What's New
Radio Interviews: Electric cooperative manager remembers Katrina aid
Cooperative leader says power must be efficient, reliable
by Tom Steever
Rural electric cooperatives are among those pushing for energy efficiency. Electric cooperative representatives are discussing that along with other challenges facing the utility industry during their regional meeting in Springfield, Illinois this week.
Rural electric board member Roger Arthur of Postville, Iowa says efficiency involves renewable energy sources, such as wind power, however he says back-ups are necessary to make it reliable.
"When people throw that switch on they expect to have power," Arthur told Brownfield from the regional meeting Tuesday, "so you have to able to do that 99.99 percent of the time that throw that switch."
Those attending the meeting include electric cooperative leaders and staff from Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois represent the cooperatives serving 1.7 million rural electric customers in those three states.
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Energy cooperative manager remembers Katrina aid
by Tom Steever
Hurricane Katrina rolled over the Gulf Coast a year ago the end of August, but it was one year ago now that Upper Midwest electric power cooperative trucks were rolling toward the destruction to help restore power.
Access Energy Cooperative Manager Bob Swindell of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa remembers the logistics of equipment and manpower being well-organized by the time his crews were on the scene, but he says the lesson to be taken away is to make it easier for trucks to get where they're needed.
"Just the paperwork of transporting our trucks because of federal transportation rules was a huge problem," says Swindell, "and it probably delayed our response from Iowa by several days just getting the proper permissions and permits to move our equipment through the adjoining states,"
Access Energy crews were on-site a couple of weeks, however Swindell, one of those who stayed at his base in Iowa, says the cooperative�s primary mission of local service was accomplished with remaining personnel putting in extra time.
by Tom Steever
Rural electric cooperatives are among those pushing for energy efficiency. Electric cooperative representatives are discussing that along with other challenges facing the utility industry during their regional meeting in Springfield, Illinois this week.
Rural electric board member Roger Arthur of Postville, Iowa says efficiency involves renewable energy sources, such as wind power, however he says back-ups are necessary to make it reliable.
"When people throw that switch on they expect to have power," Arthur told Brownfield from the regional meeting Tuesday, "so you have to able to do that 99.99 percent of the time that throw that switch."
Those attending the meeting include electric cooperative leaders and staff from Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois represent the cooperatives serving 1.7 million rural electric customers in those three states.
_______________________________________________________________
Energy cooperative manager remembers Katrina aid
by Tom Steever
Hurricane Katrina rolled over the Gulf Coast a year ago the end of August, but it was one year ago now that Upper Midwest electric power cooperative trucks were rolling toward the destruction to help restore power.
Access Energy Cooperative Manager Bob Swindell of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa remembers the logistics of equipment and manpower being well-organized by the time his crews were on the scene, but he says the lesson to be taken away is to make it easier for trucks to get where they're needed.
"Just the paperwork of transporting our trucks because of federal transportation rules was a huge problem," says Swindell, "and it probably delayed our response from Iowa by several days just getting the proper permissions and permits to move our equipment through the adjoining states,"
Access Energy crews were on-site a couple of weeks, however Swindell, one of those who stayed at his base in Iowa, says the cooperative�s primary mission of local service was accomplished with remaining personnel putting in extra time.
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