Illinois Coop Launches New Solar Facility
Posted on Mar 11, 2014 in Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Illinois Coop Launches New Solar Facility
Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative recently opened a new 500-kW solar facility. Consisting of 2,223 panels across four acres, the solar farm is the first utility-scale photovoltaic facility run by a cooperative in the state. Of the project’s $1.8 million total cost, over $900,000 came from federal and state grants, given through the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for...
Basin Electric Increases Power Generation
Posted on Mar 4, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Basin Electric Increases Power Generation
Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric) now has three units of its Pioneer Generation Station in service. The gas-fired generation facilities, located in Williston, North Dakota, will help add much-needed electricity into the oil drilling region. Basin Electric is now in the process of building three more gas-fired generators near Watford City, North Dakota, all as part of...
Minnkota Facing Tough Winter Delays on Power Line Project
Posted on Mar 4, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Minnkota Facing Tough Winter Delays on Power Line Project
Minnkota Power Cooperative’s (Minnkota) $312-million, 345-kilovolt Center-to-Grand Forks, North Dakota, transmission line is now being delayed by about five months due to extreme winter weather. Though the project is over 90 percent complete, Minnkota’s ability to construct the line has simply made the initial completion date of February 2014 impossible. Read more here.
KIUC to Begin Work on 12-MW Solar Project
Posted on Mar 3, 2014 in Land Use, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on KIUC to Begin Work on 12-MW Solar Project
After receiving approval of the ground lease from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is ready to begin work on its $54 million Anahola solar project. The estimated cost to KIUC’s members for the solar project is around 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour, while the cost of oil generation is around 24 cents. This solar project will use local labor...
GRE to Add Solar
Posted on Feb 20, 2014 in Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on GRE to Add Solar
Great River Energy (GRE) plans to build several solar energy installations by mid-2015 to generate a total output of 650 kW that will help GRE better understand the potential for solar development and its impact on current and future project initiatives. GRE continues to expand its renewable energy portfolio and is ahead of the curve on compliance with Minnesota’s Renewable Energy...
DOE to Approve Loan For Nuclear Reactors
Posted on Feb 20, 2014 in Financing, Project Development | Comments Off on DOE to Approve Loan For Nuclear Reactors
In a move over 30 years in the making, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to approve $6.5 billion in federal loan guarantees for two additional nuclear reactors located at Plant Vogtle, a nuclear plant in Georgia. Oglethorpe Power Corporation is among the owners of the project. The reactors would represent the first time since the 1970s that the U.S. has built reactors. To...
Congress Seeks Changes to Endangered Species Act
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Project Development | Comments Off on Congress Seeks Changes to Endangered Species Act
A congressional working group report that cites electric coops’ costly struggles to comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) concludes the law is ripe for improvement. Specifically, some impediments of the ESA as described in the report include the ability of coops to site and maintain power lines. The report seeks to update and prioritize the ESA. For more information, click...
Tri-State Signs Largest Wind PPA To Date
Posted on Feb 6, 2014 in Environmental, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Tri-State Signs Largest Wind PPA To Date
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary for the output and environmental attributes of the Carousel Wind Farm, a 150-MW wind farm facility to be constructed in eastern Colorado. This facility will be Tri-State’s largest wind energy PPA to date. To learn more about this...
Minnesota Coop Members Allowed to Pre-Purchase Energy
Posted on Feb 4, 2014 in Environmental, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Rates, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Minnesota Coop Members Allowed to Pre-Purchase Energy
Lake Region Electric Cooperative, based in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, is investing in a community solar initiative through a program that gives its members the chance to buy part of the solar output from the HQ Prairie solar project built at the coop’s headquarters. Participation in the program was offered to members on a voluntary, market-based basis, which the coop hopes will keep...
Latest Round of USDA Loans Announced
Posted on Jan 30, 2014 in Financing, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Latest Round of USDA Loans Announced
As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program, $13.9 million in loans and grants have been approved for electric coops spanning eight states. The funds are intended to stimulate job growth and spark economic development in rural areas. Read more here.
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