The United Power Board of Directors has appointed Keith Alquist to the board. A Brighton resident for more than 25 years, Alquist was selected from a strong slate of candidates that submitted applications for consideration. Alquist will fill the South District seat vacated by the resignation of Bob Grant in August, and serve the remaining term, just over two years.

“The selection of Keith to fill this board seat is a win for the cooperative members,” stated James Vigesaa, Board President. “Keith brings a rich background in cooperative business and an intimate knowledge of the United Power community to this position.”

Alquist served as Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer for the American Pride Co-op for more than 20 years, retiring after the co-op merged with Agfinity in 2012. In this position he served cooperative members throughout Brighton, Ft. Lupton, Hudson and Mead. He is a long-term member of the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives (NSAC) which also serves electrical cooperatives. Also an active community member, Alquist is a member of the Brighton Rotary club, which spearheads a Read-to-Me project at South Elementary, a dictionary project for third graders, and the distribution of U.S. Constitution booklets to fifth graders.

“I believe in meeting challenges ‘head-on’ and getting them resolved before they become serious issues,” stated Alquist. “I also believe in long-range planning for the future to identify issues, whether they are supply, generation, environmental, or regulatory issues, and be ready to face these issues before they become insurmountable.”

United Power announced plans to construct its first commercial scale energy storage project.  Located in Firestone, CO and developed in collaboration with Chicago based SoCore Energy, the 4 MW / 16 MWh battery storage system will be the largest facility in the State of Colorado and one of the largest systems owned and operated by an electric co-op anywhere in the country.

“As one of the fastest growing co-ops in Colorado, United Power wants to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to integrating new technology that can help boost reliability and keep costs down.  Energy storage will play an important role in the grid of the future, and we’re excited to be starting now,” said John Parker, CEO of United Power.

United Power partnered with SoCore Energy to develop the project, which will be located at United Power’s west office on I-25, just south of Highway 119.  SoCore is a leading solar PV and energy storage developer with a special focus on serving rural electric cooperatives.  SoCore and United Power selected Tesla to supply the 4 MW / 16 MWh Powerpack system.

“SoCore worked closely with United Power to understand the objectives of the project, siting and design considerations, and performance requirements.  This has been a terrific partnership so far, and we’re looking forward to getting construction underway,” said SoCore President Rob Scheuermann.

The battery storage system will store energy generated in the overnight hours, when demand is low, and discharge it during peak hours to reduce demand.  Curbing peak demand will reduce costs and help improve the overall efficiency of United Power’s electric grid as it serves its more than 82,000 meters.

The Firestone system is the first of several energy storage projects that United Power will roll out, piloting an innovative “community battery” strategy, allowing users to purchase a share of the battery system’s output to directly reduce demand charges on their monthly electric bills.

“United Power was one of the first utilities in the country to experiment with the ‘community solar’ concept with our Sol Partners™ program, and now there are community solar projects all over the country.  ‘Community batteries’ are the next big trend,” said United Power’s New Business Director, Jerry Marizza.

SoCore Energy’s Scheuermann agrees.  “Community batteries allow co-ops and their members to address the demand components of the utility bill – the portion that can’t easily be addressed with solar energy alone.  Batteries provide opportunities to reduce costs, increase choices for co-ops and their members while improving resiliency of the grid.”

Construction on the system is expected to begin in the first half of 2018.

United Power is joining 30,000 cooperatives nationwide in October to celebrate National Co-op Month, which recognizes the many ways cooperatives are committed to strengthening the local communities they serve. “Co-ops Commit” is the theme for this year’s celebration, spotlighting the countless ways cooperatives meet the needs of their members and communities.

“Our cooperative delivers electricity to over 200,000 people in our six-county service area along the north central range of the Colorado Rockies,” said John Parker, CEO. “Delivering safe, reliable, affordable power is our top priority, but we are also invested in our communities because we are locally owned and operated. Revenue generated by United Power goes back to Main Street, not Wall Street.”

Rural America is served by a network of about 1,000 electric cooperatives, most of which were formed in the 1930s and 40s to bring electricity to farms and rural communities that large, investor-owned power companies had no interest in serving because of the higher costs involved in serving low-population and low-density areas. In addition to providing the vital power co-op members depend on, United Power supports our communities directly and indirectly. We provide educational opportunities for youth in our territory, visiting classrooms teaching students about electrical safety or talking to them about job opportunities.

We also educate our communities and members about the dangers of contact with electricity through our safety demonstration trailer. Not only does our presentation team, made up of knowledgeable linemen, teach people how to be safe around electricity, but they also inform people about the complex and dangerous tasks our linemen face each day and explain the importance of safety equipment, including personal protective equipment, rubber gloves, hard hats and cover ups.

United Power provides college scholarships and sponsors student representatives to youth camps in Colorado and Washington D.C. We are sponsors of dozens of community events including fairs, festivals and school fundraisers. United Power employees are active members of local Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Councils and nonprofit organizations serving our membership.

United Power is proud to be part of America’s cooperative network and we are dedicated to bringing safe, reliable electricity to our members.

United Power Board President James Vigesaa officially announced the promotion of John Parker to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the cooperative. Parker has served as United Power’s Chief Financial Officer since 2006, and has been serving as interim CEO since the resignation of Darryl Schriver on June 8, 2017.

“On behalf of the entire United Power board, we are pleased to announce the promotion of John Parker to CEO,” stated Vigesaa. “John’s many years of service to United Power, coupled with his extensive experience in the cooperative industry is a great leadership match for this utility.”

Parker’s cooperative experience extends back to 1983, and includes experience at Matanuska Electric in Alaska, Cap Rock Electric Cooperative in Texas, and Columbia REA in Washington. Parker earned a Bachelor degree in Business with a concentration in Public Accounting Finance from Gonzaga University. Active in the community, he serves as a director on the Community Reach Foundation and is a member of the Brighton Rotary Club.

“I am honored to be selected for this important leadership position, and I am excited to lead our extraordinary team of employees into the future,” stated Parker. “United Power is a well situated cooperative in terms of growth and finances, and I look forward to helping the cooperative move forward with the many innovative projects under development.”