Vermont Coop Limits Future Solar Installations
Posted on Aug 15, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Rates, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Coop Limits Future Solar Installations
Washington Electric Co-op (WEC) has announced that, as of October, it will limit the use of net metering for future solar installations on its system to the size of 5 kilowatts. In Vermont, the practice of net metering allows a utility’s members to make solar installations on a utility’s system and sell such power to the utility. WEC’s decision to limit the size of future...
Minnesota Coop Set to Break Ground on Ethanol Plant
Posted on Aug 12, 2013 in Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development | Comments Off on Minnesota Coop Set to Break Ground on Ethanol Plant
Minnesota-based Great River Energy (GRE) plans to begin construction this fall in North Dakota on Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, a $155 million ethanol plant. Dakota Spirit AgEnergy will be the second ethanol plant developed by GRE and should begin operations in the first quarter of 2015. The Minneapolis StarTribune has the details.
South Canal Hydro Project Goes Online in Colorado
Posted on Jul 23, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on South Canal Hydro Project Goes Online in Colorado
Colorado-based Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) brought its South Canal Hydro project online in late June. The project was funded by the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation with $22 million in New Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs), and it will divert flow to generate an estimated 27 million kWh annually. Click here for more details on this...
Power Provider Meets Opposition from ACC
Posted on Jul 23, 2013 in Innovation/Efficiency, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Power Provider Meets Opposition from ACC
Mohave Electric Cooperative’s (MEC) power supplier, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. (AEPCO), is seeking a rate decrease for its customers but has encountered opposition from consultants hired by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), which must approve all rate increases or decreases. MEC Chief Executive Officer Tyler Carlson has testified before the commission in support...
Kentucky Coop Proposes Innovative Solution to Air Emission Standards
Posted on Jul 18, 2013 in Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Kentucky Coop Proposes Innovative Solution to Air Emission Standards
East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) plans to install ductwork to tie a scrubber between two coal-fired generation units at the Cooper Station plant. Rather than install separate scrubbers or convert to natural gas, the $15 million tie proposal will provide an affordable alternative that effectively meets new air quality regulations. EKPC plans to have the tie in operation by...
USDA Announces Latest Round of Funding for Rural Electric Projects
Posted on Jul 18, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on USDA Announces Latest Round of Funding for Rural Electric Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced more than $188 million in loan guarantees to upgrade the rural electric grid, including more than $18 million for smart grid initiatives. This latest round of funding is part of a larger USDA effort to improve the reliability and affordability of rural electric service. Click here for the full story.
SMECO to Collaborate with LS Cable in Underground Cable Network Project
Posted on Jul 16, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Technology | Comments Off on SMECO to Collaborate with LS Cable in Underground Cable Network Project
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) will soon be getting underground cables and connectors for the power transmission and distribution networks SMECO operates, thanks to LS Cable’s $12.7 million deal to supply high-voltage underground cables to the United States. The project will create an extra high-voltage cable network across the Patuxent River for a length of 1.5...
Changes to Hydro Power Marketing Administrations Blocked by House of Representatives
Posted on Jul 12, 2013 in Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Changes to Hydro Power Marketing Administrations Blocked by House of Representatives
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment on July 10 to the energy and water appropriations bill that prohibits spending to expand the role of four power marketing administrations. These administrations have historically provided low-cost hydro power to coops and others, but the Department of Energy has been considering expanding their role to include energy efficiency and...
Cooperative Research Network Studies Potential Uses for Coal Ash
Posted on Jul 10, 2013 in Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Cooperative Research Network Studies Potential Uses for Coal Ash
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Cooperative Research Network (CRN) and the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research have spent more than two years conducting research on coal ash. The research is important because coops rely heavily upon coal-based generation, and the Environmental Protection Agency has raised the possibility of regulating coal ash...
NRECA to Oppose Certain Power Plant Rules in Obama Climate Plan
Posted on Jun 25, 2013 in Climate Change, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on NRECA to Oppose Certain Power Plant Rules in Obama Climate Plan
Due to concerns that power plant regulations would impose enormous costs on vulnerable citizens, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has stated that it intends to oppose any effort to use Obama’s Clean Air Act to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. While the climate plan, which was slated for release on June 25, has been widely expected to address rules to limit...
Subscribe
