TEXAS, USA — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the state's electric grid, has asked Texans to conserve electricity until the end of Tuesday. Demand has gone up as Texans continue to crank up the heat and stay warm. At the same time, the supply has dropped as wind turbines start to shut down.
About half of the state's wind turbine capacity (25,000-megawatts) is not generating power because many turbines have become frozen. But, the turbines are still producing more power than typically expected.
"Wind is putting out more than we count on for the winter season," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at ERCOT.
If electric reserves drop below certain thresholds, ERCOT would ask regional providers like Oncor and Reliant to briefly turn off electricity to some neighborhoods in a rolling blackout. Oncor Communications Manager Grant Cruise told 6 News Sunday the practice hasn't been used in several years but it is within that agency's power to do so.
"ERCOT has the power to ask for a shedding of load," Cruise said. "They'll come to ONCOR and say 'we need to shed load' and at that point, utilities will begin turning off power for neighborhoods, usually for about 15 minutes, and then they will rotate to another neighborhood, basically going through their system...to bring demand to a reasonable level. That's very rare. It hasn't happened for Texas in a very long time."
Cruise said there are some easy things Texans can do between now and Tuesday to avoid having state officials make the call to shed load.
- Turn down thermostats to 68-degrees. If everyone asks a little less from their heaters, the grid will gain a lot.
- Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Turn off and unplug appliances. Many small appliances like toasters, coffee makers, or DVD players still drain your electricity even if they are not being used. Unplugging them completely will save power.
- Don't use large electricity-eating appliances. Dryers, washers, dishwashers, and ovens all use a lot of electricity. They may be difficult to unplug from the wall, but waiting on laundry for a few days will still save a lot of power.
- Turn of lights in rooms you are not using.
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