United Power proudly announces the 2017 Scholarship awards. Sixteen different scholarships are granted for a total of $18,500. United Power awards the scholarships each year to outstanding students served by the cooperative. The United Power Scholarship Committee gives these awards based on grades, test scores, extracurricular participation, and a short essay.  Applications are made available at the end of each year. Visit www.unitedpower.com for more information.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative – $1,000 Award
Riley Juenemann is a senior at Frederick High School and plans to major in Computational and Applied Mathematics in the fall. Riley is very active at her high school, serving on the Academic Advisory Council, Link Crew and the Athletic Leadership Council, just to name a few.  In her spare time she enjoys volunteering on various projects in her community. She is also an accomplished guitarist.

United Power Colorado College Scholar – $2,000 Awards
Elena DeAndrea will graduate from Ralston Valley High School and plans to attend the University of Colorado in the fall, where she will major in Biochemistry and Business Management.  At her high school she is active in Student Government and Choir. She is a member of the National Honor Society.  Elena has also volunteered at Lutheran Hospital for the past three years.

Jacob Kriska plans to study engineering at the University of Colorado after graduating from Eagle Ridge Academy. Jacob is in student council and is the Study Body President. Jacob strives to be a leader at his school and works hard to make all students feel accepted.

Tri-State Generation & Transmission – $1,000 Scholarship (Photo not Available)
Caitlin B. is very active in sports at her high school and has been awarded many academic awards during her four years of high school. Caitlin volunteers countless hours in her community and is still deciding on her future plans.

Lois Lesser Education Scholar – $1,000 Scholarship
Clarissa Shelley will graduate from Legacy High School and has been awarded the Lois Lesser Scholarship for her interest in pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. Clarissa is very active at her high school and is the Student Body President. She has volunteered for many organizations that focus on children.

Bill Berens Memorial Scholarship – $1,000 Scholarship
Lindsey Hamblin has been awarded the inaugural Bill Berens Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is for students pursuing a degree in the engineering field. Lindsey attends Skyline High School. She is a member of both the National Honor Society and the National Art Society. She plays tennis and has competed in robotic competitions. Lindsey will attend the University of Colorado in the fall majoring in chemical and mechanical engineering.

United Power Youth Leadership Scholarship – $1,500 Award
Samuel Escamilla from Weld Central High School has been awarded the Youth Leadership Scholarship for his dedication to his community and his involvement in his high school. Samuel was awarded the Youth of the Year Award at the Shopneck Boys & Girls Club in January 2017. He plans to attend college and major in mathematics and secondary education.

United Power Book Awards – $1,000 Book Scholarships
Brighton High School: Caitlin O’Callaghan will graduate from Brighton High School in May. She is a member of the National Honor Society and plays varsity volleyball. Caitlyn has received numerous academic honors and plans to pursue a career in Biology. Caitlyn has been awarded a coveted Daniel’s Fund Scholarship and this scholarship has been reawarded to another student.

Denise Ocampo is a senior at Brighton High School and plans to pursue a career in Nursing to help those in need in her community. Denise has received many academic awards and in her spare time volunteers at her church. She is still deciding on her college.

Prairie View High School: Andrew Her plans to pursue a degree in Biology and will graduate from Prairie View High School in May. Andrew is a member of the National Honor Society and HOSA. He has been on the Principal’s Honor Roll multiple times.

Eagle Ridge Academy: Chaz Okada will graduate in May from Eagle Ridge Academy. He plans to pursue a career as a pilot. Chaz plays baseball and is an accomplished musician.

Frederick High School: Alicia Orr is active in the National Honor Society and has received the Presidential Award all four years. She is a volunteer tutor at Thunder Valley Elementary. Alicia plans to work in the Atmospheric Sciences.

Fort Lupton High School: Gerardo Millan Jr. plays basketball and soccer and is a member of the Robotics Club and the Outdoors Club. Upon graduating from Fort Lupton High School, he plans to attend college and work in the Computer Science field.

