The Energy Forum

10: Texas Grid Evolution and Its Intersection with Hurricanes, Demand Growth, and Resilience

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In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Ken Medlock sits down with Julie Cohn, a Center for Energy Studies (CES) nonresident scholar and research historian, and Miaomiao Rimmer, CES research manager, to explore how the Texas electric grid is adapting to compounding risks from storms, demand growth, and new technologies. They trace the evolution of ERCOT, unpack the dynamics of solar inverters and grid stability, and introduce a new CES dashboard that visualizes 75 years of disaster exposure alongside population growth and critical energy infrastructure.

Key topics include:

  • Why the Texas grid is an island — and why it matters.
  • Dealing with grid disturbances like those that surfaced in Odessa, Texas, in 2021 and on the Iberian Peninsula earlier this year.
  • Reconciling planning assumptions and regulations with rising demand.
  • The CES “Natural Disaster Resilience” dashboard and understanding the evolution of risk.

    • Explore the dashboard: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/ces-data-and-research-visualizations.

    Featured:

    • Julie Cohn, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/julie-cohn 

  • Miaomiao Rimmer, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/miaomiao-rimmer

  • Ken Medlock, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kenneth-b-medlock-iii

    • This conversation was recorded on June 18, 2025.

    Follow Ken Medlock, Ph.D., on X (@Ken_Medlock) and LinkedIn.

    You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

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    The Energy ForumBy Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy