solar power

Electric cooperatives work hard to ensure their members have access to the cleanest, safest, most affordable and reliable power possible. They keep up with both technology and trends to maintain that balance through sunny, hot summers; gray, bone-chilling winters; and everything in between.

I began writing about industry issues in this magazine two years ago, shortly after I became president and CEO of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives. I noted then that these are “interesting times.”

Actually, these times are more than simply “interesting.” Fact is, we’ve gone through a period of historic change: Older coal plants have been cleaned up or closed, while natural gas, wind, and solar power generation have increased, surpassing the role that coal once played as the leading source of power generation. The electric power that’s produced today is cleaner than it has ever been.

There are lots of reasons that electric consumers may check into the possibility of generating some of their own power — after all, sunshine and wind are seemingly free, and modern technology has made it possible to use those resources at the household or building level in a way that’s never been possible.

But there’s much to consider before making that decision: economics — the real monetary potential of the system; safety — for both consumers and lineworkers trying to restore power during an outage; and reliability — ensuring a steady flow of electricity.

Last year at this time, I provided you with our 2016 cooperative to-do list. As we begin 2017, I’ll take a moment to reflect on the past year and provide a look ahead at our plans for 2017.

During 2016, Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives successfully:

Later this year, you’ll see Ohio’s electric cooperatives’ latest power generation project spring up, along with the OurSolar logo. We plan to install community solar projects in several locations around the state.

Dear Pat: We have two kids, which means we do a lot of laundry — it never ends! What are some ways we can reduce our energy use in the laundry room?  – Frank

Dear Frank: The average American family washes about 300 loads of laundry per year — all that laundry uses a lot of energy! However, there are some easy ways to reduce your energy use in the laundry room.

While many people endorse the benefits of solar power, the idea of their actually installing and maintaining a costly rooftop grid might never see the light of day.

Through a community solar program called OurSolar, members of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives will soon be able to plug into the sun without the drawbacks of doing it themselves. As part of OurSolar, Buckeye Power is beginning to build new solar panel arrays at several locations around the state, bringing more emission-free energy to Ohio’s electric cooperatives.