Texas' first major heat wave this summer brought record demand for electric use as generation from wind power slumped. According to Bill Peacock, The Energy Alliance policy director, "The increasing reliance of Texas on wind power has reduced the reliability of Texas' electric grid."
The challenge from increased reliance on wind generation has been highlighted this summer as electricity generated from wind in May dropped 40% from 2022, Reuters reported.
“The problem with wind continued as temperatures increased in June. In the first 19 days of June, around 185,000 MW of wind power was generated, which is down 45% from the 336,000 MW generated in the same period in 2022," according to Reuters.
Wind generation's failure to keep up with demand during this hot summer highlights the inability of renewable energy to maintain a reliable supply of electricity and the Texas Legislature's failure to properly address this problem, Peacock said.
The drop in wind generation has been exacerbated by a reduction from other resources. "Combined with a roughly 25% drop in power generation from coal, and a 6.2% decline in nuclear output, the slump in wind generation has left ERCOT's total power generation roughly 3% down during the first half of June from the same period in 2022," Reuters reported.
Texans face more than reliability problems with renewables. "Wind and solar generation is vastly more expensive than natural gas, coal and nuclear generation,” Peacock said. “The 2023 cost in Texas of renewable subsidies and protecting the grid from renewables will exceed $2.7 billion."
It appears that the reliability problems with renewables will not go away any time soon.
"The Texas Legislature this session did nothing to address Texas’ decades' long support of wind and solar through subsidies and benefits. Instead, it doubled down on subsidies by authorizing $8.9 billion of subsidies and loans to traditional thermal generation," Peacock said.
The reason for Texas' reliability problem is the large increase in wind's share of the market. "In 2022, wind farms generated 25% of the electricity used in ERCOT. Solar farms generated 5.65%. Ten years earlier, wind’s market share was 12.25% and solar’s 0.03%. This has placed a great strain on the grid because neither of these generation sources can be counted on when needed," Peacock said.
While wind generation produces large market shares in temperate months, that share drops during periods of extreme temperature. According to Peacock, "In March, April, May, October and November, wind’s market share is 31.7%. In the winter months of December, January and February, wind’s market share drops to 25.7%. In the summer months of June, July, August and September, wind’s market share plummets to 18.1%."
Solar generation often compensates for the drop in wind output. But not always.
"Texas has already experienced scenarios when solar failed to produce because clouds covered solar panels in West Texas while the rest of Texas was simmering in the summer heat. In addition, as expected, solar generation drops precipitously during the winter. Its market share in December is almost half of what it is in June and July," Peacock said.