UPDATE: ERCOT officials have deployed some reserve power to keep up with ballooning demand for electricity in Texas. On its public notices page, the grid operator said it has deployed 663 megawatts of non-spin reserves at 12:51 p.m.
Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographerAnother round of non-spin reserves has been deployed, adding another 605 megawatts of power to the grid as demand nears 76,000 megawatts. Non-spin reserve assets are those that can be turned on within 30 minutes.One megawatt is enough to power about 200 homes on a hot day. Current forecasts suggest demand could reach about 79,600 megawatts by 5 p.m., which would set an all-time system record.
Level 3 — when rolling blackouts for everyone are a possibility — is triggered when operating reserves dip below 1,000 megawatts and aren't expected to recover within 30 minutes. If that happens, ERCOT will tell utilities — like CenterPoint in Houston — to reduce demand on the system by turning off people's power.
Officials cited a heat wave that has settled over Texas for driving power demand above a system-high record of more than 80,000 megawatts set last week. One megawatt is enough electricity to power about 200 homes on a hot summer day. Texans can help conserve electricity by setting their thermostats hotter and by postponing the use of large appliances — like washers, pool pumps, dryers and dishwashers — until after 8 p.m.
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