Doug Lewin is a Texas based energy expert and well worth a follow:
Texas Energy and Power Newsletter:
..the biggest ongoing risk remains homes with inefficient heating systems and poor insulation. These systems put immense strain on the grid during winter storms, leading to potential rolling outages. However, temperatures in this storm are expected to be 20-25 degrees warmer than during Winter Storm Uri so I do not expect any rolling outages this time, as I discussed with KHOU.
In my discussion with KHOU, we focused on how different this storm is compared to previous ones and how far Texas has come since Winter Storm Uri.
“A statewide average of right around 6 degrees led to extremely high demand during Uri,” I explained.
This one will likely be around 30 degrees, far less severe than six previous winter storms over the last 13 years.
Battery storage represents one of the biggest improvements on the grid, growing from 200 MW during Uri to over 10,000 MW today.
While these advancements are significant, I emphasized that challenges remain, especially around localized outages due to, in this case, ice and snow.
Since Winter Storm Uri, Texas has made meaningful progress to improve the grid’s resilience:
- Solar and battery storage have grown rapidly. Storage capacityhas increased from 200 MW during Winter Storm Uri to over 10,000 MW today;
- A new weatherization standard along with inspections and enforcement for power plants;
These improvements mean Texas is far better equipped to handle extreme weather today than it was in 2021. However, challenges remain.