PUC Announces New ERCOT Survey to Measure Consumer Cost of Electricity Outages

by OCSC | Apr 1, 2024 | Blog, ERCOT

The survey, developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been deployed by utilities and electricity regulators in other jurisdictions to assist in the creation of grid reliability policies and to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of grid infrastructure...

ERCOT Prepares for April 8 Eclipse, Expects 7.6 Percent Loss of Solar Energy Output

by OCSC | Mar 14, 2024 | ERCOT

Maximum solar generation impact will occur at 1:40 p.m., with solar capacity levels reducing to 7.6 percent of maximum clear sky output ________________________________________________ The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s primary grid operator, has...

ERCOT Bylaw Changes that Undermine Stakeholder Authority Upheld in District Court

by OCSC | Mar 14, 2024 | ERCOT

ERCOT historically had operated the power grid under bylaws that assign certain governance responsibilities to its board and others its stakeholder membership. ________________________________________________ ERCOT bylaw changes that potentially undermine the...

New ERCOT Independent Market Monitor Jeff McDonald Named to Replace Carrie Bivens

by OCSC | Mar 14, 2024 | ERCOT

McDonald replaces Carrie Bivens, who announced her resignation as ERCOT’s Independent Market Monitor in November. ________________________________________________ Jeff McDonald, a veteran of both the New England and California power grids, has been named ERCOT’s new...

ERCOT Pilot Project Shows Promise for Distributed Energy Aggregation

by OCSC | Mar 7, 2024 | Blog, ERCOT

ADERs are comprised are small generation resources that respond in aggregate to ERCOT demand response instructions. ________________________________________________ A pilot project to test the feasibility of aggregating distributed energy resources — that is,...

Lawsuit: PUC Illegally Propped up Wholesale Electric Prices during Winter Storm Uri

by OCSC | Feb 20, 2024 | Blog, ERCOT

A lawsuit filed by a Houston-based power trader alleges the PUC created “illegal competition rules” by implementing changes that drove up wholesale energy prices. ________________________________________________ Texas regulators broke the law by implementing rules...