NEWS CLIPS An NREL researcher explains what the lab is researching with the hydrogen reactor in the background.
Co-ops Discover What’s New at NREL Colorado electric co-op managers learn how the power system integration program lab can test how a distribution system would react in specific situations.
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nnovation, new technology and a glimpse into the future of the electric industry was on the agenda when the managers of Colorado’s electric cooperatives met December 5 and 6. Hosted at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, the group’s winter meeting opened with a welcome and overview from Dr. Martin Keller, laboratory director, prior to a tour of NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility. Dr. Keller noted that the state-of-the-art facility is now five years old and is fulfilling its mission of providing a unique, contained and controlled place where high-impact energy projects can be researched prior to being integrated into the marketplace.
The co-op managers viewed some of the current projects under way at the lab. These included grid integration of electricity from renewable resources; grid integration of electric vehicles; micro grids; smart home applications; hydrogen and fuel cells; and more. Fellow co-op CEO Brian Hannegan of Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs explained the grid modernization project that his co-op is partnering with NREL on and the advantages of working at the Energy Systems Integration Facility. The project is studying how the co-op can utilize distributed energy resources within its system to supply electricity during times of peak demand.
Listen to Podcasts From Energy Innovations Summit
The electric industry is in transition with new and different ways of conducting business. Many of those changes were on the agenda when more than 300 people gathered in late October in downtown Denver for CREA’s 9th Annual Energy Innovations Summit. Now, you can listen in on some of that discussion through the podcasts posted on the CREA website at crea.coop/crea-podcasts. You can hear utility leaders discuss best practices for navigating the changes ahead or listen to a panel on community choice aggregation. There is also a recording of Steve Collier, director of smart grid strategies at Milsoft Utility Solutions, discussing threats and opportunities in the changing electric industry. Another recorded session focuses on Colorado’s energy future and retail wheeling. The final podcast reviews Colorado’s renewable energy standard and how we got to where we are today.
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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE JANUARY 2019
It includes controlling rooftop solar, electric vehicles, water heaters and heating and cooling loads in a specific micro grid. All of that makes for a complex situation, “which is why we’re doing it at NREL,” Hannegan said. “Here we can test it without disrupting service for our members.” Following the tour of NREL’s integration facility, the co-op managers spent the rest of the meeting focused on strategic planning for the future, safety procedures for employees, drones and how they can assist electric co-ops with linework, and potential legislation and Public Utilities Commission matters.
Colorado Co-ops Plan 2nd Trip to Guatemala Linemen from Colorado’s electric cooperatives will go back to Guatemala in 2019. The Colorado Rural Electric Association received board approval at its December meeting to plan a second trip to the Central American country under the guidance of NRECA International. Again, linemen from Colorado will join linemen from Oklahoma electric cooperatives to bring electricity to a remote village. The location and dates for the trip will be announced following a preplanning trip, which will probably take place later this month.