Power Plays

From autonomous drones to smart grid sensors, startups are bringing new tools to rural electric co-ops to strengthen reliability, boost resilience and control costs. In this episode of Power Plays, hear the standout innovations from NRECA’s Startup Alley competition, including ideas from HomeBoost and Pitch Aeronautics.

When a massive new data center load shows up in a local community, who benefits? Who pays? And what safeguards matter most? This episode of Power Plays breaks down the real tradeoffs — rates, reliability, water, noise and emissions — and the “yes-if” strategy one co-op is using to protect members and capture the economic upside. 

America’s new grid constraint is not gas supply, but the turbines that convert it to power—largely sold out until the early 2030s. On this episode of Power Plays, gas turbine expert Tom Freeman explores workarounds like aeroderivatives, adapted from jet engines.

Electric co-ops are grappling with rising costs, but members are in no mood for rate hikes. Load growth can help, but it’s not without risks. In this episode of the Power Plays podcast, S&P Global’s David Bodek and CoBank credit leader Rob Galena take a hard look at the landscape and map out co-op financial flexibility.

Relevance, tech awareness and closer ties to changing communities — those are some of the key qualities to seek out in co-op board member recruits. In this episode of Power Plays, Richard Fagerlin and Dr. Keri Jacobs, the hosts of Build Better Boards podcast, advise co-ops to polish their recruitment strategy and clearly frame their value proposition to attract volunteers.

Battery storage is the Swiss Army knife of the grid—it can balance demand and supply and support ancillary services. As the electric industry looks for any and all supply solutions, batteries are an important resource in the grid toolbox. This episode of Power Plays brings together battery deployment insights from a manufacturer, battery storage researcher, G&T executive and large developer. 

America’s electric cooperatives are executing a stunning balancing act protecting existing customers, maintaining reliability and serving a surge of large loads driven by data centers. Hear how they are pulling it off in this Power Plays episode. Leaders from Umatilla Electric, Rappahannock Electric, Tri-State Generation & Transmission and NextEra Energy Resources share their candid stories of innovation, risk management and community impact.

Powerline workers’ safety extends far beyond electrocution and falls. In this episode of Power Plays, safety experts Johnie Hendrix and Chad Johnson talk through the importance of supporting crews so they are emotionally and mentally healthy and prepared, on and off the line.

Leading an electric co-op mean faster decisions, a positive work culture and reliable service. In this episode of Power Plays, CEOs Tom Howard and Katherine Domingue share what comes with the top role, and point to the importance of safety, trust and communication. Hear how they’ve led through crises and their advice for future leaders. 

After building out broadband, electric cooperatives’ next step is to assess it value – and maybe sell or divest, if an opportunity presents itself. As market dynamics shift and operational demands evolve, this episode of Power Plays offer advice to co-ops weighing financial returns against mission alignment and long-term sustainability.

 The cost and time to build a new power plant has increased dramatically. Essential equipment lead times are long, and technical labor is scarce. In this episode of Power Plays, Gavin McCollam with Basin Electric shares how his North Dakota G&T cooperative is addressing reliability, meeting project timelines and building new generation for the next generation.

Since Winter Storm Uri left Texans in the dark four years ago, electric cooperatives and their members have actively pursued ways to harden the grid and increase community resiliency. In this episode of Power Plays, Will Nichols with Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative describes how its pilot project uses battery storage and other controllable devices to provide dispatchable generation.

The largest grid operator in the U.S., PJM, has more than 3,000 active projects in its interconnection queue, more than four other ISOs combined. And it used to be easy to build in Texas, but ERCOT is facing the same challenges as other regions. Spearmint Energy’s Andrew Waranch and Gina Wolf examine the nuances of building ISO supply in this episode of Power Plays. 

Why exactly is the middle of the U.S. running out of power? In this episode of Power Plays, Spearmint Energy’s Andrew Waranch and Gina Wolf examine building new supply with MISO and SPP. In these two regions, new generation project queues are lengthy and community opposition is high. We look at what it will take to build back a safe reserve of supply for consumers. 

