Energy experts expect power grid to hold up this week during hot triple-digit days

AUSTIN, Texas - Central Texans spent the day beating the heat as the region heads into a week of scorching hot triple-digit days in the forecast. Some Texans feel uneasy about if the power grid will hold up.

Energy experts predict that the power will stay on this upcoming week. They tell CBS Austin there will be enough wind and solar production to get through this heat wave.

Even with the unseasonably hot temperatures, Central Texans still flocked to popular places like Zilker Park and Barton Springs.

“I am not liking it. I’m a big person. I sweat, I need the winter back because it’s too hot,” Austinite, Patrick Hudson said.

“It’s Texas. I feel like it’s always going to be hot,” Austinite, Cory Rucker said.

Usually, the heat doesn't pack a punch until July or August. President of Stoic Energy, Doug Lewin, and Daniel Cohan, the Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at Rice University have been following the trends. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is not projecting the state will eclipse the all-time summer record-high demand set in August 2019, Lewin said.

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“That all-time peak record was 74.8 gigawatts. It looks like we’re going to touch 73.5, maybe even get close to 74,” Lewin said.

Lewin said ERCOT projected somewhere between 77-78 gigawatts this summer of total demand.

“As long as those winds stay strong they should be giving us a lot of power at the times that we need it, and so far it’s looking like the coal and gas plants are holding up OK,” Cohan said.

Power plants that were down for maintenance were asked to boot back up in May. Six power plants were knocked offline, but still, ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) said the grid is ready for the summer heat. A real-time look at grid conditions shows reserves are in the green.

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Experts said that the state still faces a reliability and affordability crisis as gas prices reach an all-time high.

“The average price of electricity for homeowners has shot up from around 11 cents a kilowatt hour for the past couple years to up over 18 cents," Cohan said.

Texans are already feeling the impact of the rate increase.

“My electricity bill is already $70 and it’s the 5th. It just came to me and it was $70 and I’ve been running my air literally all day,” Rucker said.

There is still some concern by experts that thermal power plants didn't get enough downtime before the summer heat.

“There are more thermal plants available than there was last month when a lot of them were on their planned maintenance. So they were in their planned maintenance. A lot of them are coming out and again wind and solar combined are looking really good so that has me not particularly worried about next week,” Lewin said.

Experts said energy efficiency, demand, and transmission still need to be top of mind for state energy leaders.