Texas Power Grid Holding Up To Heat Wave, Power Demands

High temperature records are in danger in Texas. The current heat wave is raising temperatures in much of the state as conditions are forecasted to get worse, carrying into the week of July 4, according to the weather forecasting models and National Weather Service (NWS).



Areas like Rio Grande Village, TX, have seen temps as high as 118 degrees, close to an all-time state record, but still 2 degrees shy of any mark. And yes we are talking actual degrees, not "feels like" marks. Forecasts are calling for more widespread heat moving into the Texas Panhandle.   

With a quick tour around the internet, it almost feels like the media outlets are hoping for a grid failure, but Texas continues to roll with the punches and deal with the heat. Adding solar and wind to the grid portfolio has also helped the state deal with weather-related power demands, though oil and natural gas are still pulling the majority of the weight.  








 




“Solar is producing 15 percent of total energy right now,” said Joshua Rhodes, research scientist at University of Texas at Austin. "So far this year, about 7 percent of the electric power used in Texas has come from solar, and 31 percent from wind."






 



NWS representatives have forecasted that most temperature records will be tied or broken before the state sees relief from this "heat dome." High temperatures in Dallas next week are forecasted to be hovering around 105 degrees. One look at the NWS record book (Records only go back about 120 years) shows 1980 was an extremley warm June setting records of 112 and 113 from June 26-June 28. This is not the first heat wave Texas has dealt with and it won't be the last.    

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