Texas has been expanding its wind and solar energy generation for some years. New data shows that wind and solar set a new high for the percentage of ERCOT energy generated in a single quarter.
According to Lone Star Standard, Wind and solar produced a record 34% of the power dispatched by ERCOT in the first quarter of 2022. Together, wind and solar accounted for 71% of generation increases during the quarter. The amount of installed solar more than doubled in 2021, according to ERCOT data. Solar's share of power total ERCOT power generation was 4.9% during the first quarter, up from 2.9% over the same period in 2021.
In a release announcing this share of the market, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) analyst Dennis Wamsted wrote that "After passing coal as power source, Texas wind and solar now have natural gas in their sights."
The news of renewable share of Texas' electricity market came just before the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) released its "Electric Power Monthly" report for February 2022. This report showed that renewable energy accounted for 23.4% of total U.S. electricity in February and increased 26.5% year over year.
“Clean and renewable energy are a valuable part of America’s future and are closely tied with Texas’ prosperity and success,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote in his Clean Energy Week Proclamation in September 2020, according to Lone Star Standard.
Critics argue that the state's increased reliance on inconsistent energy sources leaves the state's grid vulnerable. Reliability is a major concern following winter storm Uri which left millions of Texans without power in the winter of 2021. Before the state's power grid was overwhelmed, energy supply from wind and solar sources had almost completely stopped leaving the load to be carried by natural gas, coal and nuclear power, according to Excellent Thought.
“Our reliance on renewables has put us in a situation where relatively minor fluctuations in the weather or mechanical problems can put us at risk,” Bill Peacock, policy director at the Energy Alliance said, according to Excellent Thought.
