Renewable energy is becoming a major player in powering cities like Houston. It helps to cut down on greenhouse emissions and add to power to the grid.
As of 3 p.m. Friday, May 10, ERCOT reported that renewable sources such as nuclear, wind, and solar account for 52% of the total power demand. This number fluctuates due to factors like weather.
More renewable technology could touch the Texas coastline in the coming years. In 2011, Eco-Wave Power floaters that produce electricity near shore and continue to be installed across the globe.
They’ll install their first buoys in the U.S. in the Port of Los Angeles this year, but CEO Inna Braverman sees this coming to the Gulf Coast in the future.
“I think that, definitely it should touch the Texas coastline. We did a feasibility study together with shell that a was funded by shell for the best sites in the U.S. coastline and from that study we came up with like about seven sites in Texas where there’s already breakwaters and where we can build power stations. Some are often megawatts, which is like 10,000 households,” Braverman said.
With supply and demand concerns during extreme heat and cold periods in Texas, other factors will stress the grid in the future. Dr. Haris Krishnamoorthy with the University of Houston says there are two major driving factors.
“Mainly industrial and population growth. Texas is experiencing both! ERCOT is expecting the peak power demand to increase from about 90 G.W. (summer-2024) to about 150 GW (2030), which is a huge increase,” Krishnamoorthy said.
