Built by cooperatives to navigate what comes next.
NRCO is a member-owned advisory organization helping America’s electric cooperatives interpret changing energy markets and policies, evaluate new clean energy technologies, and execute complex projects.
A changing market created a shared need.
Electric cooperatives knew conventional generation. Renewable energy presented an entirely different market, with unfamiliar technologies, commercial structures, developers, risks, and opportunities.
NRCO was created in 2008 as wind energy began reshaping the American power industry. Cooperatives needed specialized expertise to understand the market, evaluate opportunities, negotiate sound agreements, and develop projects that served their members’ long-term interests.
They responded using a model they knew and trusted: cooperation. Rather than build the same capabilities separately, members created an organization that could develop expertise once, share lessons across the network, and remain focused on cooperative needs rather than its own interests.
“Build the expertise together. Put it to work for every member.”
The technologies changed. The responsibility did not.
NRCO began with wind, moved into utility-scale and community solar, and added storage as it became commercially viable. Today, we evaluate nearly every clean and emerging technology relevant to our members.
Wind
Understanding a new market and helping members develop early renewable projects.
Solar
Expanding into utility-scale, distributed, and community solar development.
Storage
Adding battery systems as technology, economics, and capacity needs matured.
Emerging Technologies
Following sound economics and member priorities wherever they lead.
Independent insight backed by hands-on execution.
Market Intelligence
Industry analysis, clean energy outlooks, emerging-technology research, webinars, strategic advice, and board-ready presentations created for cooperative decision-makers.
- NRCO Insider and NRCO Insights
- Clean Energy Outlooks
- Emerging Technologies Report
- Strategic and board support
Project Services
Practical support from early evaluation through commercial execution, tailored to the project, the market, and the member’s objectives.
- Feasibility studies and modeling
- RFPs and project origination
- Project and program management
- Negotiations, grants, and strategy
Live Project Database
A secure Member Hub and national member network that allow cooperatives to compare experience, share lessons, and avoid solving the same problem twenty-five different ways.
- Secure research and project library
- Live project information
- Member knowledge sharing
- NRCO Energy Summit
Cooperative perspective from across the country.
NRCO serves both member- and customer-cooperatives across the country, in all major markets (PJM, MISO, SPP, ERCOT, SERC, NE-ISO, and AECI)
Member-owned.
Independent.
Built to serve.
NRCO is owned and funded by its members and governed by a board composed of member cooperatives. Our responsibility is to the cooperatives we serve.
We are vendor/technology agnostic. That independence allows us to provide unbiased advice, challenge assumptions, and recommend the solution that best serves the member.
- Member first
- We begin with the member’s needs, not a product or predetermined answer.
- Independent advice
- Trusted co-op advisors, providing unbiased counsel.
- Extension of your team
- We work beside member staff and remain accountable through execution.
- Shared expertise
- Experience gained for one cooperative strengthens the entire network.
Expertise
Unrivaled clean energy insights.
Leadership
Champion innovation.
Humility
The best idea wins.
Courage
Be willing to take chances.
Accountability
Set and exceed expectations.
The next technology matters less than our ability to understand it.
Wind, solar, storage, advanced nuclear, geothermal, hydrogen, grid modernization, and technologies still taking shape will all present new questions. NRCO will continue doing what it has always done: adapt quickly, evaluate opportunities objectively, and follow the industry wherever our members need us to go.
The market changes. NRCO adapts. We are the centralized clean energy knowledge source for the electric cooperative community.
Need an answer or help moving a project forward?