ERCOT has published an annual report that addresses developments related to reliability, resource adequacy and planning, grid integration, renewables and energy storage in 2014. Highlights of the Power Forward: 2014 State of the Grid Report include:
- ERCOT added new rules in 2014 to help define how storage resources, currently totaling 36 MW of battery capacity, provide “fast-responding regulation service.” Although no new storage facilities were developed in ERCOT in 2014, nearly 600 MW of new storage capacity is being studied for possible future integration.
- ERCOT generation developers added more than 2,100 MW of new gas-fired generation, nearly 1,500 MW of new wind generation, and a 38-MW utility-scale solar project in 2014.
- Although utility-scale solar still represents less than 1% of capacity and energy production in the ERCOT region, ERCOT anticipates significant growth. By the end of 2014, more than 6,000 MW was under study, and another 385 MW had agreements in place to connect to the ERCOT grid in the near future.
- In early 2014, tight supply during two extreme cold snaps sent prices to the previous offer cap of $5,000/MWh during about 20 intervals (about 1.5 hours) in the security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED) system.
- Texas continues to lead U.S. states in wind-energy capacity, with 12,470 MW installed in ERCOT at the end of 2014, including the addition of 1,488 MW in new generation. During 2014, wind energy provided 10.6% of the total energy consumed in ERCOT.