After the Storm | Reading and Podcast Picks - Jan. 28, 2026

What has changed since Uri and how those changes supported the grid this weekend; a DOE order on backup power; and why 2026 will be the story of electrification.

Reading and Podcast Picks is a collection of what we’ve been reading and listening to over the last week or so about energy topics.

In addition to these R&P Picks, paid subscribers receive access to the full archives, Grid Roundups, and select episodes of the Energy Capital Podcast. Please become a subscriber today.

Armed with new batteries and winterized plants, ERCOT survives Fern | Latitude Media

The ERCOT grid weathered the first winter storm of 2026 relatively easily: temperatures were warmer than forecast, demand was lower than expected, and Texas’s nation-leading renewable resources contained energy costs — even as prices spiked in other regions. The storm showed again that renewables lower power bills.

This Latitude Media piece demonstrated the critical role that the state’s diverse mix of energy resources played in getting Texas through the weekend. As the story’s subhead aptly declared: “This week, Texas has been a case study for the perks of a diversified grid.”

ERCOT’s ability to weather the storm could be a glimpse at the future for other grid operators; Texas leads the nation in renewables and storage deployment, and has become a test bed for the energy transition. Fern has demonstrated that a mix of winterized power generation can absorb shocks to the system, and — especially if the wind cooperates — temper skyrocketing prices. Analysts told Latitude Media that grid reliability doesn’t come from certain technologies winning, but rather from fossil fuels, solar, wind, and battery storage all covering the weaknesses of each other.

“If you compare our grid in 2026 to what it looked like in 2021, we were way more dependent on gas as a single resource back then,” said Matthew Boms, executive director of the clean energy trade group Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance. “Now we’ve got a really diversified fuel mix.”

What the Texas grid has learned about resilience since Uri | Latitude Media

The buildup to this weekend’s winter storm naturally brought back grim memories of Winter Storm Uri, which hit Texas five years ago next month — that storm froze gas lines, power plants, and other energy resources, triggering blackouts that killed hundreds of Texans and affected millions more. Those memories framed coverage of ERCOT preparations in advance of this year’s winter storm.