How to check Texas' grid conditions in real time

Daniel Cohan, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at Rice University , says ERCOT’s latest call to conserve energy doesn’t mean Texas is at risk of total grid collapse--- like back in February.

However, he says it does signify issues with transparency and planning when it comes to the state’s power supply.

“If you get the ERCOT app on your own you can see how tight things are,” says Cohan.

On ERCOT’s website—it shows how close current demand is to supply, the numbers getting closer at peak hours of the day, like when people get home from work.

It also shows a forecast of how much supply and demand is anticipated and real time prices of oil.

“Those who want to can look on ERCOT’s site can see how much solar and wind power are being generated—what it doesn’t tell us is what’s going on with coal and gas plants and that’s where the transparency is really lacking,” says Cohan.

Cohan says the state still doesn’t know exactly what’s causing most of the the recent plant closures.

ERCOT officials told reporters Monday that if needed they will issue rolling blackouts but that’s unlikely to happen—this week.