United Power announced plans to construct its first commercial scale energy storage project.  Located in Firestone, CO and developed in collaboration with Chicago based SoCore Energy, the 4 MW / 16 MWh battery storage system will be the largest facility in the State of Colorado and one of the largest systems owned and operated by an electric co-op anywhere in the country.

“As one of the fastest growing co-ops in Colorado, United Power wants to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to integrating new technology that can help boost reliability and keep costs down.  Energy storage will play an important role in the grid of the future, and we’re excited to be starting now,” said John Parker, CEO of United Power.

United Power partnered with SoCore Energy to develop the project, which will be located at United Power’s west office on I-25, just south of Highway 119.  SoCore is a leading solar PV and energy storage developer with a special focus on serving rural electric cooperatives.  SoCore and United Power selected Tesla to supply the 4 MW / 16 MWh Powerpack system.

“SoCore worked closely with United Power to understand the objectives of the project, siting and design considerations, and performance requirements.  This has been a terrific partnership so far, and we’re looking forward to getting construction underway,” said SoCore President Rob Scheuermann.

The battery storage system will store energy generated in the overnight hours, when demand is low, and discharge it during peak hours to reduce demand.  Curbing peak demand will reduce costs and help improve the overall efficiency of United Power’s electric grid as it serves its more than 82,000 meters.

The Firestone system is the first of several energy storage projects that United Power will roll out, piloting an innovative “community battery” strategy, allowing users to purchase a share of the battery system’s output to directly reduce demand charges on their monthly electric bills.

“United Power was one of the first utilities in the country to experiment with the ‘community solar’ concept with our Sol Partners™ program, and now there are community solar projects all over the country.  ‘Community batteries’ are the next big trend,” said United Power’s New Business Director, Jerry Marizza.

SoCore Energy’s Scheuermann agrees.  “Community batteries allow co-ops and their members to address the demand components of the utility bill – the portion that can’t easily be addressed with solar energy alone.  Batteries provide opportunities to reduce costs, increase choices for co-ops and their members while improving resiliency of the grid.”

Construction on the system is expected to begin in the first half of 2018.

By November, a third large scale solar field will be energized in United Power’s territory– the Platteville Solar Farm. This 16 megawatt (MWAC) solar project is now the largest cooperative solar farm in Colorado– surpassing our own 13 megawatt Fort Lupton Solar Farm, energized in June 2016.

Silicon Ranch Corporation, a leading developer, owner, and operator of solar energy plants, will own and operate the solar field, while United Power will purchase the energy produced over the next 20 years. The 175-acre farm is located at 19028 County Road 28, just east of Platteville. The farm features technology that allows more than 185,000 solar panels to track the sun from east to west and will produce enough low-cost, renewable power to serve 3,000 United Power members annually.

Combined with the Fort Lupton Solar Farm and the Mavericks Solar Farm, a 6.5 megawatt solar farm in Mead energized in December 2016, more than 6,700 homes and businesses in United Power’s territory will be powered by solar energy once the Platteville Solar Farm is energized.

United Power Board President James Vigesaa officially announced the promotion of John Parker to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the cooperative. Parker has served as United Power’s Chief Financial Officer since 2006, and has been serving as interim CEO since the resignation of Darryl Schriver on June 8, 2017.

“On behalf of the entire United Power board, we are pleased to announce the promotion of John Parker to CEO,” stated Vigesaa. “John’s many years of service to United Power, coupled with his extensive experience in the cooperative industry is a great leadership match for this utility.”

Parker’s cooperative experience extends back to 1983, and includes experience at Matanuska Electric in Alaska, Cap Rock Electric Cooperative in Texas, and Columbia REA in Washington. Parker earned a Bachelor degree in Business with a concentration in Public Accounting Finance from Gonzaga University. Active in the community, he serves as a director on the Community Reach Foundation and is a member of the Brighton Rotary Club.

“I am honored to be selected for this important leadership position, and I am excited to lead our extraordinary team of employees into the future,” stated Parker. “United Power is a well situated cooperative in terms of growth and finances, and I look forward to helping the cooperative move forward with the many innovative projects under development.”

2017 Capital Credit Retirement to Distribute $5 Million

The United Power board approved a retirement this year of $5 million dollars, and that means that every member will get to share in the cooperative’s continuing good financial health. As the 11th consecutive year United Power has retired capital credits to its members, this $5 million dollar amount continues the commitment to sharing the performance of the cooperative with its members.

United Power, as a cooperative, is a not-for-profit operation. This means the co-op doesn’t work to earn margins for shareholders, but works for the members. Every year the United Power Board of Directors assesses the cooperative’s financial condition, and determines if and how much the cooperative can afford to return to the members.

