Media Contact:
Dana Bolwerk, communications & events coordinator
danab@scecnet.net | 715-796-7000
St. Croix Electric Co-op member subscriptions fund renewable energy project
HAMMOND, Wis., July 21, 2014 – Nearly 90 subscribers, guests and
officials gathered at St. Croix Electric Cooperative on July 19 for a
ribbon cutting to dedicate Sunflower 1 – a 103-kilowatt (kW) solar
garden (103,000 watts).
Sunflower 1 was energized on July 8, made possible by 120
“subscribers” who are members of St. Croix Electric Cooperative. Each
subscriber paid a one-time fee for one to five, 500-watt production
unit(s) and will collect credits on their monthly electric bills from the
solar garden’s output. A total of 206 units comprise the array.
“Seventy-seven years and 43 days ago, electricity flowed through St.
Croix Electric lines for the first time, powered from a diesel generator
to member No. 1 in Woodville. Today is exciting for a lot of reasons,”
said SCEC President & CEO Mark Pendergast. “This local, renewable energy
project was made possible by our members. It could not have happened
without member subscriptions.”
Sunflower 1 is expected to produce 154,000 kWh of electricity annually –
enough to power 13 SCEC residential members’ homes each year. As a
result, Sunflower 1 is estimated to prevent 123 tons of CO2 emissions in
the first year of operation for a total of more than 3,000 tons over the
course of 25 years.
Member interest was driven by the opportunity to invest in a clean energy
and local project. Michael Vivoda and Linda Vivoda-Sadee subscribed to the
output of one of the 206, 500-watt units.
“It (Sunflower 1) is nice to see in person since we’re part owners in a
piece of it,” Vivoda said. “We like the fact that it generates clean
energy and, since it’s a larger array at the Co-op, we do not have to deal
with the operation and maintenance costs that an individual array would
involve on our own property. We are trying to be more energy efficient –
we’ve installed geothermal in our home – and this is one more action in
that direction.”
Knowing the strong support from numerous SCEC members, the Co-op’s Board
of Directors made it a priority for Pendergast and the Co-op staff to lay
the foundation for Sunflower 1. In his speech on Saturday, Pendergast
noted the Board’s commitment and directive to make Sunflower 1 a
reality. The commitment did not go unnoticed.
“The members made this (Sunflower 1) possible – it’s as simple as
that,” said Jim Losleben, tenKsolar’s SVP, Special Projects. “We now
have the equipment to the point where it’s affordable. It’s a new
industry, but it’s not going away; the co-ops get that.”
Sunflower 1 is among multiple member-supported solar gardens constructed
by electric cooperatives within the Dairyland Power Cooperative system in
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. Currently, 13 percent of the
power produced by Dairyland Power Cooperative is from renewable energy
(wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, landfill gas).
About St. Croix Electric Cooperative
St. Croix Electric Cooperative (SCEC) was formed on Nov. 5, 1937, as a
result of five farmers who were determined to bring electricity to rural
St. Croix County, Wis. Nearly two years later – May 24, 1939 –
electricity was delivered to the first account. Today, the Cooperative
operates 1,740 miles of distribution lines that serve more than 10,500
member accounts. SCEC strives to help members understand the Cooperative
Difference by positively impacting local communities through Commitment to
Community grants, scholarships, and offering members rebates and solutions
to conserve and use energy wisely. Information is shared with members
through the April annual meeting;~Energy Lifestyles Magazine, which is
published 11 times per year; online at www.scecnet.net; and via social media: @StCroixElecCoop (Twitter) and St.
Croix County Energizer (Facebook).
About NRCO
Cooperatives across the country formed the National Renewables Cooperative
Organization (NRCO) to promote and facilitate the development of renewable
energy resources for its members. NRCO’s main purposes are to facilitate
the cost-effective, joint development of renewable resources nationwide
for its cooperative owners, helping its owners meet the requirements of
voluntary and mandatory Renewable Energy Standards (RES) http://www.NRCO.coopwww.NRCO.coop.
About tenKsolar
tenKsolar designs, manufactures and markets high efficiency and highly
reliable photovoltaic solutions based on its proprietary RAIS module
technology. The company offers complete, turnkey commercial rooftop solar
PV gardens providing the solar industry’s lowest energy costs, low-voltage
safety and low installation cost. Founded in 2008, tenKsolar is
headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. For additional information,
please visit tenKsolar’s website at http://www.tenksolar.comwww.tenksolar.com.
