Texas Authorities Urgently Beg Residents to Turn Off Air Conditioning Because There is No Wind to Power the Windmills

This is not The Onion or any form of spoof.  

This was real life, and it was happening yesterday.

Amid a heatwave throughout most of Texas, The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, is urgently asking Texas residents to conserve electricity because “it has projected a shortage in energy reserves Monday “with no market solution available.” Voluntary conservation is needed between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday.”

The problem, as the Texas power authorities have identified it, is outlined via NBC News:

According to ERCOT, factors driving the need for this important action by customers:

• • • Record high electric demand. The heat wave that has settled on Texas and much of the central United States is driving increased electric use. Other grid operators are operating under similar conservative operations programs as ERCOT due to the heatwave.

• • • Low wind. While solar power is generally reaching near-full generation capacity, wind generation is currently generating significantly less than what it historically generated in this time period. Current projections show wind generation coming in less than 10 % of its capacity.

Conservation notifications are issued when projected reserves may fall below 2300 MW for 30 minutes or more, according to ERCOT. (link)