Capital credits are based on two factors: how much electricity members use, and how long members have been a cooperative member. Essentially, the more power a member uses and the longer the member is part of the cooperative, the larger the share of each capital retirement. Each capital credit account represents a member’s investment into the cooperative, and those investment dollars are used over time to make capital improvements to the electric system.

“Capital credits illustrate one of the ways that cooperatives are very different from other utilities,” said John Parker, Interim CEO. “Our goal is to provide reliable electricity at economical rates, and with our members providing the support for our growing system we can meet the need for new service and keep rates economical. Every time a member receives a capital credit retirement from the cooperative, they receive a tangible benefit from their membership.”

Anyone who had service in 2016 or earlier will receive either a check or a bill credit as part of this year’s capital credit retirement. Any member who has a retirement of $10 or more will receive a check and anyone under that amount will receive a credit on their bill in August or September.

“We will be issuing more than 79,000 checks to our members this year, and many of those checks will be substantial,” Parker said. “Consider some of our largest users like local businesses, school districts, municipalities and farms and you can understand the impact United Power’s cooperative model has on the communities we serve. Large checks to a school district or for town facilities can really help with operational costs.”

Capital credit retirements have returned a steady stream of money back to members in recent years. In the past 11 years, United Power has retired $41 million in capital credits to our members.

To learn more about Capital Credits visit our Capital Credits page,  or call a Member Services Representative at 303-637-1300.

As a cooperative, our United Power employees always pay close attention to the needs of our members. Finding ways to better serve our members is a priority at every employee level – and a goal we as a cooperative continue to strive for. Late last year, a group of employees participating in a leadership program were challenged with finding the best way to better serve our members. Their solution – the addition of another facility located in the west side of our territory.

In the May United Newsline, we announced the purchase of the 130,000 square foot facility located east of I-25, just south of Highway 119. Expanding the cooperative’s footprint in our territory bubbled up from the ideas of those particular employees – who spent hours upon hours researching, discussing and working together to produce a detailed plan for the possibility of another facility. The employee team focused on the benefits of increased visibility, better member access, community outreach, shorter response time during outages and the need for more space that a building on the west side of our territory would provide.

Visibility 

It’s no secret Colorado’s population is on the rise – and United Power is located in the apex of that growth. Located near I-25 and other major highways including Highway 52 and Highway 119, the new facility will provide additional presence needed in an area that is experiencing major growth. A centralized presence in our plains territory will be critical in meeting the needs and demands of our members located in one of the fastest growing areas of Colorado.

Member Access 

As our territory grows in population, access to our offices is even more essential. Providing an additional office location in the west side of our territory will create better convenience for members living in that area.

Community Outreach 

Connecting with our communities we serve is a priority at United Power and one of the Seven Cooperative Principles. By growing our presence with an additional facility, we’re able to expand our outreach efforts more than ever. As the communities in our territory continue to grow, United Power will continue to be a partner and provide support for our members.

Shorter Response Time 

A facility in the midst of a high growth area allows United Power to safely and more efficiently respond to outages, line extension and maintenance activities. By responding from the new facility, crews will avoid 27 stoplights they normally would be faced with if responding from our Brighton headquarters. The location provides our crews with easy access to major highways: I-25, Highway 7, Highway 119, Highway 52 and Highway 66. The quicker we can respond, the quicker the lights turn on.

More Company Space 

Built in 2006, the Brighton headquarters was designed for 10 years of future employee growth. Since 2006, United Power has added approximately 2.5 employees per year to keep up with the demands of our growing cooperative. As the number of employees increases, it becomes harder to find space to house them. By expanding to another facility, employees will have their needs met and space freed up at our Brighton headquarters location can be used for more training and storage. United Power’s corporate headquarters will remain in Brighton. Since taking possession of the new facility on April 25th United Power is now beginning the process of designing the interior of the building, which will also incorporate input from employees. We are also in the process of acquiring an adjacent plot of undeveloped land, which would allow for additional on-site material storage and expanded parking.

Capital Dollars Help Fund Purchase 

Proceeds from substation transfers from United Power to Tri-State Generation and Transmission, our wholesale electricity provider, helped fund a large portion of the $8.76 million purchase of the new facility. United Power sold equipment on these substations of 115 kV or higher to TriState. The capital dollars made from the sales were redistributed to acquire the new facility. This reinvestment of capital will serve all members for years to come.

Darryl Schriver is leaving United Power as the cooperative’s CEO to take a position at Tri-County Electric in the Azle, Texas, located near the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. Board President James Vigesaa made the announcement to United Power employees during a  meeting on Wednesday afternoon.  John Parker, United Power’s CFO, will serve as interim CEO until a new selection is made by the  Board of Directors. Schriver’s last day will be June 23, 2017.  United Power wishes him and his family the best of luck in his new  endeavor.