ERCOT Breaks Demand Record With Low Prices Thanks to Solar and Batteries

ERCOT, the operator of the Texas power grid, reported an all-time peak demand of 91,134 megawatts (MW) on July 22, 2026, according to its summer operational review. That peak came in a summer when wholesale prices stayed low, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) analysis of November 2.

ERCOT's previous record was 85,508 MW, set on August 10, 2023. Between June 1 and September 30, 2023, the day-ahead market price closed above 125 dollars per megawatt-hour (USD/MWh) on 75 of 122 days, 61% of the period, and exceeded 1,000 USD/MWh on 20 days, with a peak of 4,213 USD/MWh on August 25. Over the same span in 2026, only five days topped 125 USD/MWh and the highest peak was 229 USD/MWh. The contrast matters for the region because the Mexican grid closed July with its own record: the National Interconnected System (SIN) reached 54,124 MW on July 23, 2.23% above its 2025 maximum, according to the CFE bulletin.

The explanation lies in installed capacity. ERCOT went from 22,153 MW of solar in 2023 to 41,185 MW in July 2026, and from 5,090 MW of batteries to 21,564 MW, IEEFA details. In August, solar covered nearly 33% of daily peak demand, versus 13.6% in 2023. On July 22, solar supplied 28,712 MW at 18:00, 31.5% of demand, and batteries injected 11,400 MW at 20:00, the system's second resource behind gas. In the first nine months, wind and solar together accounted for 40.3% of generation, three points more than a year earlier, while demand grew 5.4%. Maximum battery discharge reached 11,980 MW on July 22 and the current record is 13,255 MW, from August 23.

The next checkpoint is ERCOT's winter season and the next update of records from the National Energy Control Center (CENACE). For Mexican planning, the comparison leaves one concrete question: how much solar and storage capacity comes online before the summer 2027 peak.

This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.