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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
By Reed Karaim Holy Cross Energy has an ambitious goal: 100% renewable energy sources by 2030. It’s a tall order, complicated by the central Colorado co-op’s mountainous service territory, which isn’t well-suited to wind or solar power generation. But just 100 miles or so to the east of the co-op’s Glenwood Springs headquarters, the Front […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Sharon Sullivan Women have played an important role in the electric cooperative movement since those first rural wives and mothers used their egg money to pay the $5 membership fee required to sign up for the new electric cooperatives in the 1930s and ’40s. They made sure the electric poles, wires and much-needed electricity […]