Monthly Archive for April, 2010

Delta-Montrose powers “Light of Hope”

Published on April 30, 2010 in Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Tri-State member system Delta-Montrose Electric Association is helping power tonight’s “Light of Hope” event for Voices for Children, Court Appointed Special Advocates at 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Montrose. DMEA is a platinum sponsor of the “Unmasking Child Abuse” event having donated $1,000 from its Touchstone Energy sponsorship funding.

“This is our 10-year anniversary event that will benefit abused and neglected children within the Seventh Judicial District,” said Karen Tuttle, executive director of Voices for Children. “Our success is due to our great volunteers and the generous donations of the many organizations and individuals who support our effort. Our mission is to provide a voice in court for every abused and neglected child in the 7th Judicial District.

“Touchstone Energy cooperatives like DMEA, Tri-State and San Miguel Power have always been an integral part of the communities they serve. In addition to providing reliable electricity, they support a variety of charities, and sponsor a variety of local and regional events,” said Marshall Collins, who serves on both DMEA’s and Tri-State’s board of directors. “DMEA hopes this sponsorship will help brighten the lives of those served by Voices for Children.”

Solar Farm in San Miguel Power’s Future

Published on April 30, 2010 in Renewable Energy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Tri-State member cooperative, San Miguel Power Association, Inc. has entered into an agreement with SunEdison to develop a two megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant in Norwood, Colo. The facility will be the first large scale solar power generation plant in the co-op’s service territory.

“San Miguel Power is committed to providing our members with renewable energy options,” said SMPA general manager Kevin Ritter. “This project represents our goal to provide energy that is both local and renewable.”

The solar PV plant will be located on a 40 acre plot of land in western San Miguel County, southeast of Norwood, Colo. SunEdison anticipates breaking ground on the project in September 2010 with construction completed in December. If all goes as scheduled, it should be powering SMPA homes and businesses by January 2011.

Tri-State hangar doubles as lighting demo site

Published on April 26, 2010 in Energy Efficiency. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

In addition to housing the corporate aircrafts, Tri-State’s hangar at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, Colo., is currently acting as a demonstration location for a number of high-bay lighting technologies.

The original purpose of the project was to showcase the lighting technologies for attendees of the association’s annual meeting, held earlier this month. However, because the hangar is the only location where spectators can view the technology side-by-side, Tri-State has extended the tour invitation to outside agencies to view the lighting.

About 15 people took part in the initial tour, held last week, including representatives from the Adams County Sheriff’s office and those in the lighting industry. The second and last tour was held on April 23rd. This week, Tri-State’s facilities department will be removing the lights, which will eventually be replaced by whichever technology is selected for permanent placement in the hangar.

The association has also recently installed upgraded lighting technology, including LEDs (light emitting diode) and induction lighting, at its headquarters location — inside the building and to light the parking lot. Additionally, Tri-State has partnered with a number of its member systems to fund energy efficient light installation programs for consumers, such as a project in downtown Ouray, Colo. With the help of Tri-State and San Miguel Power Association (Nucla, Colo.), the western Colorado town made the switch from mercury-vapor street lamps to LED technology last summer.

Tri-State membership gathers for 58th annual meeting

Published on April 20, 2010 in General and Resource Planning. 0 Comments Tags: .

More than 500 electric cooperative representatives and industry officials attended Tri-State’s 58th annual meeting where they reviewed recent activities and addressed numerous issues and challenges facing the electric utility industry. Those in attendance paid tribute to Tri-State chairman Harold “Hub” Thompson, who announced his retirement as an electric co-op director after 26 years.

Following the meeting, the association’s board of directors was seated for the upcoming year. Under the cooperative business model, each of Tri-State’s 44 member distribution systems is represented on its board, which is the democratically-elected governing body of the association.

Rick Gordon, representing Tri-State member co-op Mountain View Electric Association (Limon, Colo.), was elected the new chairman.

Read more here.