HomeWorks Tri-County Cooperative has added a new renewable option to their portfolio- a community solar garden. A solar panel dedication kicked-off the project on April 22 as employees, member-owners and the board of directors gathered at the Portland office to witness the ribbon cutting and learn more about the program. The cooperative will retain ownership of the solar panels and lease them to memembers [...]
Under a new law to fight copper theft in Michigan, not only are scrap dealers forbidden to pay sellers in cash, but any transaction of $25 or more requires that the check be mailed. That check has to be sent to the address on the seller’s legal I.D., not to a post office box. “Michigan is in the midst of a serious metal theft [...]
April 16, 2014 was a historic day for Alger Delta Cooperative as the board of directors approved paying out, or retiring, patronage capital in the amount of $379,122. This equals the total unretired margins from1965-1976. Alger Delta’s last Patronage Capital retirement was for fiscal year 1964 – fifty years ago! The board has reviewed and accepted management’s proposal to retire 22 years of capital [...]
Just before Easter, the Wall Street Journal published an article critical of security standards and the standards-setting process in the utility sector. Working with APPA and EEI, NRECA submitted the following letter to the editor under the names of the respective CEOs. Letter to the editor: Wall Street Journal Rebecca Smith’s latest article, “Proposal to Prevent Grid Attack Lacks Power, Critics Say,” warrants clarification from [...]
Midwest Energy Cooperative is attempting to change national policy to open the retail marketplace so that other entities (like electric co-ops), can provide real solutions for rural broadband. “Broadband Internet is a necessity for full participation in our economy and society,” explains Bob Hance, President and CEO, Midwest Energy. “Yet in 2014 many Americans, particularly in rural America, are without affordable, quality options.“ The [...]
Midwest Energy and Thumb Electric are the most recent co-ops to invite their members to join the ACRE (Action Committee for Rural Electrification) Co-op Owners for Political Action® movement. This growing network of member-owners willing to send strong messages to elected officials on important issues plays is vital to the long-term success of electric co-ops and the communities they serve. Over 30,000 people nationwide [...]
On March 22, Cloverland Electric Co-op lineworkers Jim Sutton and Phil Den Boer were dispatched to disconnect power at a house fire in Newberry. While on the scene, they witnessed firefighters Glen Pittman and Steve Fossitt enter the burning house and fall through the floor into the basement. Sutton and Den Boer immediately alerted Incident Commander Phillip Nelson who mobilized the firefighters on-scene to [...]
Patty Clark, a community development specialist in Midwest Energy's Adrian office, is the first recipient of a new award called the "Good Neighbor Watch Co-op Community Service Award." Presented by the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) during its annual meeting April 9-11, Clark received the award for her outstanding volunteer work. Electric co-ops have a long history of demonstrating the co-op principle of "Concern [...]
HomeWorks Tri-County will hold an open house dedication of their new Community Solar Garden on April 22 (Earth Day), at 11 a.m. The solar array has a total of 76 panels generating about 20.9 kW at peak (visit homeworks.org for more details), and is located in front of the co-op’s Portland Operations Center at 7973 E. Grand River Avenue. HomeWorks and fellow co-op, Cherryland [...]
Cloverland Electric Co-op employees took to the ice March 27 in a fundraiser for Hospice of the Eastern U.P. Goals were earned, and “fun” goals were bought. “Together, we raised nearly $700,” says Wendy Malaska, communications & marketing director.
