Have you ever wondered how it is that there’s always (or just about always) electricity available when you flip a switch? It’s not magic, it’s thanks to the work done by the people at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
ERCOT staff will provide us with an overview of current trends and conditions for grid operations and markets including renewable energy resources. Their senior analyst specializing in market design for distributed generation will also be on-hand to cover topics of interest that could be relevant to distributed energy services like commercial and residential solar.
WHEN: Friday, October 14, 2016, ERCOT tour 2-4 p.m., Texas Beer Company after 4 p.m.
WHERE: 800 Airport Rd, Taylor, TX 76574
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AND THE TOUR IS LIMITED TO 30 PARTICIPANTS, SO RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW.
Carpooling
Parking is limited at the ERCOT control center, so please carpool if you can. Carpools will leave at 1:00 p.m. from both locations.
NORTH LOCATION: Walmart (12900 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78753)
CENTRAL LOCATION: Home Depot (1200 Barbara Jordan Blvd #100, Austin, TX 78723)
Post Tour Visit to the Texas Beer Company
After the tour, we invite you to join us for a drink at the Texas Beer Company in Taylor. We’ll start by stopping by the warehouse brewery (which will be completed next year) to check out their solar array. Then we’ll head to the brewpub for a cold drink. This start-up brewary and taproom is owned and operated by Austin natives who love solar, so it’s a great place to finish our afternoon in Taylor.
WAREHOUSE BREWERY: 1331 W 2nd, Taylor, TX 76574
BREWPUB: 201 North Main St, Taylor, TX 76574
About ERCOT
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 24 million Texas customers – representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 550 generating units. ERCOT also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for 7 million premises in competitive choice areas. ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature. ERCOT’s members include consumers, cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers,) and municipal-owned electric utilities.