How the power grid survived a hot, hot summer
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New wind turbines, solar panels and batteries played a major role in propping up the grid on the hottest days, but natural gas and coal plants remained a bedrock. Grid operators and utilities say they’re better prepared than in past years for extreme weather. And a dash of luck played a role, suggesting that the responses to future hot summers may not necessarily be so successful.
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“It’s become increasingly clear that renewables, along with enabling technologies like energy storage, are providing a more resilient source of power through the increasingly frequent weather extremes that we see with the changing climate,” said Gregory Wetstone, CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy, a nonprofit representing the renewable energy sector.
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“What we’re seeing now is a trend, not an anomaly,” Joiner said. With that in mind, the utility is preparing for higher peak loads and finding ways to get extra power in case of outages or unexpected spikes in demand. That includes ramping up battery storage as well as demand response.
Some grids are also looking to virtual power plants, which allow customers to pool their small home batteries and electric vehicles to supply electricity to the grid.
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