In early May the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is expected to release its Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy report for summer 2022. This report will provide an outlook on the available generation and prediction for energy demand during the summer season. You can find the assessment on ERCOT’s website at ERCOT.com.
The record peak demand in 2021 was 73,687 megawatts, set in August. In general, a megawatt of electricity can power about 200 Texas homes.
As in the past, ERCOT will issue alerts and declare energy emergencies if needed. Alerts help consumers, including Medina Electric Cooperative members, know that conservation is needed. Declaring an emergency allows the grid operator to take advantage of additional resources. If grid conditions continue to worsen, the grid operator can implement forced outages across the state. If this occurs, it is likely to happen quickly with little warning and time for advance notifications. Medina EC will do its best to notify members as quickly as humanly possible.
Learn more about what to do during a load shed event, energy conservation, our notification process and more at MedinaEC.org/ERCOT.
Cooperatives Conserve
Medina Electric Cooperative encourages all members to practice energy conservation, especially on extremely hot days. The cooperative offers conservation text alerts for those wanting to help conserve energy on crucial days.
If you would like to receive voluntary conservation alerts on high demand days, text ENERGY to (830) 423-5032. We’ll send you a text notification with an energy conservation tip to help conserve energy. You can also find more energy conservation tips at MedinaEC.org/Hot.
To help combat peak demand in summer months—June through September—Medina EC offers a load management program for members on the irrigation rate.
Through this program, irrigators allow the co-op to shut off power to their irrigation pumps when needed to reduce energy use and strain on the grid. By shedding irrigation load at critical moments, the cooperative can reduce power costs. It also reduces load on the statewide grid during the highest-use times of the summer.
More information is available at MedinaEC.org/LM.
