Wind energy is saving the Texas grid, not crippling it

All that wind has also helped keep the state’s electricity prices low. Texas currently has the lowest electricity prices in the country, according to Rystad, largely thanks to wind. Other regions and states have seen electricity prices spike over the last week in response to the sudden onset of cold temperatures and an even higher reliance on natural gas, prices for which are high. California in particular has seen power prices jump briefly to record levels because the state has very little natural gas in storage and was caught off guard by low temperatures.

Texas has also used the time since the 2021 storm to invest in hardening its grid. According to a January 2022 report by ERCOT, the state’s grid operator, 321 out of 324 electricity generation facilities passed a review for extreme winter weather preparedness. Those upgrades haven’t yet been put to a 2021-level test—and there’s no telling when that might come.