By Pete DiSanto

Texas passed Senate Bill 6 (SB6) with a clear goal: ensure firm, dispatchable power so Texans never again face what we lived through during Winter Storm Uri. The intent is right. But the real question is how to quickly deliver that reliability without waiting years for new wires or generation interconnections.

The answer is already operating all around us. Natural-gas microgrids—onsite generation built behind the meter, scaled across critical infrastructure, and networked through ERCOT-grade telemetry—are the practical, proven solution SB6 is looking for.

Over the past several years, these microgrid fleets have done more than back up hospitals and grocery warehouses. They’ve kept power on for communities through Winter Storm Uri, multiple hurricanes, and countless summer scarcity events. When the grid faltered, these units ran continuously. And when ERCOT called on emergency reserves through the Emergency Response Service (ERS), microgrids responded instantly, verifiably, repeatedly, and at scale.

This isn’t theoretical. It’s an operational reality: distributed generation behaving like a fleet-sized power plant but located exactly where reliability matters most.

Proven performance, measurable impact

During Uri, while much of the state was dark, natural-gas microgrids weathered frozen wellheads, pressure drops, and load curtailments, running on firm gas supply with emissions systems intact. In the years since, those same fleets have been dispatched hundreds of times through ERCOT programs, effectively acting as a “virtual power plant” that stabilizes feeders and substations during peak stress.

Every hour those microgrids run behind the meter is an hour ERCOT doesn’t have to shed load or trigger blackouts. And every megawatt of verified load relief they provide is a megawatt the system can count on under SB6’s reliability mandate.

A bridge, not a detour

Some see natural gas as a stopgap. In truth, it’s the bridge Texas needs right now—a platform that can be built in months, not years, and that can evolve as the grid modernizes. Behind-the-meter natural-gas microgrids can start as private resilience assets, transition into callable reliability resources for ERCOT, and remain as permanent insurance once new transmission and renewables arrive.

Each installation delivers dual value: the host facility gains 24/7 resilience, and the grid gains firm, dispatchable capacity exactly where it’s needed. This is reliability that’s not stranded miles away at a remote power plant; it’s reliability at the point of demand.

Implementing SB6 the smart way

Senate Bill 6 isn’t just about building new power plants; it’s about guaranteeing performance when Texans need it most. That means recognizing distributed, dispatchable resources as part of the solution. With the right telemetry, contracts, and operational discipline, microgrids can be measured, settled, and trusted like any other generation asset.

Texas can codify that through standardized designs, telemetry rules, and clear settlement pathways for aggregated behind-the-meter fleets. The technology is already proven, but the challenge is recognizing it in policy and scaling it through market mechanisms.

Reliability without delay

Every day, new data centers, industrial loads, and critical services connect to the ERCOT grid. The load growth curve isn’t slowing; it’s accelerating. Building new transmission takes years; building a natural-gas microgrid takes months. And with hundreds of standardized power modules already operating across Texas, the blueprint exists.

If SB6’s intent is to guarantee firm, fast, and geographically targeted reliability, then behind-the-meter natural-gas microgrids are the most direct, cost-effective path forward.

A call to act

Texans have already proven the model works. We’ve seen it through ERS participation, through Uri, through record heat waves, and through surging demand. The next step is scale. Senate Bill 6 can—and should—embrace the distributed generation that’s already delivering reliability today.

Natural-gas microgrids give Texas the ability to strengthen the grid while maintaining the freedom to innovate. They’re fast to build, proven in crisis, and flexible enough to evolve with the energy transition.

SB6 promises reliability. Natural-gas microgrids can deliver it—today.

This article was originally published on LinkedIn.