Mead High School: Sydney Blackburn will be attending the University of Northern Colorado in the fall and will major in Elementary Education. Sydney is active in 4H and the National Honor Society. She is an outstanding volleyball athlete and has received many academic letters. In choosing her career, Sydney plans to make a difference and a positive impact in the lives of children.

Weld Central High School: Lesli Calderon will pursue a Pre-Med degree at the University of Northern Colorado and plans specialize in Pediatrics. Lesli is the Student Council Senior Representative and Treasurer. She is also a member of LULAC and FCCLA.

At Large: Tiana Linkus attends Erie High School where she plays varsity soccer and is a cheerleader. She will attend Montana State University in the fall to major in Cell Biology and Neuroscience to ultimately become a trauma surgeon.

Mountain Territory: Benjamin Hoppes will be attending the Colorado School of Mines upon graduation from the Summit Academy, to study Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. Benjamin is on the swim team and competes in piano competitions.

Over the next few months, United Power is conducting annual pole inspections throughout the cooperative service area. This essential maintenance helps to keep our electric delivery system performing at the highest possible level. United Power has contracted this inspection service with Utility Asset Management Inc. While contract crews are working in your area, you may see this marked contractor vehicle and their employees visually inspecting the utility poles serving you.

In a few instances, Utility Asset Management crews may need access to poles located in yards. Should they need access into a fenced yard, they will work directly with the member to schedule an appointment. Contractors will not need access into any homes to complete this maintenance work.

United Power also uses our automated phone system to send out a recording alerting members when we will be working in your area. To ensure you receive these important updates, please confirm the phone number on your account by calling United Power at 303-637-1300 or by logging into your account via SmartHub.

If you have any questions about this maintenance work, please call our Member Services department at 303-637-1300.

The drop in price of solar panels has created fertile ground for do-it-yourself power generators. While it’s not widespread, we have seen an increase in electric systems being installed that have not been planned and installed by a certified installation company or with the coordination of the utility.

United Power will be actively looking for these systems and requiring that the installations meet all required permitting processes. To keep everyone safe, the cooperative is even prepared to disconnect service to members who are operating a system without proper permitting until all requirements are met. This is necessary to help keep all our members and our employees safe. While it looks simple to throw some panels up on the roof and hook them up, there are a lot of risks involved with the process – let’s look at some of them:

Installation of a solar photovoltaic system is like any other electric installation in your home – it can be dangerous if not installed correctly. Make a mistake and you can suffer an injury – nasty things like burns, falls and electric shocks. There is also the risk of a fire if the unit is poorly installed. Like any electrical work in your home, your homeowners insurance will want to know that the unit it properly installed before paying any claim for damage. Also, if the utility doesn’t know you’ve put the system in it poses a real risk to lineworkers during maintenance work or during outage restoration. Not having an appropriate inverter would make your system into a mini power plant, that wouldn’t shut down during a power outage. Your system could feed energy back onto a line and injure or kill a worker if the utility doesn’t know it’s in operation.

Solar installations are subject to federal, state and local permit requirements, along with an interconnect agreement with the utility. Just as you would need permits to complete work on a basement finish or bathroom remodel, a solar system requires multiple permits. The permitting process makes certain your system is installed correctly, meeting all the electrical and/or plumbing requirements for the state and local municipalities. Electricity production is a regulated industry, so you’re not legally allowed to connect your system to an existing grid without appropriate inspections. The interconnection agreement with the utility helps to clarify your relationship with the utility – it makes you eligible to apply for rebates and allows you to take advantage of United Power’s net metering program.

If you have a generating system that you installed without securing the necessary permits, or are operating without an interconnection agreement with United Power, we are looking for you. Give us a call at 303-659-0551 to find out how we can help you get your system in compliance, and help you avoid injuring or killing one of our United Power line workers or someone in your neighborhood.