Vivek Saxena writes for BizPac Review about a warning involving Texas’ upcoming winter season.

The organization that operates Texas’ electric grid has warned of potential forced power outages this year if temperatures drop to below freezing like they did last year.

According to The Dallas Morning News, “when Texas’ power demand outstrips available supply,” the organization — the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) — “is forced to shut off power to some customers to maintain the stability of the grid.”

The Morning News reported on Thursday that ERCOT has predicted there’s a 14.4 percent chance that these controlled outages — known as rolling blackouts — will be required this year if temperatures drop to the levels seen last year.

By January, the risk will reportedly rise to 16.8 percent.

“The hour of 8 a.m. is when ERCOT has predicted the greatest chance for blackouts. The reason mornings in the winter are the most troublesome is because that is when people begin waking up and using more electricity. The temperatures remain near daily lows, so heaters are more likely to be operating while people begin heating water and cooking meals,” according to the paper.

“Add to that a typically lackluster amount of renewable energy production during the winter, and it creates a morning spike in power demand that typically does not coincide with increases in energy production,” the paper added.

As to what’s exacerbating the risk, it’s reportedly the increase in the state’s population, which reportedly has grown 20 percent since 2010 and hit 30 million last year.

“That can be seen in energy usage. This summer, electricity demand broke all-time records 10 times. Monthly demand records also are being set routinely, according to data from ERCOT,” the Morning News notes.

Also affecting the chances of forced outages are the state’s investments in renewable energy.

“While the amount of electricity being used continues to grow at rates that outpace population growth, the amount of new generation being added to the grid has kept pace mainly in renewable energy,” according to the Morning News.