Boreal Access

Do you have questions about Arrowhead Electric’s budgeting and rate process? Now is your opportunity to learn and ask questions about the budgeting process and rate structure. General Manager, Don Stead will be the facilitator.

When: Monday, March 22nd at 6:00p.m.

Where: Arrowhead Electric Headquarters in Lutsen

Also, please mark your calendar for this year’s annual meeting which will be held June 19th at St. John’s Catholic Church in Grand Marais.

Great River Energy is pleased to announce commercialization of DryFining™. This world class technology is designed to refine or beneficiate the value of lignite coal through a drying and segregation process. The DryFining™ system was placed into service in December 2009 – following a major retrofit at its Coal Creek Station in Underwood, N.D.

U.S. Department of Energy partnership

Great River Energy developed the technology in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The Dryfining™ system was selected in round one of DOE’s Clean Coal Power Initiative in 2003. The initiative focused on commercial-scale technology demonstrations to continue and expand the use of coal as a fuel source.

The DOE project included the testing of a 115-ton prototype dryer that supplied up to one-sixth of the coal for Coal Creek Station’s unit 2. The prototype unit dried and segregated the lignite before it entered one of eight pulverizers that feed lignite to the boiler. The project was successful in increasing boiler efficiency and decreasing stack flow, which reduces emissions.

Based on those results, DOE and Great River Energy announced a full scale commercial demonstration of the coal refining project in late 2006. The project included the final design and construction of a complete set of four modules for unit 2. Due to the success of the initial prototype results, Great River Energy expanded beyond the scope of the DOE project by building four additional modules for Coal Creek’s unit 1.

Benefits of Dryfining™

Coal Creek Station, like many power plants throughout the world, uses lignite coal to generate electricity. Lignite is considered a low-rank coal, due in part to its high moisture content. The coal drying component of DryFining™ reduces the moisture content by 10 percent. As of December 2009, the DryFining™ system was placed in service to supply refined lignite coal-called DryFine™ – to Coal Creek Station.

“Through research, we also learned that our process separates particles by density. That means that a significant amount of higher density compounds containing sulfur and mercury can be sorted out and returned to the mine, rather than oxidized in the boiler,” said Charlie Bullinger, senior principal engineer at Great River Energy’s Coal Creek Station.

This dried and segregated coal has a significant impact on improving power plant operations at Coal Creek Station. Through the system, the energy content of the lignite is being increased from 6,200 to 7,100 Btus per pound. This will reduce fuel input into the boilers in both units by about 14 percent by weight. In turn, this will increase overall power plant efficiency by 2 to 4 percent. It will also reduce stack emissions significantly – sulfur dioxide and mercury by more than 40 percent, nitrogen oxide by more than 20 percent and carbon dioxide by 4 percent!

Use of technology worldwide

Great River Energy has partnered with WorleyParsons to make this technology available to the global marketplace. As part of that partnership, WorleyParsons manages technology licensing for DryFining™ and will work with utilities interested in using the patented process to realize the dramatic efficiency improvements and emissions reductions observed at Coal Creek Station. DryFining™ will reduce the moisture content of and may beneficiate impurities contained in any low rank, high-moisture solid fuel. Thus, this innovative technology, developed in North Dakota, will be contributing to cleaner and more efficient power plants worldwide.

Benefit to cooperative members

The DryFining™ system offers significant operating benefits for Coal Creek Station. This immediately translates into benefits for Great River Energy’s cooperative members. “The project is part of a larger, long-term strategy designed to lower costs and improve our environmental performance, while developing new technology and innovation to benefit the fossil fuels industry”, said David Saggau, president and CEO, Great River Energy.

About Great River Energy

Great River Energy is a not-for-profit cooperative which provides wholesale electric service to 28 distribution cooperatives, including Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc in Minnesota and Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.GreatRiverEnergy.com.

With spring around the corner, tree planting season will be here soon. Safe Electricity and AECI want to remind everyone to be aware of electrical hazards while planting this year. Always seek help from professionals when choosing and placing trees and bushes.

Trees that grow too close to electric lines can create shock and fire hazards as well as power outages. More importantly, children can become victims of electric shock when they climb trees that have grown too close to the power lines as well. Trees growing into power lines can also create electrical hazards for people who might be trimming branches, hanging lights or otherwise working around them.

