We have plenty of power for 99.5% of the year. Unfortunately, for those few hours (it's not even days) that we exceed peak demand, utilities are forced to build new plants (which sit idle most of the time). That's not cost-efficient.

Austin doesn't ever have to get to rolling blackouts. Asking us to conserve is a great strategy for the utility (it keeps profits high, and in our case, those profits go toward municipal improvements). Unfortunately, even in a "green" city like Austin, it's probably not quite enough. A better solution would be to enlist the large corporate consumers in the conservation program. For example: the Austin Water Utility consumes about 4% of Austin Energy's total. They also at any given time have several days of clean drinking water for us to use. If they would simply agree to shut down for a few hours on the five days a year we need them to, problem solved.

By the time we REALLY need new power (about 4 years from now), the ERCOT nodal transition will be complete, and we can more easily use existing generation capacity from the spot market from places like Amarillo (where they have more generation capacity than they need) instead of having the City build more plants here...

Wonder why the 360 condos still have those 500,000 watt colored lights blazing on the rooftop every nght?

Ohh... only poor people are being asked to conserve electricity. I get it. ;)

Jason, there's plenty of juice for nighttime lighting (aside from the energy waste). The problem is in the late afternoon, when it is hottest outside and the A/C is working hardest in every building and house in town.

But don't let that fact get in the way of your silly class warfare talk.

^Ah...Austin...everything is "class warfare" or "conspiracy" or somehow George Bush's fault. Man I love/hate this town.

No, this time condos are apparently to blame (as if they aren't to blame for every evil in 21st Century Austin).

Dont worry I will continue to be elitist despite the "facts". ;)

Wait. Are you telling me everything isn't George Bush's fault?