Sam Christensen, owner of a home furnishings store in downtown Durango, retrofitted his poorly lit showroom with LED bulbs. Durango-based La Plata Electric Association’s project specialist Ray Pierotti advised Christensen on which bulbs to buy to transform his store into a bright and colorful retail space. Pierotti also helped the retailer process rebates on the […]
Infrared thermography imagery is a fast and accurate way to find suspect areas around homes and businesses where electric efficiency is less than ideal. In an innovative approach, Colorado electric co-op Gunnison County Electric Association has provided IR energy audits to its members since 2011 and it continues to offer this service today. Not only […]
In an innovative effort, Colorado electric co-op San Miguel Power Association in Ridgway was called on to help brighten and increase efficiency at the Norwood fire station in southwestern Colorado. Fire chief Joe Conway took advantage of the expertise and rebates offered by SMPA, his local electric co-op, to upgrade the lighting of three truck […]
With a goal of generating 40,000 kilowatt hours, about the same amount that his center pivot sprinkler uses, Jim Park installed an innovative micro hydroelectric project on his corn and alfalfa farm in Weld county. Typically seen on the Western Slope, agricultural hydroelectric projects on the eastern plains and the Front Range are still gaining […]
Wildfires ravaged northwestern Colorado this summer, with at least three fires in Routt and Moffat counties. Steamboat Springs-based electric co-op, Yampa Valley Electric Association experienced the harsh effects of the lightning-caused Moffat County Pine Tree Fire, which was not well-contained until mid September and the Winter Valley Fire, which was spread quickly due to 50 […]
Glenwood Springs-based Holy Cross Energy CEO, Dr. Bryan Hannegan, was a valuable witness representing rural electric cooperatives at the Energy Subcommittee Powering America Hearing, held by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on September 26. The goal of this hearing was to provide insight into the nation’s electric grid and electricity markets and […]
Reliability and timeliness are what drives Fort Morgan-based Morgan County Rural Electric Association’s SCADA/AMI team. Led by Ray Mann, the team monitors outages through the system, which allows the co-op to proactively deal with power outages quickly — in some instances, even before the member knows the power is out. SCADA — supervisory control and […]
The Cotopaxi and Texas Creek areas had extra air traffic this summer, but minimal impact on the local, mountainous terrain, thanks to the local electric co-op. The same was true on the Western Slope when a helicopter was used for power line inspections. It was Sangre de Cristo Electric, headquartered in Buena Vista, which brought […]
In June, the sixth annual Tri-State Energy Conference brought together 45 educators teaching grades 4-12, and who are electric cooperative members or teach at schools that are within Tri-State’s member cooperatives’ service areas. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is the power supplier for 18 of Colorado’s 22 electric co-ops and 21 other electric co-ops in […]
Colorado’s electric co-ops are part of a national organization that does energy efficiency research and are watching as two power cooperatives in Minnesota take the lead in advancing clean and efficient student transportation. There are already 90 electric school buses in the North America, one of which will run in Minnesota starting this fall for […]