AUSTIN — Texas lawmakers say the grid is still vulnerable in instances of extreme weather and more needs to be done to address reliability.
State Rep. Todd Hunter, a Corpus Christi Republican, and state Sens. Nathan Johnson, a Dallas Democrat, and Phil King, a Weatherford Republican, spoke at the annual Texas Tribune Festival, often called TribFest, on Saturday. They said the grid is fine under normal conditions, but they are concerned for times of extreme weather.
“The next three to five years are the biggest concern,” Johnson said. “But the world’s energy technology right now is at a very exciting place. There’s so much on the horizon that I think is going to deliver clean, reliable, sustainable energy over the next five years.”
King said he believes the state needs to focus on dispatchable energy, or energy that can be turned on by a switch, such as natural gas and coal.
But Johnson said it is difficult to incentivize dispatchable energy when the federal government incentivizes renewable energy through subsidies.
King said it is these subsidies that have led renewable energy sources — such as wind and solar — to dominate new energy sources in Texas. He added that although he is in favor of renewable energy, the state needs to also invest in dispatchable sources for days when the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow.
Although the state passed a handful of laws during the regular legislative session that, among many things, incentivizes natural gas production, Johnson said only time will tell if it is enough to incentivize investment from private companies that have to weigh the risk with return on profits.
The Texas grid continues to be tested as unrelenting heat has led the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the agency that operates the grid for more than 26 million residents, or about 90% of the state, to issue warnings and calls for conservation.
This summer, Texas set several all-time records, including a new peak demand record in June, July, August and September, all at least 3,000 megawatts in higher energy demand than the previous year’s records. One megawatt of electricity can power roughly 200 homes.
Johnson said that if the state were to keep up with the estimated 7% growth rate of annual energy needs, lawmakers need to set their sights on establishing a grid that can operate 200 gigawatts over the next 20 years.
The lawmakers added that they believe ERCOT using conservation calls is not a bad thing, and that everyone should consider conserving energy even when not asked.
“What’s wrong with us all working as a community together and saying, ‘Hey, we can help each other out,’” Hunter said.