Hot Headlines

SXSW tips and tricks dominate this week's 5 most popular stories

Editor’s note: All things SXSW and a downtown Austin restaurant closure lead this round of top stories. Read on for the rest of the week’s hottest headlines.

1. Here are the top SXSW secrets for parties, RSVPs, and more. If you’ve never attended SXSW, the sheer magnitude of the event can be overwhelming. After 11 years of attending the festival, we’ve learned a thing or two festivalgoers can utilize for a more enjoyable week. Here is our advice for maximum SXSW happiness.

2. The eight best official SXSW events that are totally free. Contrary to what you might think, SXSW doesn’t have to break the bank. We provide the lowdown on the best free official SXSW happenings throughout the entire festival.

3. How to get downtown, around Austin, or avoid it all during SXSW. Festival crowds, street closures, presidential visits, oh my! SXSW brings out the best in music, film, and technology, but it also brings out the worst in Austin traffic. Here's your transportation guide to getting downtown, getting around, and avoiding the madness during the 10-day festival.

4. Another Austin fine-dining restaurant says farewell. Austin restaurants are closing left and right. The latest is Finn & Porter. Despite its almost 12-year tenure at the Hilton Austin, the restaurant has decided to close its doors.

5. Ultra-modern home hits the market in Austin’s hottest ZIP code. If you’re drawn to modern architecture and minimalist design, then you will love this new listing. Recently featured on the Austin Modern Home Tour, this one-of-a-kind unit is fresh on the market in Austin’s hot 78704.

Want the lowdown on the best free official SXSW happenings? We've got the details.

SXSW/Facebook

Want the lowdown on the best free official SXSW happenings? We've got the details.

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Keeping The Lights On?

ERCOT meteorologist predicts higher chance of extreme cold this winter

Photo courtesy of KVUE

ERCOT says it has improved its reliability, but other Texans aren't sure it's enough.

The lead meteorologist for the state’s power grid operator, ERCOT, is predicting both a warmer winter and a higher chance of extreme cold.

During a Tuesday board meeting, Chris Coleman said current climate patterns are very similar to those in 2021 when a winter storm knocked out power for millions of Texans for several days.

“Now, that doesn’t mean we’re going to have [Winter Storm] Uri, but it does again say that we’re in a pattern that supports something like a Uri this winter,” said Coleman, ERCOT's supervisor of operational forecasting.

Coleman compared his winter forecast to a tornado watch: The conditions are there, but the storm may or may not happen.

ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas told KVUE on November 25 that he doesn’t expect calls for conservation or rolling blackouts.

“We're ready for those kinds of conditions at ERCOT,” said Vegas.

During Tuesday’s board meeting, Vegas touted nearly 3,000 weatherization inspections since 2021 and more than 10,000 megawatts of new generation added to the grid since March, mostly solar and battery storage. ERCOT estimates 1 megawatt can power 250 homes on average during peak winter demand.

However, Texas energy consultant Doug Lewin questions that math.

“[We are] better off than we were in February 2021 but not out of the woods,” said Lewin, who authors the Texas Energy and Power Hour newsletter and hosts the Energy Capital podcast. “We don’t have a system that’s resilient enough to deal with a Winter Storm Uri.”

Lewin points to two main reasons: a natural gas supply system he says is not adequately winterized, along with inefficient homes and buildings that push demand beyond supply.

“We have to bring that demand down and do that by increasing the programs we have for energy efficiency to replace inefficient heat with much more efficient forms of heat, like heat pumps.”

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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