June 18, 2024--Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Summer doesn't officially begin until June 20, but officials at the Texas electric grid and the public utilities commission already have taken plenty of heat. And, as Texas faces another trademark hot and humid summer, officials can expect more of the same--a lot more if rolling blackouts materialize, as the state's grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) (Austin, Texas), recently acknowledged could happen this summer.

On June 7, ERCOT released a report that said there was a 12% chance of rolling blackouts in August as electricity demand, driven by high temperatures, high humidity, robust demand growth and other factors, could overtake electric supply. Several unknowns could decide whether the air conditioners stay on this summer, including the number of unplanned power plant outages and output from renewable energy generators.