To: Wharf Rat  who wrote (1567852 ) 10/25/2025 12:13:07 PM From: Eric  1 RecommendationRecommended By  Wharf Rat
    Respond to    of 1569841    ERCOT Increasingly Meets Rising Demand with Solar, Wind, & Batteries    12 hours ago 		 			   				US Energy Information Administration    6 Comments   	  Support CleanTechnica's work through  a Substack subscription  or  on Stripe .   Data source:  U.S. Energy Information Administration,  Short-Term Energy Outlook Note:  This data set shows demand in the electric power industry only. ERCOT=Electric Reliability Council of Texas  Since 2021, electricity demand within the Texas electricity grid  operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has  steadily increased. In the first nine months of 2025, electricity demand  in ERCOT, which manages about 90% of the state’s load, reached a record  high compared with the same period in previous years. Over those same  months, ERCOT  had the fastest electricity demand growth among U.S. electricity grids  between  2024 and 2025. From January through September 2025, demand for electric  power in ERCOT increased 5% compared with the same period in 2024 to  372 terawatthours (TWh), 23% more than the same months in 2021. Since  2023, wind and solar generation, especially utility-scale solar, have  been the fastest-growing sources of electricity in ERCOT and are  increasingly meeting rising demand.  Utility-scale solar generated 45 TWh of electricity in the first nine  months of 2025, 50% more than the same period in 2024 and nearly four  times more than the same period in 2021, when utility-scale solar only  produced 11 TWh. Wind generation through the first nine months of this  year totaled 87 TWh, up 4% compared with the same period in 2024 and 36%  since the same period in 2021. Together, wind and solar generation met  36% of ERCOT’s electricity demand in the first nine months of 2025.  Data source:  U.S. Energy Information Administration,  Short-Term Energy Outlook Note:  The other  category  includes nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, batteries, and other  nonrenewable sources. ERCOT=Electric Reliability Council of Texas  Natural gas-fired generation also increased after 2021 but flattened  more recently. Natural gas-fired generation between January and  September increased to 161 TWh in 2023, 24% more than the same period in  2021. Since 2023, natural gas-fired generation remained relatively  flat, totaling 158 TWh between January and September 2025. Although it  is still the largest source of electricity for ERCOT, natural gas-fired  generation averaged 43% in the first nine months of 2025, compared with  47% in the first nine months of 2023 and 2024.  The types of energy sources used for electricity generation can vary  on an hourly basis, especially during the summer. Solar output is  highest during midday hours, and the increased availability of solar  generation in ERCOT in recent years has reduced the need for natural  gas-fired generation during that time of the day. Solar generators in  ERCOT produced an average of 24 gigawatts (GW) between noon and 1:00  p.m. during the summer months of June through September compared with an  average of 12 GW of solar generation at noon in the summer months of  2023. Over the same period, the share of natural gas-fired generation at  midday fell from 50% in 2023 to 37% in 2025.  Data source:  U.S. Energy Information Administration,  Hourly Grid Monitor  , October 2025Note:  The other  category  includes nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, batteries (for 2021 and  2023), and other nonrenewable sources. Summer=June, July, August, and  September hourly values for each year; ERCOT=Electric Reliability  Council of Texas  Batteries store electricity during daytime when generation from wind  and solar is the highest, and they supply electricity when generation  from wind and solar is declining. Beginning in October 2024, ERCOT began  reporting battery output separately in its hourly grid data. In the  summer months of 2025, batteries helped supply electricity in the  evening as solar output declined, supplying an average of 4 GW in the  8:00 p.m. hour.  ERCOT’s electricity demand is forecast to grow faster than that of  any other grid operator in the United States through at least 2026. In  our October  Short-Term Energy Outlook  ,  we forecast demand will rise another 14% in the first nine months of  2026 compared with the same period this year, reaching 425 TWh.  Principal contributors:  Kimberly Peterson, Tyler Hodgcleantechnica.com  My comments: Storage is the last nail in the Fossil Fueled electrical power generation coffin. FF's are just too polluting, finite and expensive now. Terminal Eric