The state of Texas has had a rich history of independence since 1836, when Texan rebels led by General Sam Houston fought decisive battles at the Alamo and San Jacinto to secure their freedom from Mexico. 

Just a few short years later, Texas became a U.S. state. But even after joining the U.S., Texas continued to go its own way: The state has long operated its own power grid, the Texas Interconnection. Still, this bent toward hyper-independence hasn’t always worked out well. 

Winter Storm Uri resulted in the deaths of 246 people in February 2021, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Many lost their lives due to hypothermia caused by power outages.

In September 2023, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued an Energy Emergency Alert Level 2. It asked residents to conserve energy because reserves had dropped significantly and were not expected to recover within 30 minutes. This warning came after a scorching summer that set consecutive records for peak demand. 

The Problem with Imbalanced Loads — and the Solution to Texas’ Power Woes

When loads become too imbalanced, ERCOT is forced to resort to regional power outages. Unfortunately, this scenario has been all too common, as extreme weather patterns throughout the year have had unpredictable effects on Texas’ independent grid system. 

Everyone seems to be looking for answers to combat the uncertainty. Many believe that the ultimate solution is to invest heavily in distributed energy resources like microgrids. These small-scale power grid systems operate independently of the larger grid. 

Microgrids are unique products that can use a mix of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and batteries alongside natural gas to produce reliable energy when the grid is unable to do so. Additionally, they can even send electricity back to the grid. This makes things even more stable for Texas residents.

The benefits have become so clear that the Texas legislature has launched State Bill 2627, which provides $1.8 billion in grants to develop and deploy even more microgrids at about $500 per kilowatt. 

Companies must qualify to receive these grants. One qualification is the ability to provide at least 48 hours of continuous power to the facilities the unit will be attached to. 

Microgrids Are Powering the Future in Texas

Texas already has about 200 microgrids in use. The project is expected to be so successful that the state is already experimenting with virtual power plants using software that gathers capacity from distributed energy resources to send back to the grid when needed. 

As if the sheer reliability of this solution wasn’t enough, the legislature expects that these efforts will save utilities about $350 million per year by allowing them to push infrastructure investment further down the line. 

Whatever the future holds for Texas, officials expect that it will be powered by much more reliable sources as they invest in truly resilient resources for all.

To learn more about this subject, read the original piece by Rod Walton.