Midwest Propane is once again “Fueling the Fight” to raise money and awareness for cancer care and services in southwest Michigan. The logoed trucks have taken to the streets, and the company will donate one penny for every gallon of gas delivered in August to the West Michigan Cancer Center. August is the highest delivery month of the year as service technicians prepare customers [...]
The Governor's Energy Excellence Awards honors Michigan organizations and individuals for outstanding achievement in reducing energy waste. Nominations were spread across eight different categories in order to showcase exceptional commitment to responsible energy production and consumption across a variety of project types. Odawa Casino Resort, owned and operated by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and a member of Great Lakes Energy [...]
Cyber attacks aren’t something many think about when considering the safety of electricity, but they are one of the largest dangers to electric grids. An extremely organized attack on Israel’s Electric Authority earlier this year shut down large portions of the country’s electric grid, and the FBI has recently begun a nationwide campaign for electrical power infrastructure security to protect the United States’ own [...]
In June, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced a new CEO, former U.S. Rep., Jim Matheson. Matheson took time out of his busy schedule to record a podcast with Cherryland’s Rachel Johnson and Tony Anderson for the 24th episode of Co-op Energy Talk. Matheson began by discussing his extensive background in Congress and public policy as well as providing services to large [...]
When rural communities stop voting, those who get elected won’t reflect their voice. The Co-ops Vote program through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) aims to reverse the decline of rural voters by encouraging co-op member-owners to get to the polls. At the CONNECT 2016 conference, Rachel Johnson, member relations manager at Cherryland gave a presentation on how to get cooperatives more involved [...]
Broadband in America has gone from being a luxury to a necessity for full participation in today’s global economy and society. Unfortunately, a digital divide exists where rural citizens lag behind their urban counterparts in broadband access, speeds and capacity. Midwest Energy Cooperative has been expanding access to high speed internet to its members in rural southwest Michigan by leveraging fiber assets used for [...]
Unseasonably warm and humid weather led to an outbreak of storms that swept through the entire Upper Peninsula. At about 6 a.m., Thursday July 21 a storm hit Ontonagon, with devastating 90 mph straight-line winds, accompanied by lightning and heavy rain. Storm damage included many downed trees (including several on homes), broken poles and wires. Overall, six substations and 4200 members were out of [...]
More than 600 people attended Alger Delta’s Annual Meeting. The meeting featured a picnic-style cookout, games and activities for the whole family and many prize drawings. “The fun atmosphere helps draw the members in,” said Tom Harrell, Alger Delta’s CEO. Harrell praised the Alger Delta board and staff for their efforts in putting the whole event together. Alger Delta members discussed the cooperatives’ decision [...]
Lawmakers are working to update Michigan’s 8-year-old energy law to account for aging coal plants, new environmental standards and ever-changing technology. Over the course of the last year, both the Senate and the House released energy reform bills that were passed by their respective committees. These packages are the product of hundreds of hours of dialog and testimony from environmental groups, business owners, utilities [...]
When new energy regulations were passed, an important and potentially influential renewable energy source was overlooked - geothermal. Geothermal heating and cooling systems (which bring in heat from the ground or conduct it back into the earth) currently have a tax credit, which allows more businesses and homeowners to purchase them. Why should more home and business owners install geothermal systems? Electric capacity – [...]
