Entries by CREA Admin

Co-op Brings Fiber to Eastern Plains

Earlier this month, Limon-based electric cooperative Mountain View Electric Association announced an exciting partnership with Conexon Connect to bring a fiber-to-the-home network to its rural communities. Eventually able to serve all of its members in Arapahoe, Crowley, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Lincoln, Pueblo and Washington counties, MVEA’s broadband project will bring nearly 5,800 miles of […]

New Website Promotes Beneficial Electrification

These days there are more efficient and cleaner electric technologies and appliances available for heating our homes, providing hot water and cooking our food. Electric technologies improve comfort, cooking performance, health and safety, and, in many cases, can reduce energy costs. They are also are a major part of the solution to reduce carbon dioxide […]

Transmission Project Crosses the Canyon

By Jonah Martin, Manager, MNC Project Management Office Even by the standards of other major utility construction projects across the nation, the numbers behind Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s recently completed, 230-kilovolt Montrose-Nucla-Cahone (MNC) transmission project are staggering. Throw in a worldwide pandemic during the construction phase and we have a real story to tell. The […]

SMPA Receives Grant for Two EV Charging Stations

San Miguel Power Association announced that it received a Charge Ahead Colorado grant from the Colorado Energy Office The grant money will go toward the installation of two Level II Dual Port charging stations: one at SMPA’s office in Ridgway, and another one at its office in Nucla. “We’re excited to be able to offer […]

Co-ops Lead the Way in Grid Defense

The country’s electric co-ops have been instrumental in providing a market-ready early warning system that detects cyberattacks on utilities. Essence 2.0 was developed through work by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the co-ops’ national trade association, as part of its efforts to defend the nation’s energy supply from unknown, emerging threats. The system provides […]

Agreements Accelerate Holy Cross Energy’s 100×30 Plan

Two new projects will help Glenwood Springs-based electric cooperative Holy Cross Energy meet its 100% renewable energy goal by 2030. The co-op recently signed agreements with AES Corporation for a solar project and a battery storage project. Combined, the “solar-plus-storage” projects move HCE toward its renewable energy goals outlined in its 100X30 plan announced in […]

Co-ops Support Future Leaders

Electric co-ops fund college scholarships, youth programs By Sarah Smith Colorado’s electric cooperatives have awarded more than $2,209,250 in scholarships to 1,637 students over the past five years*. That means hundreds of students have been able to attend college and/or trade school, thanks to the support of their local electric cooperative. Each of the state’s […]

MVEA Launches EV Pilot Study

Limon-based Mountain View Electric Association launched a pilot program for a select number of its consumer-members who own electric vehicles. The 12-month SmartCharge MVEA program in partnership with FleetCarma is aimed at helping the electric distribution co-op plan for future and increased adoption of EVs among consumer-members in the co-op’s service territory. The co-op wants […]

CORE’s Pioneer Solar Begins Production

In February, Sedalia-based CORE Electric Cooperative (formally Intermountain Rural Electric Association) announced that its new utility-scale Pioneer Solar facility began production in December 2020. The facility, which sits on 540 acres east of Denver in Bennett, generates 80 megawatts of power that will be utilized on CORE’s system for at least the next 10 years. […]

Drone Line Inspections Look for Potential Problems

Throughout April, Gunnison-based electric cooperative Gunnison County Electric Association contracted with UAV Recon to perform a system check of all 1,096 miles of GCEA distribution lines and power poles using drones. This is the second year of the co-op’s three-year drone inspection project. This innovative use of drones is becoming more common among Colorado’s electric […]