Take the time to research tree selections by consulting your local arborist or tree nursery. These experts can provide assistance to designing a beautiful, shade-filled yard with trees appropriate for each area of the landscape. With their help, trees can provide economical cooling in the summer, and a wind-break for harsh winter winds.

Choosing the right tree for the right place is crucial, especially when it comes to power lines. Trees and woods in general can potentially conduct electricity and can create a safety hazard if grown close to electric lines. Power outages or momentary interruptions can occur when branches come into contact with overhead lines. Electrical arcing and sparking from a wire to a nearby branch can also cause fires.

If you have trees that appear to be growing into power lines, contact Arrowhead Electric at 663-7239, 1-800-864-3744 or at georged@aecimn.com. Never try to prune them yourself. AECI can recommend skilled professionals trained to safely prune and trim trees for electric line clearance.

To avoid future electrical hazards, safe planting tips to remember include:

• Consider a mature height of trees.
• Do not plant near underground utility services.
• Keep areas around electric meters, transformers or other electrical equipment free of any vegetation that could limit utility service access.
• Before digging, call 811 to make the location of underground utilities so that accidental contact, damage and injuries can be avoided.

From an outside perspective, generating and distributing electricity may look a little like herding cats. When power is needed, it must be instantly on hand. When it’s created, it must be immediately moved to where it can be used. And because it can’t be easily stored, supply and demand must be kept in perfect balance—a precise dance where a misstep could lead to an outage.

Unlike other utilities that manage tangible resources like water or natural gas, electric co-ops can’t keep extra electricity on hand—power can’t be stored in a warehouse or a large tank. It’s safe to say that if we could—for example, if massive batteries were designed that allowed us to keep reserve megawatts at the ready—providing power reliably and safely would be significantly easier, and kilowatt-hours would be more affordable.

Stored electricity has several valuable uses. For one, renewable energy sources like wind and solar aren’t always at the ready when electricity is needed. Wind often blows strongest at night when electricity demand is low. But if that unused energy could be stored and put to work the next day, a wind farm would be much more productive and cost effective.

Stored energy could also give the electric grid a needed boost during periods of peak demand—the electric utility industry’s equivalent of rush hour traffic, when people come home in the late afternoon and turn on lights, dishwashers, and all the other comforts of home. That spike in demand is currently met by switching on natural gas-fired generators, which are expensive to operate. A battery could do the same job for a lot less.

And a battery tucked beside the local substation serving your home could keep lights on should a power line leading into that substation fail. The whole process would likely happen without so much as a light bulb flickering, keeping you warm and comfortable while repairs are made.

Because of these potential benefits, electric co-ops are leading the way in searching for a better battery. The Cooperative Research Network (CRN), an arm of Arlington, Va.-based National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, is looking to put large-scale batteries to the test through three projects (in South Carolina, Alaska, and Hawaii) that could win federal funding before the end of the year. Each would demonstrate how batteries could be used in different ways.

Success could lead to major breakthroughs. If the technology proves effective and affordable, electric co-ops could better stabilize the price of electricity and increase reliability. Herding those cats may one day be a little less complicated.

If spring sends you into remodeling mode, consider checking with professionals before you migrate to the nearest hardware store. While do-it-yourself (DIY) projects can be very satisfying to complete, they pose risks when it comes to electricity.

“Mistakes can be costly—or even deadly,” warns John Drengenberg, consumer affairs manager for Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., (UL), a Chicago, Ill.-based not-for-profit firm that tests and sets minimum standards for electric-consuming items. “The first and best safety tip is to call in an expert rather than be your own electrician.”

An ongoing study by the Quincy, Mass.-based Fire Protection Research Foundation has given UL engineers a better understanding of typical DIY wiring mistakes. The most common:

1.      Working with a live wire

It may seem perfectly obvious, but thousands of DIYers receive electric shock injuries each year. To avoid becoming a statistic, always turn off the circuit breaker (or remove the fuse) before working on or replacing electrical equipment. If you have a pre-1940s home, be mindful that you probably have more than one breaker box, or panel board, as electricians call them.
2. Using the wrong lightbulb

Most lighting fixtures feature a sticker on the socket that tells you the proper type and maximum wattage of the lightbulb to use. Installing a different type of bulb, or one with higher wattage, will not only make the room brighter, but could also damage the lights and cause a fire. Heat is usually the catalyst in this case: the higher the wattage, the hotter the bulb and the hotter the wire that goes to the lighting fixture.

