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Since the beginning, the superpower of electric cooperatives has been their ability to innovate and their willingness to share lessons learned with other co-ops. Over the past 15-20 years, as nearly every facet of the industry has experienced unprecedented disruption and change, this superpower has been the key to helping co-ops thrive and lead.

“When any co-op does something new or different, other co-ops learn about it and think, 'Hey, we could try that' or 'We never looked at it that way before,'" says NRECA Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Connor. “Innovation means more to electric cooperatives than other utilities, because we gain the full value of these projects both in our co-ops and in our communities."

From deploying one of the largest battery storage projects in the country to crafting distributed energy resource and artificial intelligence programs, co-ops are on the cutting edge of industry innovation. They're also reimagining how to run their organizations—breaking down silos among staff, finding new ways to procure energy, and better engaging members.

“Most innovation happens when a particular pain point has to be solved," says Lidija Sekaric, NRECA vice president of innovation and emerging technology. “The cross-pollination that we facilitate across the co-op ecosystem is very important—our members get to hear about a range of other members' problems and needs and are also exposed to solutions as much as possible."

NRECA's Business and Technology Strategies group has been instrumental in helping co-ops share their insights with each other and gain perspectives on the latest ways to affordably, reliably provide power. At this year's TechAdvantage conference, BTS will launch its inaugural Start Up Alley, showcasing pioneering products and solutions directly to co-ops.

Such collaboration and sharing have grown recently as co-ops navigate new challenges and opportunities, Connor says.

“No one innovates alone," he says. “And co-op leaders have done a great job of talking about the incredible boards, teams, partners and members who are part of their projects."

In the spirit of innovating and sharing, co-op leaders took the stage at all five of NRECA's 2025 Regional Meetings to discuss the following projects, technologies and initiatives that have helped them meet the challenges of running a modern electric utility.

Great River Energy | Maple Grove, Minnesota

Project: Lithium-Ion Battery Storage

By the end of 2026, Great River Energy expects to start using one of the largest battery energy storage systems in the nation to generate financial benefits for consumer-members, shore up reliability and strengthen the Midcontinent ISO grid.

“When that market is poorly performing for wind, this storage resource can really help our members to offset that financial pain and provide positive revenues," Ruzycki explains.

He notes that GRE's business structure allowed it to move quickly on the project once it determined the battery would be valuable for members, adding that the G&T expects to invest more in batteries in the years to come.

“We can be very nimble, and that's one of the best parts about being a co-op."

Cherryland Electric Cooperative | Grawn, Michigan

Project: Drone Partnerships

Cherryland Electric Cooperative has used drones for a decade to inspect its power lines and spot potential hazards and maintenance needs. But two recent external partnerships have expanded the distribution co-op's drone capabilities while cutting costs.

Cherryland tapped Northwestern Michigan College, which has a robust unmanned aircraft system training program, to help some of the co-op's engineers, lineworkers and operations staff become licensed drone pilots. Students from the college also perform line inspections for Cherryland using a co-op-issued iPad and GIS-tagged locations.

“We have essentially changed ourselves from having eyeballs on everything on our system every 14 years to having what I like to call 'sky balls' on every single thing in our system in a seven-year cycle," says Johnson. “That means we're going to catch things faster. We're going to be able to avoid more outages."

Dairyland Power Cooperative | La Crosse, Wisconsin

Project: VoltWrite Artificial Intelligence Initiative

Since launching its VoltWrite artificial intelligence tool in early 2024, Dairyland Power Cooperative continues to find new ways to expand and use it.

The G&T and its members have deployed VoltWrite to quickly scan lengthy laws, analyze loads, comb through manuals to speed turbine maintenance outages and compare paid leave policies against state requirements.

One of Dairyland's telecommunications technicians used VoltWrite to conduct a virtual site check, and the co-op is training the AI tool on safety briefings to get additional insights there.

Because it was built and hosted in-house, VoltWrite provides the benefits of AI without the cyber risks associated with publicly available open models like ChatGPT. Its AI platform is now available for other electric co-ops and statewide organizations across the country.