The popularity of solar panels and EVs shows DERs are here to stay, and proactive utilities are integrating them into their portfolios. In this episode of Power Plays, leaders with San Isabel Electric and Tri-State share how they are tapping into their co-op roots by connecting members with reputable contractors and offering on-bill financing and dynamic member education.

Electric co-ops are preparing for their toughest planning cycle yet as large loads threaten to overwhelm the system. In this episode of Power Plays, energy expert Kush Patel, a senior partner with E3, shares what lessons utilities should take away from Virginia’s rapid expansion of data centers. 

Need fresh ideas to boost your co-op broadband business? Ozarks Electric and United Electric share practical advice in this episode of Power Plays, explaining how data analytics drive their strategies to retain broadband customers and increase fiber business profitability. 

As rate case filings grow, utility commissioners are pressured to keep electricity affordable — while they meet demand growth and maintain reliability. Are they striking the right balance? In this year-end episode of Power Plays, Lillian Federico and Steve Piper from S&P Global look at the structural rise in utility costs and whether an increasingly fragmented industry is agile enough to meet the challenges ahead. 

Electricity demand is growing, weather events are worsening, and variable renewables make up a larger share of supply. The grid needs flexible generating resources. But with a years-out supply chain, where do we turn? Two manufacturers of flexible generating technology – Wärtsilä and Mainspring Energy – outline innovation and options for co-ops in this episode of Power Plays.

From providing vital safety and education programs to speaking with one voice, the statewide associations representing electric co-ops strengthen and unify members and their communities. This episode of Power Plays celebrates National Cooperative Month with association CEOs from Minnesota, Missouri and Arizona who share how they’re shaping electricity in their states. 

As Amazon has set consumers’ expectations and COVID changed workers’ expectations, running an electric co-op demands nimble leadership and innovation. In this episode of Power Plays, two authors of a new Rural Electric Management Development Council white paper share how they’ve taken charge of their co-ops’ destinies. 

We’ve all seen scary headlines portraying an overwhelmed electric grid on the brink of collapse. But there is optimism and opportunity. Offering up specific solutions, Larry Bekkedahl with Portland General Electric and Jeff Smith with EPRI explain in this episode of Power Plays how to the industry can meet the challenge.

Consumers in different regions of the U.S. are paying vastly different prices for natural gas — the consequence of notoriously slow pipeline projects. In this episode of Power Plays, Bethel King and Dr. Robert Brooks, principal researchers at RBAC, explain the primary regional drivers that will influence the price you’ll pay for natural gas. 

When the largest commercial real estate company in the world says power is the No. 1 priority for data center operators — and they’re coming to rural America — we’re all ears. Pat Lynch, CBRE’s global head of data center solutions, joins CoBank’s Chris Shaffner and Jackie Bove on this episode of Power Plays to discuss planning, financing, credit, and the related balancing act for electric distribution cooperatives.

Where are utilities finding the greatest value for their AI investments? Using concrete examples from their own co-ops, Jason Bowling of Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative in Arizona and Chris VanLokeren of North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives share how they are making better decisions, faster.

A decade ago, rampant predictions assumed solar and battery storage would render the century-old electric utility business model obsolete and trigger a “utility death spiral.” But the reality is just the opposite. In this episode of Power Plays, leaders of Middle Tennessee Electric and Tennessee Valley Authority explain how they are using DER to transform their regional grid. 

After demonstrating clean energy projects can succeed in rural areas, NRECA is putting more partnerships into practice. Its CARED project is creating a consortium of seven rural co-ops ops — including Minnesota Valley Electric — to deploy microgrids. In this episode of Power Plays, NRECA’s Tolu Omotoso explains how the DOE-funded project will create solutions hundreds of co-ops can scale and replicate.

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize the power utility space, enhancing efficiency, reliability, and environmental impact. In this episode, power utility AI experts from NVIDIA, EPRI and Utilidata explore emerging opportunities, from predictive maintenance and optimized energy generation to boosting grid management and developing smart grids.

Climbing electricity demand is forcing utilities to make weighty investment decisions – at the same time interest rates and inflation have hit 50-year highs. In this episode of Power Plays, CoBank thought leaders JT Parker, Matt Hale and Justin Merkowitz give their 2024 outlook, from balancing new demand to the changing nature of assets and new approaches to managing interest rate risk. 