3.      Not being grounded

For optimal safety, receptacles should be wired with the proper grounding and polarity. Generally, three-pronged outlets signify an effective ground path in the circuit. However, homes built before the mid-1960s probably don’t have a grounding path, and simply replacing the existing outlet with a three-pronged outlet won’t give you one.

“You see instances of this in homes with older wiring,” Drengenberg says. “It’s no worse than if you plug your two-pronged devise into a two-pronged outlet. But it does give the homeowner a false sense of security.”

Wiring with a grounding path usually sports a copper grounding wire with the cable. If you are uncertain about whether your home’s wiring is grounded, inexpensive UL-listed outlet circuit testers are available to check for proper grounding and polarity. If your outlet is improperly grounded, call an electrician before moving forward in any project.

 4.      Splicing, splicing, splicing

Always make sure your wiring size and type match. Splicing wires by simply twisting them together and covering them with electrical tape is rarely a good idea. Instead, use wiring suitable to your home’s wiring and place wiring connections in metal or plastic boxes to decrease fire risk.

Also keep in mind that circuits protected by 15-amp fuses or breakers should be wired with No. 14 AWG copper wire minimum. For 20 amps, use No. 12 AWG minimum size copper wire. Other guidelines apply, so if you expect to do any splicing, seek professional help before you begin. 

5.      Hooking new lights to old wires 

Most light fixtures are marked with instructions for supply connections, such as “Use wire rated for at least 90C,” which refers to the maximum temperature—90 degrees Celsius or about 200 degrees Fahrenheit—under which a wire’s insulation can safely be used. Again, if you have an older home (pre-1984, in this case), wiring may have a lower temperature rating than a new luminaire.

“This isn’t something most DIYers even think to consider,” Drengenberg cautions. “It probably won’t burst into flame immediately, but it does increase the risk of a fire.”

To avoid that risk, check your wire rating first, and either upgrade it or buy fixtures within the supply connection range.

Article courtesy of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

Arrowhead Electric Cooperative seeks a financially reasonable and realistic means of bringing broadband service to our members and our community, including those in the City of Grand Marais.

In conjunction with Pulse Broadband, (http://www.pulsebroadband.net/) Arrowhead Electric has been researching a new means of providing broadband service to each of our members than what was applied for in Cook Counties round one grant application..  A new technology patented by Pulse Broadband utilizes fiber optic cable but enables the fiber infrastructure to be constructed at a cost which is significantly less than what was proposed in the first grant application.  Pulse Broadband’s technology is able transmit over fewer strands of fiber vs. the traditional model which uses many more strands of fiber per cable.  In doing so, less fiber is required, fewer existing poles need to be replaced and repair times are significantly faster.  Even more significant however, Pulse brings a guaranteed service provider of the, “triple play” (Phone, TV & Internet) service along with it.  As discovered with other similar fiber projects, the building of a network in a rural community can be devastating if no service provider is under contract before any construction occurs.  Pulse Broadband’s ability to aggregate its customers and re-sell to a major service provider is a significant advantage for these projects.  The Pulse Broadband model brings with it a guaranteed service provider.

Pulse Broadband’s business model for Rural Electric Cooperatives is straightforward.  Pulse Broadband engineers and designs the fiber build out at no cost to Arrowhead Electric up until the time of the initial grant application.  If a successful grant application is achieved Arrowhead Electric will work with Pulse Broadband’s team to begin the construction of the fiber network.  By working with Pulse Broadband Arrowhead Electric is able to focus on the operation and maintenance of utility infrastructure.  The cooperative receives a portion of each subscriber’s monthly fees to cover the cost of operation and maintenance.  Pulse Broadband receives a portion of the monthly fee for providing the customer service and administration while the balance of each is returned to the corporation providing the service such as Charter, Media Comm, Comcast or whomever else can competitively provide service to Arrowhead Electric subscribers and/or the aggregate of all of Pulses subscribers.  If Arrowhead Electric were to receive a grant and reject it or work with someone other than Pulse Broadband the Cooperative will be required to reimburse Pulse Broadband a fee of $20,000 for engineering and design.

