Texas Coop to Offer Broadband Service through WiFi
Posted on May 19, 2016 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Technology | Comments Off on Texas Coop to Offer Broadband Service through WiFi
Texas-based Bandera Electric Cooperative (Bandera) plans to run fiber cables along its power poles to feed WiFi access points, which will provide wireless internet service to its customers. Bandera estimates that service speeds will range from 10—50 Mbps. The service will be tested in 200 homes for approximately six months before being rolled out to Bandera’s entire customer...
Tri-State Electric Breaks Ground on Research Center
Posted on Apr 29, 2016 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Tri-State Electric Breaks Ground on Research Center
Tri-State Electric has just broken ground on the Wyoming Integrated Test Center. The Center is an industrial-scale lab that will research methods that could be used to remove carbon emissions from coal-fired plants and convert them into a revenue-producing resource. Products made from waste carbon emissions could include chemicals, fuels, building materials and graphene.
Drone Amendment to Senate FAA Bill Helpful to Coops
Posted on Apr 20, 2016 in Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Technology | Comments Off on Drone Amendment to Senate FAA Bill Helpful to Coops
Under a bill that passed the Senate by a vote of 95-3, drones may become a more useful tool for electric coops. The drone provisions, which were added as an amendment to a larger bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), would ease current restrictions on drones and call for the FAA to set up a process enabling companies with critical infrastructure to use drones...
CIPCO Launches State’s Largest Solar Project
Posted on Apr 8, 2016 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on CIPCO Launches State’s Largest Solar Project
Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), a G&T based in Des Moines, just launched a new solar project. The first phase of the new utility-scale project will produce up to 5.5 MWs of power by late 2016. CIPCO will be adding to its portfolio of emissions-free sources of energy, which currently make up 54 percent of its energy mix. The decision to build a utility scale solar plant...
Coop’s Customer Data Breached
Posted on Feb 17, 2016 in Technology | Comments Off on Coop’s Customer Data Breached
Kankakee Valley REMC discovered through a cyber-security audit that customer information was accessed through a cyber-security breach. Immediate action was taken by the coop to remove the accessed pathway, and the coop has procedures in place to conduct regular cyber-security audits to increase the effectiveness of its cyber-defense systems.
Mississippi PSC Rejects Coop Associations’ Request to Reconsider Net-Metering Rule
Posted on Feb 1, 2016 in Rates, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Mississippi PSC Rejects Coop Associations’ Request to Reconsider Net-Metering Rule
The Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) put in place a net-metering rule, which allows customers to use rooftop solar panels to produce power and sell this power to utilities. The Electric Power Associations of Mississippi, Inc. asked the PSC to reconsider the rule, asserting that the PSC does not have the authority to impose this rule. The Commission rejected the Electric...
NRECA to Help Design Software to Cost-Effectively Improve Grid Resiliency
Posted on Jan 25, 2016 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on NRECA to Help Design Software to Cost-Effectively Improve Grid Resiliency
With a $1.8 million grant from the Department of Energy, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) will help develop software designed to identify the most cost-effective upgrades that utilities can make to improve grid resiliency in order to reduce economic losses caused by weather-related power outages.
Great River Energy and Other Cooperatives Join Grid Stability Research Project
Posted on Jan 25, 2016 in Innovation/Efficiency, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on Great River Energy and Other Cooperatives Join Grid Stability Research Project
Great River Energy and other cooperatives in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) are researching ways to increase grid flexibility in order to integrate more intermittent distributed renewable energy resources. NRECA plans to create a water heater controller and a smart circuit breaker capable of controlling plug-in appliances with the hope of making load...
An End to Geothermal Incentives in Illinois
Posted on Jan 25, 2016 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on An End to Geothermal Incentives in Illinois
Incentives for geothermal energy systems in Illinois have ended. Geothermal systems are more expensive than traditional fossil fuel based HVAC systems, but result in savings down the road. While in place, the incentives—in the form of grants—helped cooperative members install 51 geothermal projects resulting in an aggregate annual savings of $681,000. The last of the incentive grants...
Colorado Coop Begins Supplying Additional Solar Power
Posted on Jan 25, 2016 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Colorado Coop Begins Supplying Additional Solar Power
Poudre Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (Poudre) recently began supplying members with additional solar energy from two large solar plants. The plants, owned by Silicon Ranch Corporation, will supply power to Poudre’s members pursuant to an outputs contract. The two plants produce a combined 8 megawatts of power from 100,000 panels and will supply enough electricity to meet the needs...
Subscribe
