Part 1 outlined ERCOT’s role in maintaining a stable grid.
- Let’s take a closer look at what the grid actually is.
Why it matters: Knowing the different pieces of the Texas Electricity Market can help you understand where to turn for information during an outage.
👉 It starts with power generation —> hundreds of power plants in Texas produce more than twice the electricity of the next highest state in the U.S, Florida.
- Luminant’s natural gas power plant in Forney or the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power plant in Somervell County are two examples.
👉 The grid is then made up of transmission and distribution lines, substations and transformers.
- Transmission lines are the large high voltage steel towers you see in green belt areas.
- Distribution lines are lower voltage lines that deliver the electricity to your house.
👉 Companies that own and operate these lines are called Transmission and Distribution Utilities (TDUs).
- Oncor is the largest TDU in North Texas.
- Utility co-ops like CoServ also operate throughout North Texas.
👉 Your TDU owns and monitors your meter.
- They are the ones you call when your power goes out.
✅ For your Smart Homeowner list
- Make sure you know who your TDU is, so you know where to turn for information during an outage or in the event of a downed power line or transformer.
Best,
Travis