As Texans adapted to COVID lockdowns, extreme winter weather, and soaring summer temperatures, the
Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) underwent its own evolution with its ever-changing resource mix. One of four frequency-independent power grids in North America, ERCOT is one of a kind in that the balancing authority, the interconnection, and the regional transmission organization all exist under the same entity and physical system. This unique structure, of course, comes with its own set of unique challenges and opportunities.
Join us on July 27th as Warren Lasher, the Senior Director of System Planning at ERCOT, sits down with Solar Austin to discuss what’s happening behind the scenes in Texas energy. In a
featured interview on KUT, Lasher likened ERCOT’s role as a reliability coordinator and balancing authority to John Bohnham’s role in Led Zeppelin. Just as a drummer might need to maintain a tempo of 60 beats per minute, ERCOT needs to maintain the heartbeat of the grid at 60 cycles per second. Lasher has been helping keep the beat steady by first planning for the future.
We will be chatting about ERCOT’s recent resource adequacy reports and Loss-of-Load studies, and get a sneak peek at the technologies in the interconnection queue and implications for the future. Hint: you can expect a lot more solar coming down the pipeline! With Lasher’s near horizon view of the ERCOT production market, this happy hour offers an opportunity for deep inquiry you won’t want to miss!
About the Speaker: As Senior Director of System Planning for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT), Warren Lasher is responsible for transmission planning, load forecasting, and resource adequacy analyses for the ERCOT interconnection. Lasher has been at ERCOT for 15+ years. Previously, Lasher worked at the Southern Company in Birmingham, Alabama in the company’s Engineering and Planning organizations. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and graduate degrees in Environmental Management and Computer Science.