How ERCOT Power Spiked to $1,000+ on a Cloudless Day

On April 24, electricity prices in West Texas surged from $26/MWh to over $1,100/MWh in under an hour—not due to an extreme heatwave or unexpected storm, but during a routine clear-sky sunset. In this video, we analyze real settlement and grid data alongside high-resolution weather data to unpack why this solar ramp caught the day-ahead market off guard: • The Duck Curve in action: ERCOT solar output plummeting from ~26,300 MW to ~2,000 MW in under 2.5 hours. • Day-ahead vs. Real-time pricing: A 3.7x spread ($36 vs. $1,130) in a single settlement window. • Weather verification via Meteomatics API: Confirming 0 oktas (completely cloudless sky) and routine solar irradiance decline (756 W/m² down to 40 W/m²). • Generation response: Battery discharge and natural gas ramping, and why flexible capacity still fell short. 🔗 Explore the Tools: • Meteomatics Weather API for Energy: https://www.meteomatics.com/en/energy-industry/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=organic-social&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&utm_content=post-link • GridStatus Grid Data API: https://www.gridstatus.io 📁 Code & Sample Data: • Get the code snippets: https://github.com/JimRobinsonMeteomatics/ercot-solar-ramp-demo • Follow along to query both APIs and reproduce the ERCOT duck curve analysis. #ERCOT #EnergyTrading #SolarEnergy #WeatherAPI #DuckCurve #GridStatus #PowerMarkets