Texas Slashes Summer Blackout Risk Thanks to Solar and Battery Expansion
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📰 The quick summary: Texas’ risk of summer power emergencies has plummeted from 16% to less than 1% thanks to substantial additions of solar power and battery storage to the electrical grid.
📈 One key stat: More than 9,600 megawatts of new capacity have been added to Texas’ grid since last summer, with 5,395 megawatts from solar and 3,821 megawatts from energy storage.
💬 One key quote: “The state of the grid is strong, it is reliable—it is as reliable as it has ever been and it is as ready for the challenges of extreme weather,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said.
1️⃣ The big picture: Texas faces rapidly growing power demands due to data centers, industrial electrification, manufacturing growth, and population expansion. Despite these challenges and predictions of one of the state’s 10 hottest summers on record, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) reports the lowest risk of power supply emergencies in years. Significant additions of solar power and battery storage since last summer have dramatically improved grid reliability. The risk of grid emergencies during peak evening hours has fallen from 16 percent last year to less than 1 percent this year, giving Texans greater confidence in their power supply during extreme heat.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Renewable energy is transforming Texas’ electrical reliability despite record-breaking heat and increasing power demands. The massive addition of solar and battery storage capacity has virtually eliminated the risk of blackouts during critical evening hours when air conditioners run at full capacity. For multiple days in June, renewables successfully met more than half of the state’s peak energy demand, demonstrating their effectiveness. This shift toward clean energy provides a sustainable path to meeting the state’s growing electricity needs while creating a more resilient grid that can withstand climate-driven extreme weather events.
3️⃣ What’s next: More solar and battery projects are in the pipeline, making up about 80% of ERCOT’s queue for new generation capacity. ERCOT must continue balancing these growing renewable resources with the state’s declining number of natural gas plants. The Texas Energy Fund has begun issuing loans to support gas-fueled power plants, with the first 122-megawatt facility set to begin operations in June 2027.
Read the full story here: Inside Climate News – Texas’ Risk of Summer Blackouts Reduced Thanks to Solar and Batteries
