Coops Work Together to Restore Power in 2020
Posted on Dec 11, 2020
The tumultuous weather of 2020 saw coop line crews logging thousands of miles and long hours to restore power. Coops from more than two dozen states provided mutual aid on restoration projects in the hardest-hit areas this year.
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FCC Doles Out $9.2 Billion in Phase I of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
Posted on Dec 8, 2020
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated $9.2 billion to roll out broadband in 49 States and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction. Auction results released December 7 show that bidders won funding to deploy high-speed broadband to over 5.2 million unserved homes and businesses. A broad range of providers successfully competed in the Phase I auction, including electric cooperatives.
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North Georgia Cooperative Helps Bring Broadband to Unserved Areas
Posted on Dec 4, 2020
Amicalola EMC (Amicalola) and Ellijay Telephone Company (ETC) have formed an innovative partnership to expand broadband in Cherokee, Dawson, Lumpkin and Pickens Counties. Amicalola will invest $6.5-7 million and add more than 250 miles of high-speed connectivity to ETC’s network, providing broadband access to approximately 6,000 customers.
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Roanoke Electric Cooperative to Pilot Cutting-Edge Vehicle-to-Grid Technology
Posted on Dec 2, 2020
Roanoke Electric Cooperative is working with Fermata Energy to pilot the first electric vehicle (EV) charging system equipment to meet the North American standard for two-way current. Roanoke Electric is seeking to unlock the value of vehicle-to-grid integration with a Nissan Leaf, one of the most widely sold and affordable EVs in the market.
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Wyoming Carbon Storage Project Advances to Next Phase
Posted on Dec 2, 2020
Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Dry Fork Station is inching closer to adding carbon dioxide storage to its advanced coal technology, an action that could help control emissions and eventually lead to commercial uses for the compound.
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4 Rivers Electric Cooperative to Develop Sun Farm
Posted on Nov 20, 2020
Twelve Kansas electric coops, including 4 Rivers Electric Cooperative, are partnering to develop 800 miles of sun farms across the state. All systems installed will be sized in the 1 MW range and contracted through a 25-year power purchase agreement.
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FERC Urged to Reject Objections to Small Utility Opt-in Mechanism
Posted on Nov 20, 2020
In September, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Order No. 222, which enables distributed energy resource aggregators to participate alongside traditional resources in the regional organized wholesale markets through aggregations. The American Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association are now urging FERC to reject objections to the small utility “opt-in” mechanism.
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Colorado Governor Joins Tri-State to Announce Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals
Posted on Nov 16, 2020
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) and Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently announced Tri-State will be submitting a “preferred scenario” to reduce emissions associated with its wholesale electricity sales in Colorado by 80% by 2030. With the support of its members and board of directors, Tri-State will put forward this preferred scenario in its Electric Resource Plan, which will be filed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on December 1, 2020.
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North Carolina Coops Use Hog Waste to Power Microgrids
Posted on Nov 13, 2020
A new project by North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives is utilizing methane gas from hog waste to generate electricity. Microgrids using the waste have been able to produce enough electricity to power at least 28 homes for several hours.
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Southwest Pool Power Considering Westward Expansion
Posted on Nov 13, 2020
Regional transmission operator Southwest Pool Power (SPP) announced interest in a western state expansion after a recent study found the move would produce $49 million a year in savings. If membership is pursued, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Deseret Power Electric Cooperative and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, amongst others, could become the first members to place facilities in the Western Interconnection under SPP’s Open Access Transmission Tariff.
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South Carolina Coop to Add Solar Energy to Resource Portfolio
Posted on Nov 12, 2020
Central Electric Power Cooperative, a South Carolina electric cooperative, recently announced intention to obtain as much as 363 MW of solar generating capacity through power purchase agreements with independent solar developers. Central Electric Power Cooperative is coordinating with Santee Cooper in a joint request for proposals to procure up to 500 MW of solar generation capacity, but it will be pursuing its own separate power purchase agreements with solar developers for its pro rata share of the procurement.
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What Biden’s Victory Means for Electric Cooperatives
Posted on Nov 10, 2020
Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential race sets the stage for potentially sweeping environmental policy changes. However, his planned policy agenda would be muted by what now looks to be a divided Congress, with a Republican-led Senate and a diminished Democratic majority in the House. In the near term, Biden is expected to push for a broad economic stimulus plan shortly after he takes office in January, presenting opportunities for NRECA to secure more pandemic relief for coops and their consumer-members. Over the longer term, electric coops will work to shape a $2 trillion environmental...
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Basin Electric Cooperative Sees Challenging Year in 2020; Load Returning
Posted on Nov 6, 2020
Paul Sukut, General Manager of Basin Electric Power Cooperative, said that while 2020 has been a challenging year, the pre-COVID-19 load is slowly returning. To further that growth, Basin is working on finding new sources of power that are low-carbon or no carbon emissions, including solar power and wind turbines.
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USDA Approves $3.1 Billion in Loans to Coops
Posted on Nov 4, 2020
As part of its latest round of Electric Loan Program awards, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved $3.1 billion in rural infrastructure loans for 45 electric cooperatives. The loans will go to projects in 25 states to upgrade or build transmission and distribution lines and to develop smart grid technology and digital communications to help detect and respond to outages.
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