and Grid-Reforms, Oh My!
As the Legislature’s pace quickens, lawmakers advance “election integrity” crackdowns, attacks on abortion rights, and reforms in response to the deadly blackouts.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling eco...Read More
ERCOT Is Refusing to Release Records On How it Prepared for the Winter Storm
The nonprofit corporation is asking Ken Paxton’s office for permission to ignore requests seeking information on the costliest winter storm in the state’s history.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas—the corporation at the center of the power grid failure that left millions of Texans with heat or power last month a...Read More
ERCOT Increased Revenue and Executive Pay In Years Before Texas Power Outages
Top ERCOT officials collected six-figure salaries while failing to prepare for extreme weather events that they were warned about.
Bill Magness sat in the Texas Senate chamber for several hours Thursday, defending himself and the Electric Reliability Corporation of Texas (ERCOT) that he run...Read More
Climate Change Will Drive Up Energy Use in Texas and Beyond
A new study found that global energy demand could rise by as much as 58 percent in the next 30 years due to climate change. But Texas’ electric grid doesn’t exactly account for this climate impact.
Editor’s note: We’re reposting this Observer story, originally published in summer 2019, after a massive winter storm caused millions of residents...Read More
After Failing to Prop Up Coal in Texas, Rick Perry is Trying Again Nationwide
As energy secretary, Perry is proposing to guarantee profits for uncompetitive coal plants in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest.
In late 2005, then-Governor Rick Perry was in the middle of a protracted battle with a coalition of environmentalists, renewable energy advocates, mayors and lo...Read More
Winds of Change
Scare-mongering claims about Texas' electric grid capacity haven't yet played out, despite record-setting winds.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says 'human ingenuity' will allow it to integrate record amounts of wind-generated energy into the grid....Read More
Solar Power Could See Explosive Growth in Texas over Coming Decades
Solar is just a tiny sliver—less than 1 percent—of Texas' electricity mix. Yet, the economics are becoming increasingly favorable for solar to take off ...Read More