Peak Demand Tomorrow Morning: Is the Grid Ready?

ERCOT is forecasting peak demand of over 73,000 megawatts. The grid should — should — be fine.

I often point to four factors that spur grid outages: demand, thermal power plant outages, natural gas supply, and renewable energy production. Any one or two of these can be problematic and there won’t be rolling outages — but if three or four become challenges, look out.

Texas’ recent experiences with severe heat and cold show we should add a fifth fac…