United Power is proud to announce the launch of a new scholarship program aimed at supporting graduating high school seniors interested in pursuing a career as a utility lineworker. The United Power Lineman Scholarship will provide two deserving students with a $7,500 scholarship each to support their education in a power line program.

With the increasing demand for skilled lineworkers in the electrical industry, United Power recognizes the importance of investing in the next generation of talent. The scholarship aims to alleviate the financial burden for students entering the lineworker profession and empower them to pursue their career goals.

“We are excited to introduce the United Power Lineman Scholarship as part of our ongoing commitment to support continuing education in the communities we serve,” said Julie Stewart, Community Outreach Coordinator at United Power. “The Lineman Scholarships are the newest addition to our annual cooperative scholarship program and will be awarded along with an additional $31,500 in post-secondary and vocational scholarships in 2024.”

Scholarships are open to graduating high school seniors who are a dependent of a United Power member. Eligibility for scholarships varies, but in general, applicants will be evaluated based on academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and leadership potential. To be eligible for the Lineman Scholarship, the students must be entering a power line program.

“We encourage all eligible students who are passionate about pursuing a career in the electrical industry to apply for the United Power Lineman Scholarship,” added Stewart. “We are proud to support tomorrow’s lineworkers and the educational goals of all local students.”

Applications for all scholarships from United Power are now open and will close on March 1. Interested students can find more information and access the application here.

United Power was focused on securing new power contracts this past year with the flexibility to meet its growing demand in advance of the upcoming exit from its current wholesale power provider — effective May 1, 2024. The cooperative’s leadership recognized the opportunity to stabilize rising wholesale power costs and ease its financial burden when it announced the exit in 2022 and began requesting power supply proposals from regional and national generators. In keeping with its established reputation as a forward-thinking, innovative electric utility, the co-op is partnering with nationally recognized industry leaders to reduce its carbon intensity through a carefully curated mix of generation resources, including natural gas and renewable options, and developing groundbreaking demand response systems that will cut costs when energy is most expensive. 

United Power had a stellar year in addition to the new power contracts, which included eclipsing a new milestone in residential rooftop solar installations. The coooperative also launched a website refresh with enhanced focus on member engagement and data-driven navigation updates, renewed the popular Member Choice Grant program, engaged with local communities in new ways, and debuted an all-new battery pilot program for members.

New Power Supply Contracts & Groundbreaking Innovation

United Power has the largest load among Colorado’s electric distribution cooperatives, which means it will require a diverse group of suppliers to meet its energy needs as it continues to grow.

The cooperative announced a power supply contract with Denver-based Guzman Energy in July — featuring fixed wholesale pricing and securing approximately one-third of its supply needs beginning in May 2024 — and a strategic relationship with Xcel Energy in September to explore opportunities for maximizing the value of their combined portfolios. Smaller contracts with OneEnergy and Whetstone Power will add approximately 40 megawatts (MW) of renewable resources to the co-op’s energy mix. 

Also announced this past year were two groundbreaking battery storage agreements with Ameresco and Whetstone Power. The cooperative will strategically install more than 100 MW of battery storage at substations located throughout its service territory to increase system resiliency and reliability, balance load, reduce costs, and more efficiently incorporate local renewables. 

“The use of batteries on our distribution network is essential to a resilient and responsive power system and we are excited to move ahead with one of the most aggressive plans for such a system,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and CEO.

Read more about United Power’s power supply.

Rooftop Solar Milestone

More United Power members are opting to generate power locally than ever before. Rooftop solar has quickly become the preferred solution for members who are looking to offset their energy usage with renewable options. 

The cooperative has a residential solar penetration of nearly 11%, which ranks among the highest representations for electric utilities of all sizes and more than double the national average. Last year, United Power became one of the first cooperatives to surpass 10,000 residential solar installations. Members have added nearly 6,500 rooftop solar systems to their homes since early 2020, more than doubling the total number of systems interconnected to the United Power grid. The combined generation potential of these systems is nearly 70 MW.

United Power is proud to support a robust solar community, and is committed to providing a member-friendly connection process, which has been recognized by the Colorado Solar and Storage Association. 
United Power also debuted an all-new member program for those interested in pairing their solar system with battery storage. Members interested in learning more about the cooperative’s solar interconnection process and the new battery pilot program can find more details under the My Energy tab at www.unitedpower.com.

Online Experience Improvements

United Power members may have noticed a new look and feel to the website and online account portal. The cooperative launched a refreshed website design in June, focused on helping members quickly navigate to their desired location in fewer clicks and finding information faster.

United Power also rolled out an update for its online account portal, SmartHub, to improve functionality and enhance user experience. Members may sign up for a free account at www.unitedpower.com/smarthub.

Giving Back to the Community

Concern for communities is a cooperative principle United Power values and takes seriously. That is why the cooperative renewed its Member Choice Grant program for a third year and distributed $12,000 to nonprofits nominated by its members. For updates about grants and 2024 nominations, visit Member Choice.

Additionally, the cooperative identified new ways to interact with its members and support local athletics and education through a Friday Night Lights check presentation in Brighton and honoring a lineman in Carbon Valley during the fall football season.

United Power is looking forward to celebrating its 85th anniversary and the change in power suppliers this year. Join us as we recognize how the cooperative has championed community growth, helped spur economic development, supported community engagement, and will continue being more than just your local electric utility now and into the future. Just as we have since 1938, United Power will continue to be “Here for Good” in the communities we serve.