ERCOT, US grid operators concerned about nation's electric reliability - Houston Chronicle
ERCOT, US grid operators concerned about nation's electric reliability
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The natural gas power plants built between 1958 and 1968 at NRG's Parish power plant in Richmond. With wind and solar farms taking up a larger and larger share of the country’s power generation, the U.S. electrical grid is coming under increasing scrutiny. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer
WASHINGTON -- One evening last summer, power officials in Texas observed a new phenomenon: the amount of electricity available on the grid went into sharp decline even though temperatures were relatively moderate.
An unusual combination of factors was at play. As the sun went down so too did the wind, causing a simultaneous decline in generation from wind turbines and solar panels. At the same time, a number of coal and gas plants were offline, causing “tight grid operations,” Pablo Vegas, president of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said in a news conference last week.
Related Knowledge Center: Electrical grid reliability
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