Dairyland Power Cooperative received a $5.7 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant award to strengthen grid resilience by bringing long-duration energy storage opportunities to rural communities. Dairyland was one of five cooperatives included in the National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) grant application for part of $325 million in federal funding from the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED).

Dairyland’s battery project site will be located in Allamakee County, Iowa, and will serve Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative member load. The Invinity Energy Systems

The grant is intended to accelerate the commercialization of long-duration energy storage

technology that demonstrates significant cost reduction potential, high materials availability and performance advantages over current energy storage technologies. Fellow Midwest G&T Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) also received a grant on behalf of the Meswaki Indian Settlement in Tama County, Iowa.

The 2023 Winter Preparedness Test for interruptible heat (dual fuel) accounts is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 15, beginning at 7 a.m. This annual load control test is performed in advance of the winter Full Load Control season to ensure member familiarity with the control sequence and to ensure that backup heating systems have been validated for proper function. During the test, residential Interruptible Heat load classes

Control status is viewable at http://xso.dairylandpower.coop/lm/LCstatus_xres.html.

Dairyland’s Powered Printing group can support production and distribution of notices to consumer-members. For information, contact Helene Dziedzic. Questions regarding the test can be directed to James Ethen or Mitch Vanden Langenberg. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 4, more than 120 volunteers from Dairyland and 12 member cooperatives will be working on six projects throughout Dairyland's service territory. Joining Dairyland employees at each site will be employees from Allamakee-Clayton, Dunn Energy, Eau Claire Energy, Jo-Carroll Energy, Jump River, MiEnergy, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services, Richland Electric, Riverland Energy, Scenic Rivers Energy, Taylor Electric and Vernon Electric. Photos and a recap will be published next month.

SAVE THE DATE: The 2024 Cooperative Day of Service will be on Wednesday, Oct. 2, in six new locations throughout Dairyland's service territory. Contact Ellie Meyer or Dana Bolwerk with suggested projects and locations for the day.

Tim Holtan has worked at Riverland Energy Cooperative (a.k.a. Trempealeau Electric Cooperative when he was first hired) for almost 35 years. He experienced the merger of Trempealeau Electric with Buffalo Electric Cooperative in 1999 and now leads Riverland Energy as their CEO.

Dennis Frame was elected to the Riverland Energy Cooperative (Arcadia, Wis.) Board of Directors in March 2018. In March 2023, he was selected by Riverland to represent the cooperative on Dairyland's Board of Directors. He took time to share a little bit about himself and his family.

Eligible applicants can apply to receive funding for the purchase of up to 25 zero-emission (ZE) and/or clean school buses, along with ZE charging infrastructure and eligible workforce development costs. Selectees may be eligible for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits applicable to their bus and infrastructure purchases.

Applications are due by 3 p.m., on Jan. 31, 2024. Contact Jeff Springer, Dairyland's manager, innovation and efficient electrification, with questions or for assistance reaching out to eligible school districts in/adjacent to your service territory.

The application can be found on Dairyland's Members Only site -> Member Services -> Cooperative Contributions Program. Once submitted, requests will be reviewed by Dairyland’s Contributions Committee and responded to within two weeks. Questions can be directed to Communications & Public Relations Specialist Ellie Meyer (ellie.meyer@dairylandpower.com).

An in-person Touchstone Energy^® Member Engagement Workshop will be hosted in La Crosse for any employee of Dairyland's member cooperatives, including Special Services members. Scott Bialick with Touchstone Energy will lead the event, which will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, in downtown La Crosse at the Radisson and wrap up by noon on Friday, Oct. 20. We will host a networking event Thursday night with heavy appetizers at the La Crosse Club, which is adjacent to the Radisson.

Dairyland will be hosting a two-day session focused on website upgrades and updates, Nov. 8 and 9. The event will be in the large conference room of Dairyland's Service Center (3251 East Ave. S, La Crosse, Wis.). Attendees can attend all or parts of the days as their schedules allow and all employees are invited. Questions can be directed to Dana Bolwerk (dana.bolwerk@dairylandpower.com) or Ellie Meyer (ellie.meyer@dairylandpower.com).

