Texas quickly spiraled into a power emergency on Wednesday night when record September demand and a drop in supply prompted appeals to consumers to conserve electricity to avoid blackouts. Hot, humid weather put the squeeze on the grid, but another challenge looms next month: a solar eclipse that could slash output and create an unprecedented test for the embattled grid.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or Ercot as the state grid operator is known, suddenly declared a Level 2 emergency because reserve capacity had fallen to less than 1,750 megawatts. The heartbeat of the grid — measured in hertz — also fell perilously low, according to the grid operator. These conditions and the quick escalation of the grid emergency shocked generators, consumers and power experts alike.
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