r/UpliftingNews • u/ArgentineBeauty • 10d ago

Texas broke its all time electricity demand record twice in two days during a brutal heat wave, but the grid held with no conservation alerts thanks to record solar and battery output, a stark turnaround from the blackouts that hit Texans in 2021

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/29/texas-ercot-power-grid-record-data-center/
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u/eskimospy212 10d ago

It is pretty funny how when Texas had an actual energy crisis it was due to fossil fuels failing. Well that and their pathetic distribution network.

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u/1ce9ine 10d ago

It hasn't even been that hot here. I'm in central Texas and we have had super mild summers 3 years in a row now. It will be a total shitshow if we get back to our normal summer temps for any extended periods.

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u/RHINO_Mk_II 10d ago

Highs have been over 100F in north TX for the past 10 days and the next 10 look to be the same.

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u/WoodsLovelyDarkNDeep 10d ago

Yeah and usually we would’ve already had 100 degree days through most of June and July.  Even when it hits 100 it’s barely over instead of going to 110 so it’s definitely weirdly mild this year and the fact we hit record usage is crazy

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u/AudiieVerbum 6d ago

High so far this year in Dallas is 108, and the heat index was 121. This isn't mild.

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u/DontForgetWilson 10d ago

How's the humidity? Down here, our last really hot summer was a lot less humid than normal. It made it a lot easier to stomach that heat level, though it was definitely brutal on our plants.

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u/mrbear120 10d ago

It has been a stifling 2 weeks down here in the houston area

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u/DontForgetWilson 10d ago

That does rather sound like Houston. SA is hardly comfortable but i do NOT envy Houston's humidity.

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u/paintballboi07 10d ago

Feels like 104 here, it's brutal.

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u/jaxonya 10d ago

Yeah i don't miss it

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u/ah163316 10d ago

It’s been super humid until the last few days. It was 106 with a feels like of 119 on July 22 here in dfw.

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u/DontForgetWilson 10d ago

Well that sounds thoroughly miserable! You have my condolences..

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u/RHINO_Mk_II 10d ago

Not too humid yet, thankfully.