“We are the ones at the tip of the spear on this issue, and I think that’s where we ought to be,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson at the Regions 1&4 meeting in Richmond, Va. “We’re innovative. We’re nimble. We’re responsive to local conditions. We know what’s important, and we get the job done.”

Did you know? Dairyland is a “summer peaking” utility. Air conditioner use results in significantly higher home and business energy usage in the summer. Periods of above-average heat and humidity drive up energy load on the Dairyland system. 

Q3 testing is already underway, and cooperatives are encouraged to mirror the national campaign by using the ads in their communication efforts to further position the cooperative as your members' trusted source of energy and information. The ads are run in every co-op zip code and available for use in communication efforts, including digital advertising, on-hold messaging, newsletters, magazines and signage. You can find all formats of the ads here.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced their 2023 Pollinator Power Party reached more than 2.3 million people around the world this past June.

Enabled by collaborators of the EPRI Power-in-Pollinator Initiative, which researches how the electric industry may support pollinators, the annual Pollinator Power Party brings together experts every day during National Pollinator Week to share information and lead activities about the importance of pollinators. Dairyland Power Cooperative is a supporter of the Power-in-Pollinator Initiative.

Check out the Pollinator Power Party webpage for a recap of the week's activities. Save the Date for the 2024 event: June 17-21!

Iowa’s electric cooperatives contribute greatly to the state economy, according to a recent economic impact study commissioned by the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) and produced by Goss & Associates (Omaha, Neb.)

We love to feature co-op news and new employees in Current Matters! Please share your latest updates with Dana Bolwerk (dana.bolwerk@dairyandpower.com).

Congratulations! If you have new employees you'd like featured below, please contact Dana Bolwerk.

In September, Eau Claire Energy Cooperative (Fall Creek, Wis.) was awarded the Bravo 2 Business Resilient Business of the Year Award by the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce. The electric cooperative was nominated for showing resilience in the face of challenges the last several years, while maintaining superior operations and adapting to the needs of their members. The cooperative will be hosting a Member Appreciation event on Saturday, Oct. 7, at their Fall Creek headquarters from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Jackson Electric Cooperative/JacksonSolar’s (Black River Falls, Wis.) crews installed solar energy systems at two of Jackson Electric’s substations this summer. On the crews were summer employees who have recently graduated from line school. As the electric industry progresses with renewable energy, these crew members will also be well-trained in solar technology. 

In addition, Jackson Electric’s headquarter building is an Evergreen building. This, along with the solar energy installations, are part of Jackson Electric’s sustainability plan in reducing the organization’s carbon footprint.

Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (Ellsworth, Wis.) named Kristin Pronschinske the Live Better Community Service Award winner for the third quarter of 2023. Pronschinske received the award and a $100 MasterCard^® gift card for her generous work as a board member and volunteer for local non-profit Basics for Local Kids.

Energy efficiency is a year-round practice that is promoted by electric cooperatives on a daily basis. Since 2016, National Co-op Month (October) has been kicked off by Energy Efficiency Day, which will be recognized on Oct. 4, 2023.

Dozens of energy efficiency advocacy groups around the United States have been joined by utilities, organizations, companies, universities and government agencies to share tips, tools and stories that promote the many benefits of energy efficiency. A website - https://energyefficiencyday.org - offers toolkits for #EEDAY2023 participants. In addition to the U.S. Senate, Energy Efficiency Day proclamations have been declared in the state of Illinois, as well as Dubuque, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; Milwaukee, Wis.; St. Paul, Minn.; Sun Prairie, Wis.; and the Illinois counties of Dupage, Kane and Will.

While there are a lot of resource links to sift through below, the newest additions are in BOLD.

LinkedIn Learning is free for all Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. Each cooperative has a certain number of licenses - contact Patty Fetting for your cooperative's license allocation. Additional licenses can be purchased for $50/each. More information is available at cooperative.com >> Touchstone Energy Cooperatives >> Education.

Dairyland's cooperative members are looking for new team members. Click on each title to learn more about these openings! If you would like to have your cooperative's job opening posted in Current Matters, click here.