As temperatures rise, air conditioners kick into high gear — and that can tax the power grid. But this year, grid operators are better prepared for high summer energy demand because solar power across the central US has nearly doubled since last year.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, acts as a sort of air traffic controller for utilities across 15 states, including northern Missouri and the city of Columbia.
MISO spokesperson McKenzie Barbknecht said the region has more energy capacity this year thanks to solar power plants coming online across the region, with the largest contributions coming from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Michigan.
“A big focus of MISO and our member utilities and our states have been to add more generation to the system to meet increased demand that we expect to see over the next decade or more,” she said.
Barbknecht said the grid operator is still learning how to best manage solar resources by using that power during peak hours and switching to other resources when the sun sets.
Summer heat and high energy demand
Energy demand in each season is connected to weather. Severe weather can affect what certain power plants are able to produce, and it can tax transmission infrastructure. In summer, higher temperatures result in more power needed for cooling homes and workplaces.
Weather across the nation can vary significantly. The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) manages energy supply and demand among utilities across 17 states including parts of central and western Missouri.
“We are anticipating a little bit higher than normal temperatures and lower than normal precipitation,” said CJ Brown, the Southwest Power Pool’s Vice President of Operations.
“Those are the two things that we're watching very closely. They do have large impacts,” Brown said. “Obviously, higher than normal temperatures affects load. Lower than normal precipitation affects our hydro (power plants) and other aspects of the grid.”
SPP’s record for highest summer energy demand happened in 2023.
“In 2023 we had the infamous heat dome in late August,” said Jeff Baskin, a meteorologist with SPP.
Barbknecht said MISO meteorologists are anticipating normal to slightly below normal temperatures for Missouri and the central part of its territory this summer.
However, Baskin said there’s an 80% chance North America will experience El Nino this summer — weather patterns resulting from warmer ocean water temperatures.
“We certainly do have the potential to have significant heat waves as we go into an El Nino summer following a La Nina winter,” he said.
