Oklahoma Living Magazine

Chris Meyers
General Manager,
Oklahoma Association
of Electric Cooperatives

Oklahoma co-ops are serious about

using renewable energy

A popular topic in state capitols all across the nation and in the United States Congress is Renewable Portfolio Standards. RPS is a government mandate that places a requirement on electric providers to have a percentage of their electric generation come from renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, biomass (landfill gas, livestock waste, timber by-products and crop residue) and other "green power" sources. This is, in effect, a mandate on consumers, who are ultimately purchasing that power. Many states have already passed laws mandating Renewable Portfolio Standards.

In Oklahoma, RPS has been discussed and is supported by some who think that not having RPS equates to a lack of support for renewables. Those who are involved in teh renewable generation business certainly know otherwise. Our legislature has stayed away from the mandate approach and, I believe, for good reason. In Oklahoma we are taking a different approach, because we happen to be in a very wind-rich area. Oklahoma stands to not only supply its local consumers with renewable energy but also be an exporter of wind power. We are a wind-rich state, and those resources are being developed as rapidly as the infrastructure will allow.

If a federal RPS is passed, it would obviously trump our state's approach, in which case our Oklahoma electric utilities would be required to meet those mandated standards. A federal RPS could favor Oklahoma if done correctly by requiring states with fewer resources to seek renewable energy from states like Oklahoma. Of course the devil is in the details, and states with few renewable resources will be fighting an RPS legislation.

All told, co-ops nationally receive an average of 11 percent of their power requirements from renewable resources, as compared to 9 percent for electric utilities as a whole. Because of our plentiful wind resources, Oklahoma's co-ops are expected to be at or beyond 15 percent renewable use on average by teh end of 2012.

The absence of a mandate hasn't stopped progress in Oklahoma, yet it allows your co-op the management flexibility to provide the lowest cost, most reliable energy available.

John Bruce

President

Oklahoma Association of

Electric Cooperatives

Stay safe around electricity

Some folks say Oklahomans are weather-obsessed. But can you really blame us? In winter, our power lines and tree limbs can become caked in ice as thick as Coke cans, while through the warmer months, ice attacks in other ways, breaking windows and flattening gardens. And then there's the wind...

The bad news is that all of this weather can really wreak havoc on your co-op's distribution system. The good news is that there's hardly anything our line crews haven't seen before and prepared for in advance. The same is true for many of our members.

Storm preparation is the key to safety, and it goes beyond having a good storm shelter to climb into. Think about what your immediate needs will be in the event of a short-power outage or in the first few hours after a disaster (a weather radio, flashlights, first-aid items and importand documents) and what your family will need if power is out for several days or roads are inaccessible (canned food, medications and bottled water).

Many people who experience a sustained power outage put "backup generator" on their must-have list for emergencies. A good, safe generator can be a literal and figurative lifesaver, but a poorly installed or incorrectly operated one can be deadly to both consumers and lineworkers.

Of course, no one would ever purposely cause the death of a lineworker. Nevertheless, a generator connected to a home's wiring or plugged into a regular household outlet can cause back-feeding along power lines and can electrocute anyone who comes in contact with them-even if the line seems dead.

And co-op employees are not the only ones in danger when a portable generator is used improperly. Generator owners themselves may be at risk of electrocution, fire injury, property damage or carbon-monoxide poisoning if they do not follow the necessary safety rules.

We encourage you to protect the well-being and safety of your family during outages, and safeguard those who come to your aid during emergency situations. After all, with weather as extreme as Oklahoma's, we all have to stick together!