Thread by @douglewinenergy

This Saturday, ERCOT expects 69.3GW of demand, an insane amount for a weekend in early May.

Temps likely to be ~92-93 in DFW and Houston, 95 in Austin, 100 in Midland & 104 (!) in Laredo. These would likely be records (or near records) for May 7.
#txlege #txenergy #txwx 1/5

I believe the previous record demand in May is ~67GW & all time summer peak is 74.8GW. That we would reach that much demand on a Saturday in May is extraordinary. Usually demand is much lower on the weekends. Extreme weather from #climatechange is already happening.
#txlege 2/5

#ERCOT expects 20GW of thermal plants to be offline. Wind expected to be @ 12GW & solar's likely to break a record ~9GW. I expect every battery on the grid will be ready for peak @ 5pm. Still, there will likely be tight conditions. Buckle up.
#txlege #energytwitter 3/5

I'd imagine #ERCOT is trying to order thermal (mostly gas & coal) plants off for maintenance back online. W/out some coming back, we could be short. One of the main avenues for #demandresponse is only around for June-September leaving us exposed in May. #txlege #txclimate 4/5

One thing I'm watching for as much as anything is communication.

Will @ERCOT_ISO and the @PUCTX give us a heads up?

Will state or local government advertise cooling centers for folks struggling to stay cool in inefficient homes or who can't afford to stay cool?
#txlege 5/5