10/30/2026
"The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) recorded load growth of roughly 4% during the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. But clean-power generation rose by more than 11%, far outpacing total demand growth and allowing generators to curb fossil-fuel generation growth even as total consumption scaled ​all-time highs."
Surging demand from data centers and air conditioners put the US power system through a tough test this summer. But instead of triggering a jump in fossil-fuel use, record renewables output carried much of the extra load and helped keep the lights on.
