Electric cooperatives across the U.S. are banding together into a "super-cooperative" for the sole purpose of developing new renewable energy projects.
The newly created National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) is in the process of appointing a transitional board and developing rules and structures by which to govern the organization. As of the end of March, 21 cooperatives had applied for membership, according to a report by Wind Energy Weekly.
The NRCO is being created to help cooperatives meet the requirements of renewable portfolio standards (RPS) being put into place in the U.S. The standards, which require that utilities produce a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable resources, are currently in place in more than half the states in the nation. It’s also possible that a federal RPS could be made law in the near future.
J.M. Shafer executive vice president/general manager of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association said, "NRCO offers cooperatives a way to pool our resources and efforts into a single national program that shows support for renewables and will put co-ops in a proactive position if a national standard for renewable energy becomes law.”
By banding together, electric cooperatives are increasing their purchasing power and allowing cooperatives in regions with fewer renewable resources to benefit from credits produced in states with greater resources.
Tri-State is one of the founding members of the NRCO, along with Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Sunflower Electric Cooperative and New Hampshire Electric Cooperative. According to Tri-State, the annual budget of NRCO will be nearly $1 million; the organization requires a commitment of $100,000 for the first year of the program from a minimum of 10 members.
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