COLD WEATHER PREP - Many Texas businesses have adjusted how they prepare for winter storms. In particular, the vitally important grocery store. After last year's power grid failures caused by extreme weather, grocery store chains prepared to supply their own power. Gary Huddleston with the Texas Retailers Association explains what steps stores have taken.
“In-store generators and generators at distribution centers to make sure they have sufficient power,” Huddleston said.
Huddleston also said stores are working closer with the Texas utility companies, to better know when power might come back on after a blackout.
“If they know how long, or have an idea of how long-anticipated power might be off, then they can make decisions on how to protect the product,” Huddleston explained.
With the new precautions in place, Grocery Store operators can keep perishable items from going bad as what happened in many cases during the electric grid failures last year.
TX SOLAR BATTERY POWER – And another way businesses can address power shortages is solar and battery storage technology. A new solar and battery project southeast of Dallas is adding much-needed power to the state's electrical grid. The state gets a huge part of its energy from fossil fuels like natural gas but many gas delivery systems failed during the winter storm last year. And while batteries are currently a minuscule part of Texas' energy makeup, more are coming online. Alfonso Reyes is site manager of the Lily Solar and Storage project in Kaufman County.
“We have around 600 megawatts of battery capacity under construction in Texas. For comparison, in 2020, there was a total of about 119 megawatts on the grid,” Reyes said.
The Lily Solar and Storage project is owned by Enel Green Power which has renewable energy plants in 14 states including Texas. A federal report last year said the cost of stand-alone battery systems is dropping for residential, commercial, and utility-scale battery projects. As prices continue to drop, it’s likely more plants like the one in Kaufman County Texas will be built across the United States.