Winter storms and cyber attacks are commonly thought of as the risks to electric reliability. But now joining that list is energy policy. In this episode of Power Plays, Jim Matheson, the CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, delves into how the aggressive timeline for EPA’s proposed rules to reduce power plant emissions threatens electric system reliability, especially for co-ops.  

The world is entering a new age of clean technology manufacturing, and global industrial strategies will pave the way for this evolution. Leading nations are retooling their industrial policies, reshaping supply chains to ensure national security while addressing a host of complex issues. In this episode of Power Plays, geopolitical strategist Reva Goujon of Rhodium Group explores how international policy changes could impact local rural economies. 

Data center energy demand is expected to double within the decade – and the convergence of rural telecom and energy industries are driving the data center economy. In honor of National Co-op Month, this episode of Power Plays outlines how Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, the electric co-op serving the most data centers in the U.S., is meeting the challenge. Join us for an in-depth conversation with Jeff Johnston, CoBank’s lead communications economist, and Dave Schleicher, president and CEO of NOVEC.

To meet growing demand for zero-carbon electricity and deliver it to far-flung customers, the U.S. will need up to 91,000 miles of new transmission by 2035. Last year, the U.S. completed about 700 miles. In this episode of Power Plays, grid energy experts say that ensuring local communities have reliable electricity means it’s time to consider all options—including grid enhancement technologies, customer-side distributed energy resources, and existing right of ways. 

Every day, staggering natural disasters are hitting the news – and electric utilities. Hurricanes and wildfires are taking an especially tough toll. In this episode of Power Plays, Mark Phillips of DEMCO in Louisiana and Pam Feuerstein of CORE Electric in Colorado share the details of planning for the unthinkable, and their respective co-ops’ recoveries from Hurricane Ida and the Hayman fire.

Neil Chatterjee’s five-year journey with the powerful Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was punctuated by periods of high drama — from his meteoric rise to lead the agency to his surprise demotion. In this episode of Power Plays, the former FERC chair reflects on his ground-breaking policy moves and why he’s optimistic about energy jobs in rural areas. He also addresses the recent role of politics, arguing that it might be time to “make energy policy boring again.”

Ransomware and physical attacks have become an unfortunate reality for electric utilities. While co-ops can’t prevent bad actors, they can prepare with agile threat prevention and containment. Hear first-hand accounts and lessons learned from Les Moreland, the CEO for Wiregrass Electric Co-op, and Amadou Fall, the COO at North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, as they walk through their systems’ responses to recent attacks.

Transformers of all types are now harder for utilities to source, delaying everything from infrastructure for electric vehicles to building new homes. In response, buyers and sellers are both changing the way they do business. Hear more from buyer Peter Muhoro of Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, the nation’s third largest electric co-op, and seller Tim Mills, the president and CEO of ERMCO, a transformer manufacturer.

COVID‐19 intensified rural areas’ challenges that come with the lack of internet access. So when electric co-op members spoke up, management teams listened. How did they accelerate access? Two neighboring Georgia electric co-ops found solutions as unique as their communities: Tri-County EMC became its own internet service provider; Central Georgia EMC contracted a company to operate its fiber network and deliver broadband service. Their CEOs explain why these were the right choices for their co-ops.

From becoming a trusted energy advisor on EVs in Tennessee, to evolving from energy provider to partner in Arizona, to blazing the broadband trail in Arkansas, electric co-ops are leading in very innovative ways, leaving no one behind. Recorded on the exhibit hall floor of NRECA’s TechAdvantage conference in Nashville, three electric co-ops describe how hearing their members’ experiences put the co-ops on new paths.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of NRECA International, this episode of Power Plays features Florida co-op employees who helped the program to electrify a small village in Guatemala. Steve Rhodes, CEO from CHELCO, outlines the project’s origins and stunning logistics. Jason Price with CHELCO and David Lambert with Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative Inc. describe how they managed volcanic rock, rudimentary tools and a language barrier to complete a life-changing mission.

