KTRH-AM covering local news from Houston and across Texas.
The Texas power grid has faced its fair share of concerns int he last decade or two. Especially in the wake of 2021 Winter Storm Uri, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has been making strides to make the power grid more reliable. Which is no easy task, considering the exploding population of Texas. Part of that push has been the expansion of solar power. After all, for a good eight months of the year, the state is blasted by the sun.
The growth has been steady in the solar sector the last few years, as the state tries firing up more natural gas and even small modular nuclear reactors to help keep up with the demand. But it seems to not just be holding up but helping the state stay above water. T1 Energy CEO Dan Barcelo said recently that some days, the Texas grid is over 50-percent solar. That means 50-percent or more of our generated power is coming from solar, on some days at least.
T1 Energy spokesman Russell Gold says while it sounds scary, this has actually been a good thing.
"We are actually seeing fewer times where ERCOT is having issues with the grid…more solar does not create reliability concerns, in fact, the evidence shows it appears to be doing the opposite," he says.
The last ten years, the solar capacity in Texas has drastically increased, which helps. In 2016, the state had about 1,200 megawatts of solar capacity. As of last year, the state holds about 22 gigawatts of solar capacity, over 17 times the capacity of ten years ago.
That means solar has had time to scale up properly with the growth of the state, as that is enough to power about 3.5 million homes. But it is especially important during our brutal Texas summers.
"During summers, when we need power most, it is the middle of the day…that is when solar is the biggest contributor," says Gold. "The good part about solar is it syncs up with demand."
There has been fears over solar and wind energy in recent years, and with wind, those fears are entirely justified. But solar has a place in the future of the Texas grid.
This not only helps consumers, but solar has become a huge boon to the state’s overall bottom line.
"It is helping us compete in artificial intelligence…that is what is allowing out economy to grow right now," Gold says.
He adds that solar is like having extra sets of tools in your toolbox. The more tools you have, the more stable the grid will become.
Photo: VioNettaStock / E+ / Getty Images

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