A lesson for Europe: As renewable capacity grows, Texas will likely need to curtail generation more often

As in other U.S. states and countries around the world, installed solar and wind capacity has grown rapidly in Texas in recent years. Given the intermittent nature of these sources, there are times when electricity is in surplus and generation must be deliberately curtailed. According to projections by a U.S. government agency, the capacity of these sources in Texas will continue to grow unless the state's power grid undergoes necessary upgrades.

According to data from the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), installed wind and solar capacity in Texas exceeded 50 GW last year. Additional capacity comes from smaller solar installations of up to 1 MW, which the agency does not include in all of its statistics. According to the EIA’s current projections, total installed capacity from these sources in Texas is expected to double by 2035.

Last year, Texas already saw significant curtailment of generation from wind and solar farms, according to the agency. The grid operator, ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), had to reduce wind farm generation by 5% last year, while the average reduction for solar farms was as high as 9%. According to the agency’s projections, curtailment of generation from Texas wind farms could average 13% by the middle of the next decade, while solar farms may leave almost one-fifth of their maximum potential generation unused.