Testimony to PUC on backup power needs

Testimony to the Public Utility Commission of Texas meeting in Houston on October 5, 2024.

Good afternoon and thank you for being here. My name is Saami Baig, and I’m a student at Rice University and an intern with Environment Texas. I’m also a lifelong resident of Houston and have experienced many blackouts recently; during Hurricane Beryl, our power went in and out, and I was very lucky to have backup power, but seeing my sister scramble to take care of my niece in the aftermath of the hurricane has given me insight into the impacts that these repeated power outages can have. My sister’s in-laws also had their roof bust open when a tree fell on it, and on top of that, she’s nursing. All the milk that she had stocked and frozen almost melted and spoiled. And we were very lucky; we had backup power and could care for her. But so many families do not have that privilege. According to Texas A&M researchers, an estimated 100 people died due to the extreme heat during Beryl. 

While Houston has always experienced hurricanes and flooding, scientists are overwhelmingly clear that burning fossil fuels is making extreme weather more frequent, more severe, and more deadly and destructive. 

So it’s critical that we build an electric grid that is both more resilient to extreme weather but also one that doesn’t make the problem worse by cooking our climate. 

One way we can achieve both of those goals is through greater use of clean distributed energy resources like rooftop solar and batteries. While the PUC has taken some baby steps in this direction, it is clear that far more needs to be done. 

For example, last year, the Legislature made what was called the Texas Power Promise…a part of the Texas Energy Fund. The Legislature appropriated $1.8 billion for backup power at critical infrastructure like nursing homes and water treatment plants, but none of that money has been spent yet. That sounds like a broken promise to me. We really could have used that during the Beryl power outages.

In addition, as part of their energy efficiency filing earlier this year, Centerpoint proposed creating a pilot program to provide rebates to customers to install batteries in their homes. That’s a great idea! This would provide backup power for folks during emergencies and push power onto the grid at peak demand during non-emergencies. After Beryl, you would think Centerpoint would have redoubled their efforts on this front. Instead, they’ve abandoned plans for the pilot altogether. 

Finally, the Advanced Distributed Energy Resources (ADER) pilot is allowing Texans to share electricity from their home solar + battery systems to the grid and get rewarded for their contribution. This additional revenue is helping make the economics of home batteries more likely to pencil out. We should put this program on steroids and work to get as many batteries in people’s homes as possible.