The model developed by Pulse Broadband was successful for Ralls County Electric Membership Cooperative in Missouri.  Ralls County is anticipating that since the contracts are in place for service via Pulse Broadband their first members will be able to begin enjoying the benefits of broadband service within 120 days of the date they received notice of their grant award.

Should Arrowhead Electric choose to apply for the grant it will most likely seek a 50% grant and a 50% loan from the Rural Utilities Service.  Similar to the round one grant application those choosing to receive broadband service will have their choice of receiving TV, Phone and Internet or any combination thereof.  The triple play as it’s more commonly known in the industry has been initially proposed to be priced at $125 per month based upon the initial business case developed by Pulse Broadband.  The final business case will be reviewed by Arrowhead Electric staff and its Board of Directors.

Pulse Broadband is currently working diligently to create a business case, network design and incorporate any partnerships which may be available with the Northeast Service Cooperative.

Pulse Broadband is managed by a team of proven telecommunication experts whom collaboratively have licensed their technology to over 30 networks in service today.  To learn more about their management team and the service they provide please visit http://www.pulsebroadband.net/

If you live or teach in an area served by Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc. or Great River Energy, we have an excellent opportunity for you. Great River Energy and its 28 member cooperatives once again will offer Energy Education in the Classroom.

This teacher’s course is part of the popular Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP), which has received positive feedback from teachers since it began in 1997. KEEP and faculty from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will share their exceptional energy education tools to help teachers easily build energy education into their curriculum.

The course will be held in early August at Great River Energy in Maple Grove, Minn., in one of the states most talked about energy efficient buildings.

• Great River Energy will provide $420 scholarships to teachers who live or teach in an area served by Great River Energy
• Teacher’s will pay $75 on the first day of class, which will cover 1 graduate credit from UWSP and all materials (reimbursed to the attending Cook County teacher by Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc.)
• Minnesota teachers will need to apply for reciprocity (a very quick and easy online process)
•  Teachers will pay for lodging and travel costs (reimbursed to the attending Cook County teacher by Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc.)

Any questions can be directed to Joe Buttweiler at 218-663-7239 during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm.

*** Note of reimbursement explanation ***

Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc. will grant (via reimbursement) 1 teacher from Cook County the $75 fee, hotel & food expenses for each day of training plus mileage. If 2 Cook County teachers would like to attend, the reimbursement would be divided between the 2 Cook County attending teachers.

Yes … You, as a member-owner, can be a director!

Here’s how:

The grassroots participation in nominating and electing directors is one of the most important powers that you, the members, have in controlling your cooperative – Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc.

This year the three-year term of District three (3), District six (6), and District seven (7) will have elections at the 2010 Annual Meeting scheduled to be held Saturday, June 19th  at St. John’s Catholic Church fellowship hall in Grand Marais. District three (3) is Gunflint Trail, District six (6) is Lutsen and District seven (7) is Tofte. The current directors in District 3 and 6 have exhausted their terms and are ineligible to run again. The current District 7 director has indicated he will run again.

To qualify as a director candidate you must:

• Be a member in good standing receiving electric service from Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, Inc.
• Live within the district from which the director is to be elected.
• Have been a member of the cooperative for at least one (1) year.
• Not a close relative of an employee.
• Not a convicted felon.
• Does not have a conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, with the cooperative.

What are the responsibilities of a director?

• Hiring a CEO/General Manager.
• Approving policies and policy revisions.
• Approving rates.
• Reviewing and approving operating budgets and work plans.
• Strategic planning.
• Approving various loans and contracts.

Monthly board meetings are held the last Thursday of each month beginning at 9 a.m with the exception of November and December due to the holiday season.

Members living in districts 3, 6 or 7 who are interested in being considered for nomination or if you know a member whom you believe would be a qualified candidate, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee.

