Renewable Energy

What is Renewable Energy?

Mutual benefits are what co-ops are all about. That's why you'll find this whole section on YEC's website focusing on alternative forms of energy and renewables.

Electric co-ops support the use of a wide range of fuels for our electric power, reducing costs and keeping rates low. Today, a "fifth fuel" joins coal, natural gas, nuclear and renewables—energy efficiency. That is, when we all conserve energy, we won't need to produce as much.

Electric cooperatives across the country are actively expanding their fuel portfolios to include an array of renewable sources, including wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, manure and hydro.

Did you know?

• Nationwide, co-ops own and purchase a total of more than 4 GW of non-hydro renewable capacity—in addition to roughly 10 GW of preference power contracts with federal hydroelectric facilities.
• Co-ops own 908 MW of renewable energy generation and have purchased contracts for 3.14 GW.
• In 2010, co-ops received 13 percent of their power from renewable sources, as compared with a little more than 10 percent for the nation's entire electric utility sector.
• Currently, 94 percent of the nation's co-ops (790 out of 841 distribution utilities) offer renewable energy options to a total of almost 15 million residential co-op members.
• The IRS has approved $900 million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREB) allocations for cooperative renewable energy development.