WORKING FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

    Turn on the television, radio, or open the newspaper, and the hot topic everybody seems to be talking about is the greenhouse effect.  Coming in a close second is our nations dependency on foreign oil.             To combat the greenhouse effect and to reduce our dependency on foreign oil is something leaders and innovators are working on.

    Did you know that electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania are recognized leaders in developing environmentally friendly power sources  and promoting energy efficiency. Cooperatives have long held that renewable energy generation and wise electricity use not only produce a cleaner environment for everyone, but better secure our nations energy future.

    In significant ways over the years, cooperatives have put their environmental beliefs into practice. Since 1966, cooperatives have purchased hydropower from the Niagara and St. Lawrence power projects located in upstate New York. This generation accounts for approximately 6 percent of cooperative energy needs annually.

    Holding that the cheapest kilowatt-hour, and cleanest in terms of environmental impact, is the one never generated, Pennsylvania electric cooperatives launched the Coordinated Load Management System (CLMS) in December 1986. CLMS works by controlling electric water heaters and other special equipment (in the homes of nearly 47,000 volunteer cooperative consumers) during times of peak electricity consumption.

     As a result, CLMS improves system efficiency, cuts costly demand charges cooperatives must pay for purchased power, and reduces the need for new generating capacity. The load control network currently boasts demand-side reduction capabilities of 50 megawatts — roughly 8 percent of the cooperatives’ peak load.

    In June 1988, cooperatives placed the Raystown Hydroelectric Project into commercial operation. Located at the base of Raystown Dam in Huntingdon County, the 21-megawatt facility supplies close to 4 percent of the  energy delivered by electric cooperatives, enough to power about 8,500 average rural homes.

     The state legislature recognized the renewable energy commitment shown by electric cooperatives in adopting the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004 (Act 213). Pennsylvania electric cooperatives comply with the law by offering voluntary energy efficiency and demand-side load management programs.

     Co-op's will continue to be committed to provide the most reliable power at the lowest rate possible to its members.