The Nominating Committee for 2010 is as follows:

District 1    Hovland-Grand Portage – Mary Petz – 475-2500

District 2    Maple Hill-Colvill – Burt Carlsted-Gillis 218-387-9502

District 3.  Gunflint Trail – Fred Smith – 388-0613

District 4    Rosebush-Devils Track – Eleanor Waha- 387-1667

District 5    Pike Lake-Cascade – Nancy Daley – 387-9508

District 6.  Lutsen – Pam McDougall – 663-7068

District 7.  Tofte – Carol Tveekrem – 663-8109

Tuesday, April 6th at 7:00 p.m., the nominating committee will meet and nominate candidates for the director positions.

Any 10% or more of the members in any district up for election may make other nominations in writing over their signatures not less than forty (40) days prior to the Annual Meeting.  Director candidates may only be nominated by the committee or by petition.  Voting will take place by mail and at the annual meeting.  The director candidate receiving the highest vote for each District will serve on the board of directors for the next three years.

With the increased interest surrounding renewable energy, I wanted to highlight features regarding the Wellspring renewable wind energy program available to Arrowhead Electric Cooperative members. It is also available to members with the other 27 distribution cooperatives of Great River Energy.

The Wellspring program is a voluntary initiative that offers wind-generated electricity to co-op members. Presently, wind energy for the Wellspring program comes from the Chandler Hills Wind Farm, the Trimont Area Wind Farm and the G. McNeilus Wind Farm near Dodge Center.

The cost to participate is additional to your regular electric bill. The wind power you purchase is fed into the state’s electric system called the grid.

Participating in the Wellspring program does not specifically deliver generated electricity to your residence. However, participation will replace fossil fuel derived energy with wind generated energy.

Also, participation in the Wellspring wind energy program contributes to helping Arrowhead Electric exceed the Renewable Energy Standard mandate of renewable energy requirements.

Members can decide how much wind energy they want to buy in 100 kilowatt hour (kWh) blocks. However, the purchase may not exceed your normal monthly consumption.

For instance, let’s say your typical usage is 1,200 kWh per month. Then you would be able to purchase p to 12 blocks in the Wellspring program. The additional cost on your bill would be $18.00 (12 blocks x $01.50 per block) plus tax.

Interested members are asked to make a minimum one-year commitment to buy electricity from the Wellspring renewable wind energy program.

This project has no impact on members who do not want to participate. This program is for members who want to utilize renewable energy resources, which is still more expensive than conventional generating options, but are willing to pay the extra costs associated with it.

Energy Conservation – it’s time to do something… anything. Press a button. Flip a switch. Control what you can. Take matters into your own hands and just watch what happens to your energy bill. Find out how the little changes you make add up by taking the Touchstone Energy home tour at http://www.togetherwesave.com/.

 Together We Save is a new Touchstone Energy cooperative campaign designed to teach members how they can easily reduce their home’s electric consumption and bills.

The online home tour shows what happens when you unplug unused appliances, adjust your hot water heater, insulate, caulk, change light bulbs, adjust blinds, and replace older appliances. An online calculator adds the dollars you’ll save on your electric bill. You can even have your results e-mailed to you.

As an example if you change out a standard refrigerator on the website home tour to a new energy star model, you’ll save $100 a year. Unplug unused electronics and save $140 a year. Adjust your hot water heater and save $70 or more. The savings and computer website is intended to give you a ballpark of the amount of money you can save by doing simple things.

Why would an electric company encourage you to use less? We want you to conserve energy because wholesale electric prices have been rising for Arrowhead Electric which in turn increases rates to our members. We also have to pay extremely high electric rates during heavy demand times.

 The Switch is On: Upgrade from Magnetic to Electronic Ballasts for T12s

An upgrade from T12 magnetic ballasts to T12 electronic ballasts represents an easy and energy-efficient way to comply with recently-mandated magnetic ballast efficiency standards.

In April 2005, ballast efficacy standards mandated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) went into effect.

This standard officially outlaws the manufacture of magnetic ballasts for standard T12 40-watt, 4-foot fluorescent Rapid Start lamps, 75-watt 8-foot fluorescent Slimline lamps, and 110-watt, 8-foot fluorescent High Output lamps used in new fixtures.

