🌎 It’s World Press Freedom Day. Stand with Marketplace and our independent journalism. Donate now

Texas' electric grid is feeling the strain, and it's not even that hot yet

Apr 16, 2024
A big part of the problem: Power plants usually go offline for maintenance in April.
April is annual maintenance time for Texas power plants, making it harder for the grid to handle a heat spike.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

What might new leadership at ERCOT mean for the troubled Texas power grid?

Aug 16, 2022
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas' new CEO has experience working under a different power pricing model — a capacity market.
Texas operates an energy-only electricity market, which means energy producers only get paid when they generate, and there’s usually not a lot of electricity on standby.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images