We need to keep growing and refining for the future.

The Dallas Morning News

The biggest question going in Texas this week was how our grid would perform as bone-chilling cold created record demand for energy across the state.

The answer, so far, is reassuring if not cause for declaring victory.

The number to keep in mind is 75,000 megawatts: the record we just set for demand, surpassing the record set in 2022.

The good news is that supply kept up with the need, even as state officials called for conservation and the supply and demand curves briefly got uncomfortably close.

That’s a signal that the work that was done after the disaster of 2021 is paying off in more reliable service from fuel transfer to power generation to electricity transmission. Every part of the grid demonstrated weakness during that winter storm. And just about every major fuel source contributed to the problem.

Hopefully, most people now understand that the narrative spread by leading state officials that renewable energy was to blame was false.

The ensuing and foolish effort to cripple renewable growth in the state fortunately didn’t bear much fruit after 2021, though it is a perpetual effort on the part of powerful Texans who want to use the state to manipulate the market in favor of natural gas.

That is becoming harder to do, and Texas is better for it. Natural gas was, and will remain for the foreseeable future, the major source of generation in the state. But renewables are delivering for Texas in crucial ways.

Texas has long been the national leader in wind production. But we are also now also the national leader in solar energy, surpassing California in October, according to Advanced Power Alliance.

Meanwhile, battery storage is growing. And a very interesting signal about battery power emerged this week, as battery operators were able to profit nicely off purchasing, storing and then selling back electricity during the freeze. That’s a great signal of a strong battery market that needs to expand.

Texas is growing because it’s a great place to live and do business. But that growth is stressing every part of our electricity system.

We passed a big test this weekend, and credit goes to those who ensured we winterized the system.

But the main credit goes to a state that was wise enough to tread lightly on market forces that are gradually shifting the electricity game.

Texas has enough power because we have let new sources of power respond according to market demand. Let’s be sure not to mess with what’s working.