Electric Co-op Fiber Subsidiary Partners with School District

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Steamboat Springs-based electric cooperative Yampa Valley Electric Association and its fiber internet subsidiary, Luminate, recently announced a project partnership with South Routt School District.

Luminate will help bring internet access and services to students, teachers and other district staff who currently lack stable and reliable internet for virtual learning. The district applied for and was awarded funds through the Connecting Colorado Students Grant Program that will assist in the buildout costs. Nearly 1,200 homes and district campuses will be set up with access to gigabit fiber. Service is expected to begin at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, serving the Oak Creek, Phippsburg and Yampa communities in northwestern Colorado.

District superintendent Rim Watson stated that the district is fortunate to have a partnership with Luminate and YVEA, as both entities understand the role of quality internet service in the success of students, some of whom had no internet access at all when school went remote in 2020.

Luminate is grateful to partner with the district for this necessary service, YVEA General Manager and CEO Steve Johnson said in a February press release.

Electric Co-op Brings EV Infrastructure to Southern Colorado

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In February, Durango-based electric cooperative La Plata Electric Association announced exciting electric vehicle news for two communities it serves.

The town of Bayfield and LPEA joined together to bring 24/7 access to a free Level II EV charging station located in Bayfield’s town hall parking lot. A grant from the Colorado Energy Office’s Charge Ahead Program and LPEA funding made the charging station possible.

Located one-half mile from Highway 160 — one of the EV charging corridors identified by the CEO — the station brings charging access to regional travelers as well as local residents. It has spots for two vehicles to charge at the same time and can deliver a full charge in about 4 hours. The station will have zero fees until Labor Day 2021.

And to the west in nearby Durango, the city’s first-ever EV DC fast-charging station was approved for construction and is expected to be energized by June 2021. The station will be located in the Durango Transit Center parking lot, next to the two existing Level II charging stations. The DC fast chargers will deliver a full charge in approximately 20 minutes, compared to the 4 hours that it takes a Level II charger.

LPEA is certain these two innovative EV charging infrastructure updates to its communities will encourage people to make the switch to EVs.

First EV Fast Charger Energized in Montrose

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Delta-Montrose Electric Association connected Montrose’s first DC electric vehicle fast-charging station in January.

The electric co-op owns and operates the two ChargePoint Dual Platform fast chargers that were made possible with help from a grant from the Colorado Energy Office’s Charge Ahead program. DMEA donated in-kind labor to bring the electric service to the EV chargers, while the Charge Ahead grant funded approximately 80% of the construction costs. A partnership with the city of Montrose brought about the public parking space and lot maintenance where the chargers are located.

The charging fee at DMEA’s Montrose ChargePoint Fast Charger is 20 cents per kilowatt hour, plus a 25 cent per minute parking fee. EV travelers will enjoy their stop in downtown Montrose for a quick charge, and, while waiting, drivers will be able to support nearby businesses and restaurants.

This is not the first charging station in DMEA’s service territory. Montrose’s new fast charger brings the count of public EV chargers to 31, spread across the communities of Delta, Cedaredge, Paonia, Montrose and near Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.