Electric sector’s greenhouse gas reductions putting state goal in reach Great River Energy and other Minnesota utilities are setting the pace to meet the state’s emissions target. Between 2005 and 2018, greenhouse gas emissions related to electricity dropped 29% in Minnesota. The sectors with the next biggest reductions — waste and transportation — reduced emissions […]
Leading the charge Read More »
The motto of the Minnesota National Guard — “Always ready, always there.” — also rings true to the men and women who provide electricity to cooperative members across Minnesota. It should come as no surprise that many employees of Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives come from military backgrounds — and that cooperatives strive
Always ready, always there Read More »
Cooperatives are not-for-profit organizations that operate at cost, only collecting enough revenue to run the business and meet their financial obligations. When a cooperative enjoys financial success, it returns those dollars to members through patronage capital payments. That’s what occurred in March when Great River Energy issued $25 million in patronage capital payments to member-owners.
Great River Energy returns $25 million to members Read More »
Great River Energy developed Revolt, a first-of-its-kind program that allows electric vehicle (EV) owners to further support the use of renewable energy. When a member claims their upgrade, Great River Energy dedicates wind energy to completely cover the electricity used to fuel an EV for the car’s lifetime. Launched in 2015 to accolades from other
Powering electric vehicles with 100% wind energy Read More »
Great River Energy members elect directors; board elects officers Part of being a democratically governed electric cooperative involves gathering annually and establishing the structure of the board of directors for the upcoming year. During these annual meetings, cooperatives elect the directors — new and old — to their seats on the board and hold elections
Democracy in action Read More »
From increased adoption of electric vehicles to navigating the ongoing transition to cleaner energy, Minnesota’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives offer innovative energy programs to member-owners. In a time of remarkable industry change, Lake Region Electric Cooperative (LREC) — one of Great River Energy’s member-owner cooperatives — hosted an open forum for its member-owners last month. Electric cooperatives across
Energy forum engages rural Minnesota in clean energy conversation Read More »
The power supply transition Great River Energy is currently undergoing has garnered support not only from its member-owner cooperatives but the member-consumers those co-ops serve as well, according to results of a recent survey. More than half (54%) of the 800 member-consumer respondents in the cooperative’s first survey since announcing its intention to sell or
Survey results show member support for renewables Read More »
Firefighting is a human endeavor, with selfless individuals working to protect people and their property. But it is also an equipment-intensive operation, with critical vehicles and gear requiring consistent and routine maintenance. Rural communities across Minnesota often face difficulties procuring the funding necessary to maintain or replace that equipment, resulting in communities at risk. Fortunately,
Rural fire assistance a priority for cooperatives Read More »
Great River Energy uses 10 industry-accepted reliability indices to measure transmission reliability to its 28 member-owner cooperatives. New records were set for eight of those measurement in 2021, resulting in one of the best years for Great River Energy’s reliability on record. “Unusually mild weather in the state and our investments in the grid contributed
2021: A great year for Great River Energy’s reliability Read More »
Great River Energy, wholesale power provider to 28 member-owner distribution cooperatives in Minnesota, continuously studies the electric power grid to ensure the high-voltage power line system that delivers electricity to local cooperatives is always reliable, and ready to keep the power flowing and the lights on. “Great River Energy works very closely with our region’s
Planning engineers anticipate more high-voltage power lines Read More »