An evolving energy landscape and significant federal incentives are not only changing the economics of nuclear power, it’s radically changing how utilities look at investments to meet decarbonization targets. In this episode, Dairyland Power executives talk about their decision to add advanced nuclear technology to their energy portfolio. They are joined by experts from TerraPower and the Nuclear Energy Institute to explore the potential of smaller, modular reactors to deliver reliable, cost-effective energy. 

For our end-of-year podcast, we looked into the notable issues with the power equipment supply chain in a discussion with Exawatt’s CEO Simon Price and battery research scientists at the firm. While some warehousing challenges might ease in 2023, competition for battery materials will probably only intensify. Our interview explores long-term solutions such as efficient material use and recycling opportunities, and how storage technologies will likely evolve.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe scrambled to line up U.S. LNG. Now gas exports are driving up fuel and electricity prices at home. Mark Finley, energy economist and Baker Institute fellow, and Charles Blanchard, author of “The Extraction State: A History of Natural Gas in America,” weigh in on this new era of globalization. Leaders at affiliated Texas utilities CoServ Gas and CoServ Electric, Charley Harrell and Gary Franzen, share their fuel hedging strategies. 

U.S. cooperatives have successfully run for more than a century by adhering to key principles and core values that stand the test of time. Now with ESG on the radar of consumers and investors, co-ops are well positioned to show how their fundamental values align with ESG philosophies. We catch up with the leaders of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, GreenPoint Ag, and Blue Diamond Growers to hear about their ESG journey.

As many rural communities are looking to their electric co-ops to provide broadband, co-ops are scoping out what it means to enter, invest, and operate in this unfamiliar business. CoBank’s Tamra Reynolds and Doran Dennis talk due diligence and financial feasibility with Jeffrey Connor, the chief operating officer at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and hear what co-ops should know before becoming broadband providers. 

In the next five years, EPA’s new Clean School Bus program will give communities $5 billion to replace diesel school buses. CoBank’s Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds go to the head of the class with those already putting electric buses on the road: Albert Burleigh, executive director of EV sales at Blue Bird Corporation; Keith Dennis, president of the Beneficial Electrification League; and Chris Michalowski with Mountain Parks Electric in Colorado.

As electric co-ops balance affordability and reliability, how should they price electricity? CoBank’s Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds consider evolving rate design with respected author and renowned energy economist Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, and Allison Hamilton, director of rates and market design at NRECA. Then they follow with two co-ops’ very different but fascinating rate journeys, speaking with Mark Johnson, general manager of Flathead Electric Cooperative, Kalispell, Montana, and Ed VanHoose, president of Federated Energy Services Cooperative in Ohio.

Solar panels, backup generators, smart home devices: As more consumers adopt disruptive technology, what does it mean for electric co-ops? CoBank’s Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds explore the way forward as consumer technology upends the traditional relationship. Their guests include J.T. Thompson with Generac Grid Services, Nora Barr Hennings with Sunrun, and Jim Bagley, CEO of United Electric Cooperative in Missouri, who shares the win-win solutions he’s creating with his members. 

The spirit of the rural electrification movement of the 1930s is alive today as electric cooperatives leverage federal support to close rural America’s digital divide. In this episode, CoBank’s Teri Viswanath, Tamra Reynolds and Doran Dennis showcase success stories from co-ops providing rural communities with reliable, affordable broadband access. Guests include Carl Meyerhoefer, senior vice president of business development at Conexon; Aaron Bennett, vice president of broadband development at NRTC; and Colin Wood, CEO of TWN Communications. Listen as they share the keys to effective broadband partnerships and multiple paths to a successful outcome. 

Around 15,000 fully electric or hybrid electric vehicles were traveling American roads in 2011; today that number exceeds 2 million and is accelerating rapidly. But is the U.S. power grid ready to meet the expanding charging needs? In this episode, CoBank’s Teri Viswanath and Tamra Reynolds are joined by a cast of experts to discuss the state of EV readiness in the U.S. Guests include Brian Sloboda of NRECA; Scott Hammond of Central Electric Power Cooperative and Peter Muhoro with Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. Listen to their discussion for insights from a variety of perspectives.