A few months later, the landmark Energy Policy Act of 2005 confirmed this directive and further extended the mandate to the energy-saving versions of most of these lamps (including 34-watt, 4-foot fluorescent Rapid Start lamps and 60-watt 8-foot fluorescent Slimline models).

The OEM community was the first to feel the impact in 2005, with distributors retaining the right to sell replacement products until 2010. On July 1st, 2010, however, manufacturers must terminate production of these products for the replacement market as well.

Though magnetic ballasts are still popularly called upon to drive the sizable T12 lamp market, they were ultimately banned based on their less energy-efficient status, compared to other more-efficient and readily available products on the market. These include:

- Standard and high-efficiency T8 electronic ballasts,

- T5 electronic ballasts, and

- Dimming and other sustainable alternatives.

While these technologies are being promoted as the most desirable replacement alternatives based on their high performance and maximum energy-savings characteristics, the fact is that financial, organizational, or other conditions may preclude some end users from opting for these technologies.

Fortunately, the market offers an interim replacement option. This will enable distributors and contractors to change out their customers’ obsolete T12 magnetic ballasts quickly and easily in compliance with all legislation, while still delivering the benefits of high performance, energy-efficiency, and cost savings. The option involves the simple upgrade from T12 magnetic to T12 electronic ballast technology.

Typically designed around the same footprint as the magnetic ballasts they replace–and fully compliant with new energy mandates–electronic ballasts for T12 fluorescent lamps serve a multitude of purposes.

Says Advance’s Electronic Fluorescent Product Manager Dan Lee, “T12 electronic ballasts are excellent replacements for federally-outlawed magnetic ballasts in new construction or refurbishment applications, and they also serve as highly suitable and energy-efficient alternatives to federally-outlawed magnetic ballasts in retrofit and upgrade applications.”

T12 Electronic Ballasts: A Simple and Energy-Efficient Lighting Solution

An upgrade from T12 magnetic ballasts to T12 electronic ballast technology is easy and offers a comprehensive range of benefits:

- Energy Efficiency: T12 electronic ballasts are up to 20% more efficient than magnetic ballast technology and can reduce energy consumption by an average of 10 watts per ballast.

In a typical application where lights are operated for 4,000 hours per year at an average cost of 8 cents per kWh, an upgrade to electronic T12 ballasts can reduce energy costs by $3.20 per ballast per year, or by an estimated $40 per ballast over its lifespan!

When applied to the number of ballasts in a typical commercial installation, these savings can certainly help boost the bottom line and drive an attractive payback period and return on investment

- Electronic circuitry: As a function of their electronic circuitry, electronic ballasts operate more quietly than magnetic ballasts and produce steadier light output, insuring smooth, flicker-free performance

- Ease of handling and installation: Most electronic T12 ballasts offer the same wiring configurations as their magnetic counterparts, easing the installation process and reducing maintenance concerns.

In addition, electronic T12 models are generally smaller in size and lighter in weight than their magnetic counterparts, increasing ease of shipping and handling.

- Environmentally Responsible: By upgrading to T12 electronic ballasts, end users are doing their part to reduce the nation’s energy requirements and the subsequent emission of harmful pollutants which are the result of electricity generation by utilities.

According to estimates by the Lighting Efficiency Coalition, the nation’s upgrade from magnetic T12 to electronic T12 ballasts alone would reduce annual electricity demand by 25 billion kilowatt hours, avoid the need for 3.3 nuclear power plants, prevent the emission of 17.5 million tons of carbon dioxide into the environment, and save users $2 billion on their energy bills each year.

The Time Is Now

While new federal efficiency standards affecting magnetic ballasts won’t officially impact distributors until 2010, there has never been a better time to investigate all of the lighting upgrade opportunities available and help your customers to pursue the course of action that best serves their needs and budgets.

When an upgrade to higher-efficiency lamp and ballast technology is not feasible, an upgrade from magnetic T12 ballasts to electronic T12 ballast technology is a simple and effective way to comply with new legislation, while taking advantage of the tremendous financial, aesthetic, and environmental benefits that a lighting upgrade can offer!

Resource: lighting.com