Minnesota is one of several states that has enacted legislation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electric utilities. The state’s carbon-free standard requires that 90% of electric utilities’ retail sales be provided by carbon-free power supply by 2035. Serving more than 700,000 members across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Great River Energy is a wholesale …
Diverse resource portfolio powers local communities Read More »
President Joe Biden announced the first round of finalists for the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program, part of the administration’s efforts to boost clean energy investments in rural communities, at an event held Sept. 5 in Westby, Wisconsin. Great River Energy was among the cooperatives announced as a finalist. The New ERA program aims …
Great River Energy named finalist for clean energy funding Read More »
Great River Energy, along with its member-owner cooperatives Cooperative Light & Power (CLP) and Lake Country Power (LCP), recently partnered with Minnesota Power for the second annual Electric Avenue at the Lake Superior Harvest Festival held at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth, Minnesota. Approximately 8,000 festival attendees had the opportunity to see a wide variety …
Festival highlights plug-in vehicles, electric safety Read More »
A partnership between two electric cooperatives and a Minnesota golf course is helping to showcase how electric technology used in new ways can function in the real world. Stearns Electric Association teamed up with its wholesale power provider, Great River Energy, and Mean Green Electric Mowers last summer to lease an electric lawnmower to Lynx …
Electric lawnmower turns golf course even greener, cleaner Read More »
Great River Energy recently welcomed a busload of Lake Country Power (LCP) member-owners who traveled from the Iron Range to Maple Grove to learn more about where their power comes from. The group of 50 people were given a tour of several Great River Energy facilities, including the headquarters, Elk River campus as well as …
Members travel to learn how their power is made and moved Read More »
Great River Energy’s environmental management system dates back to the cooperative’s origins — and has guided it for a quarter century Great River Energy’s commitment to environmental stewardship has been a part of the organization since its formation in 1999. Great River Energy’s environmental management system (EMS) is a fundamental component of the cooperative’s dedication …
Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives use a shared Geographic Information System (GIS) software platform, which promotes a good data sharing environment and has become a mission-critical tool for system reliability and response. GIS is a framework for gathering, managing and analyzing data organized into layers of information and integrated into maps. “It has …
Award-winning GIS department benefits all members Read More »
Powerful Potential program raises awareness of electric cooperative career paths Over the next 10 years, one-third of skilled trades professionals will retire and leave the workforce at a faster rate than younger workers can replace them. To maintain a safe and reliable electric system while tackling the energy challenges ahead, Great River Energy has set …
Two separate sections of Great River Energy transmission line sustained damage over the course of a week of severe weather, but recent grid modernization efforts allowed power to be restored quickly with minimal disruption to members. Straight line winds on July 31 downed more than a dozen structures on a 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line spanning …
Grid modernization helps crews restore power quickly after storms Read More »
A significant leap in energy technology was marked as Great River Energy and Form Energy broke ground on the first-of-its-kind 1.5 megawatt (MW) multi-day energy storage project in Cambridge, Minnesota. The Cambridge Energy Storage Project represents a groundbreaking partnership between Great River Energy and Form Energy, aimed at addressing one of the most critical challenges …