Every summer the same thing happens. Heat wave rolls in. ERCOT issues a conservation alert. They ask everyone to set thermostats to 78+ and avoid running major appliances during peak hours. Meanwhile it's 108 outside.
We pay some of the highest electricity rates in the state during peak times, the grid barely handles the load, and their solution is "please use less of the product we sell you."
After 2021's winter storm killed over 200 people, they said changes were coming. The grid is still isolated from the national grid. Weatherization requirements are still weak. And every summer we hold our breath hoping the power stays on.
At what point do we demand better?
The deregulated market is the problem. Nobody wants to invest in reserve capacity because there's no profit in power plants that only run during emergencies. So we have zero buffer.