Amid record heat wave, Texas grid powers through
With an extreme heat wave gripping half the country, this summer has been less one to enjoy than one to endure.
Temperatures averaging above 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and in the 90s at night have kept Americans in the Southern and Western United States sheltering inside whenever they can, as the country’s aging electrical grid works overtime to support air conditioners fighting Saharan heat. And for Texas, prolonged heat waves in June and then July had the potential for widespread disruption, if not disaster.
Unlike the rest of the country, which is part of a network of interconnected power grid systems, most Texans live on an isolated grid. That grid, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), is also supporting a growing number of people and facing a growing frequency of extreme weather events. If that grid fails, the state goes dark –
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