Temperatures are expected to hit 100 degrees and above for multiple days across much of the state starting Thursday, signaling a relentless summer that will continue to put stress on the state’s power grid.
An abnormally-warm May turned into an even hotter June, which has already registered six 100-degree days. To put things into perspective, June typically clocks roughly two 100-degree days in the entire month, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Texas broke its peak electricity demand record again on Monday, doing so for the second time in as many weeks.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) clocked more than 76,600 megawatts, overtaking the previous record of roughly 75,000 megawatts on June 12.
Home air conditioners are driving much of the electrical use this summer. Despite ERCOT’s pleas to Texans to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees, the organization anticipates continued high demand as the state enters another heatwave this week.
ERCOT, which manages the state’s grid, claims it has ample energy reserves to meet an increase in demand, even over the past weeks’ record highs, per Fox Business.
Population growth, more extreme weather, and the growing number of Bitcoin miners are putting the state’s independent power grid to the test, and all three factors will likely be sticking around for the foreseeable future.