RES Begins Construction of EDP Renewables’ Hog Creek Wind Project for SMECO

Renewable Energy Systems (RES) is pleased to announce that construction has begun on the Hog Creek Wind Project located in Hardin County, OH. The National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) facilitated the 20-year power purchase agreement with Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO). Hog Creek Wind Project will be a 66-MW project comprised of 30 Vestas V110 2.2-MW turbines.  The project, owned by EDP Renewables (EDPR), is on schedule to be operational before the end of 2017.

“Once again, NRCO has assisted SMECO with procuring wind energy to help the cooperative meet state requirements. As we add more and more renewable energy to our power portfolio, we demonstrate our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Jeff Shaw, SMECO Vice President of Distributed Energy and Sustainability.

The full press release can be found here: Hog Creek Press Release

EKPC Breaks Ground on Solar Farm in Clark County, KY

NRCO Member EKPC has begun construction on a 60-acre, 32,300 panel solar farm near their headquarters in Clark County, KY. The cooperative will be offering a community solar program off of this 10 MW-dc solar site. Interested customers should inquire here.

The full press release can be found on EKPC’s website, here.

From left to right, Allyson Honaker, Julie Tucker, Todd Barling, David Crews, Jeff Brandt, David Samford, Fernie Williams. Photo by Tim Webb.

Cooperative Energy 52MW Solar Project Begins Construction

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – May 23, 2017 – Hattiesburg-based Cooperative Energy and Origis Energy USA began construction in May on a 52MW solar energy facility, which will provide clean energy to the generation and transmission cooperative’s 423,000 members across Mississippi. Origis Energy has developed and will install and operate the electric generation site, and Cooperative Energy will purchase all power produced at the location.

The 540-acre solar site is located near Sumrall in Lamar County. The site will encompass 206,892 photovoltaic solar panels when completed in December 2017. The project will create approximately 400 jobs during construction.

NRCO Member Dairyland Power Coop Expands Wind Capacity

Effective February 15, 2017 Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) will be purchasing 80 MW of wind energy from the Barton Wind Farm, located in Kensett, Iowa and operated by Avangrid Renewables. The wind farm has been in operation since 2009 and has a rated capacity of 160 MW. The National Renewable Cooperative Organization (NRCO) helped originate and negotiate the deal in collaboration with DPC staff. Speaking to DPC’s vision to be a premier power cooperative, John Carr, Vice President of Strategic Planning at DPC, said “Resource diversification is a key component of that commitment to our cooperative membership. Growth in wind and solar supports Dairyland’s strategic direction to diversify.”

The full press release can be found here: Barton Wind Farm Feb 2017

NRCO Member CIPCO Launches Iowa’s Largest Utility-Based Solar Project

In late 2015, Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) worked with NRCO to initiate an RFP  for the development of the largest utility-based solar project in Iowa. CIPCO has recently selected solar developer Azimuth Energy to develop the project. The multi-site installation will provide 5.5 MW of clean electricity to CIPCO’s Members as part of an ongoing effort to add solar energy to CIPCO’s fleet of energy resources.

The full release can be read at CIPCO’s website, here.