The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced that the Biden administration would spend over $200 million to bolster electrical grid stability in the wake of “extreme” weather conditions.
Texas will receive $60.6 million of the $207.6 million in grants that will be divided among nine states and three Native American tribal nations. Other states receiving the funding include California, Michigan, and Minnesota.
The department intends these new funds to be used for the development of “affordable, reliable, clean electricity,” according to a Department of Energy press release.
“DOE is excited to announce a continued stream of funding aimed at strengthening America’s workforce and preparing the nation for a more resilient, clean energy future,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm in the release. “These grants will help modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters while enhancing power sector reliability.”
Granholm said that renewable energy has already helped parts of the nation withstand a “crippling heat dome.”
However, the power grid for the State of Texas is primarily run on natural gas. The Texas Comptroller reported that more than 47% of the electricity in the state’s grid is powered by natural gas, with another 20% coming from coal. Two nuclear power plants in the state contributed roughly 11%.
Renewable sources such as wind, solar, and others collectively amount to about 21% of the grid’s output.
The Texas Senate had previously pushed back against funding renewable sources, claiming fossil fuels are more reliable during extreme weather.
“We’re going to have dispatchable [energy generation] that guarantees in the worst weather conditions that when you hit that light switch, the lights come on,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, president of the Texas Senate, said at a press conference in March.
Although the over-arching purpose of the grants is to promote “clean energy,” the State of Texas, in applying for the grant, specified that it would use the funds to enhance and maintain the systems already in place.
“Texas will use grant funds to identify gaps in grid resilience and minimize disruption to normal grid operations during weather events with weatherization and modeling technologies, as well as vegetation and fuel load management,” said the DOE in the release.
“Furthermore, Texas will increase the skilled workforce by assuring that any installed resilience measures can be operated and maintained without contractor support, whenever possible.”
In 2021, Winter Storm Uri caused a failure in the Texas power grid, during which hundreds of Texans lost their lives and millions lost power, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Oppressive temperatures this summer have already resulted in one voluntary conservation notice from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the agency that oversees the operation of Texas’ power grid.
Presently, ERCOT reports that grid conditions are normal, and there is enough power to supply the needs of the state.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) said that he was proud of the distribution of these funds, noting that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law providing the funds was based on his POWER ON Act.
“As once-in-a-generation weather events test the resiliency of our grid, these life-saving investments will ensure families — especially ones in disadvantaged communities — are not left in the dark,” said Padilla in the news release.