Texas A&M System increases its activities to stabilize the Texas energy grid

BRYAN, Texas, 23. May — The Texas A&M University System has issued the following press release:

BRYAN COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas A&M University System today took the first steps toward creating a peak load power grid on its owned lands across the state to help stabilize the Texas Power grid during peak demand.

Peaking power plants, also known simply as “peaker plants,” are power plants typically used to generate electricity during periods of peak demand. They are an essential part of modern power grids and provide a reliable source of electricity during times of high demand.

On Tuesday, The A&M-System invited private developers to submit their proposals for building peaker power plants on A&.M-System-Real estate financed by the newly created 5 billion US dollarsTexas Energy Fund.

“This will help ensure that our campuses and surrounding communities are never without power again, while increasing power supplies to ensure that all Texas is protected,” said Johannes ScharfChancellor The Texas A&M University System.

Sharp said hundreds of millions of dollars worth of research was lost during the 2021 winter storm Uri when power outages cut off power to labs and refrigerators in Texas.

Peaking power plants are designed to prevent blackouts by only operating during times of high electricity demand, such as hot summer days when air conditioning systems are under particularly high strain, or during major events that require high energy consumption. They are not designed to operate continuously, but can be activated quickly when needed to stabilize the grid. They only operate on a few days a year.

Peaking power plants also play a crucial role in integrating renewable energy sources into the grid. Since renewable sources such as wind and solar are intermittent, peaking power plants can serve as backup power when these sources are not generating electricity.

The Texas Energy Fund was founded after the power outages caused by the winter storm Uri made it clear to everyone that the Texas power grid did not have sufficient generating capacity. It was created by Senate Bill 2627 in 2023 through legislation sponsored by Senators Charles Schwertner, Carol Alvarado, Paul Bettencourt and representative Todd HunterVoters approved the constitutional amendment that Texas Energy Fund in November.

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Around The Texas A&M University System

The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest higher education systems in the country with a budget of 7.3 billion US dollarsThrough a nationwide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health sciences center, eight state agencies and the Texas A&M RELLIS campus, Texas A&M-System educates more than 157,000 students and makes over 21 million additional educational contacts each year through service and outreach programs. Research and development spending across the system exceeds 1 billion US dollars and help stimulate the state’s economy.

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