When energy reserves start to look threatened, ERCOT will ideally call an Emergency Alert Level 1, allowing it to pull power resources from new places to stabilize the grid. Regardless of the cause, the shock to the system appears to have caught grid operators off guard. But the speed at which the system lost energy suggests more was at play, prompting some grid-watchers to suspect a large power plant stopped working. A drop in reserves is common in the evenings, as solar power decreases as the sun goes down. and 7 p.m., the power reserves available to the Texas grid began dropping suddenly. If it deviates for too long, that can break the electric grid, leading to catastrophe.ĭespite that call to conserve, between 6:30 p.m. The frequency should be kept steady at about 60 hertz. When supply and demand are out of whack, it disrupts the frequency over which electricity travels on the system.
These calls for conservation are one option the grid operator has to help balance energy supply and demand on the grid.