“What this means is a change in the way that we work," he says. “Agents have the ability to supplement our human capabilities, but we as humans need to orchestrate that."

That collaborative intelligence can let co-op employees work side-by-side with AI on the things they do every day.

“There is an opportunity for us to create efficiency, to create value," says Melby. “And if we find the right opportunities … we're able to do more with the resources we have."

Vermont Electric Cooperative | Johnson, Vermont

Project: Grid Orchestration

An increasingly complex power grid and the need to keep energy affordable led Vermont Electric Cooperative to launch its “grid orchestration" initiative in 2023.

The program uses sensors and software to give the co-op unprecedented visibility into and control over distributed energy resources like members' rooftop solar, electric vehicle charging and controllable battery systems.

This type of orchestration can keep power costs from spiking, avoid strain on the distribution system and help the co-op defer costly infrastructure projects.

“We can deploy our resources in the smartest and most effective way possible," Towne says. “The result is we save money and can focus on the best infrastructure investments for our members."

PNGC Power | Clackamas, Oregon

Project: Transition Beyond 'Paper' G&T

For 50 years, PNGC Power was a “paper" generation and transmission co-op, managing contracts between its electric distribution members and the federally controlled Bonneville Power Administration.

But tightening availability of hydropower from BPA and rising energy demand, including from data centers, is leading PNGC to directly invest in generation for its members, which span seven Western states.

In 2024, PNGC doubled its membership to 25 co-ops and signed over 300 megawatts of power purchase agreements with wind and solar developers. The G&T is also looking at developing a natural-gas-fueled plant and solar-plus-battery-storage facility and is exploring possible investments in other generation resources from small modular reactors to biomass and geothermal energy.

“BPA can raise rates every two years without offering a long-term financial forecast. By developing our own generation, we can lock in costs for 20 years and give our members the stability they deserve."

PNGC's contract structure gives members four different options to participate in resource development, flexibility that can accommodate the individual climate and energy goals of the states they operate in.

“We built an innovative structure that gives our members real choice and true partnership in developing future resources," Matlock says.

Sawnee Electric Membership Corp. | Cumming, Georgia

Project: DER Management Program

Many of the suburban Atlanta homes that Sawnee EMC serves have installed rooftop solar, batteries, smart thermostats and other generation and storage devices.

Through its distributed energy resource management program, the co-op harnesses those devices to achieve member savings, shave peak demand and make its system more efficient.

About 26,000 programmable thermostats are enrolled, up from 300 when the program started five years ago.

This year, Sawnee EMC will launch a similar program for residential batteries and is looking at new ways to better integrate electric vehicles on its system as more members purchase EVs.

“We're not interested in big flashy programs," Goodroe says. “We want to do those programs that really can bring value back to the membership."

Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative | Dighton, Kansas

Project: Strategic Overhaul

When Richard McLeon came on board as Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative's general manager in 2019, morale was low at the small distribution co-op.

Lane-Scott came up with five strategic goals to rebuild the co-op while maintaining its autonomy.

They drew up improved safety, financial and technology plans, a thorough member engagement strategy, new recruiting and training practices and a succession plan for key employees. Staff was restructured to better align people with their interests.

Since taking these actions, morale has gone up in every professional satisfaction survey the co-op has conducted. Its finances have improved. And controllable outage times have dropped 75%.

Lane-Scott's latest customer satisfaction index score was 89, up by six points from the previous survey.

“We work with and leverage our industry partners … to develop options and maximize efficiency," McLeon says. “Why do we do it? Because we're the stewards of an 80-year history, serving our members and their communities, and that's a tradition we plan to pass on to the next generation."

Big Rivers Electric Corp. | Owensboro, Kentucky

Project: New Approach for Large Loads

When Big Rivers Electric Corp. agreed to serve an expansion of a cryptocurrency mining center in its service territory, the co-op took a “totally new approach" to that opportunity, says Derrick Miller, the G&T's vice president of member services and economic development.

“We have taken the approach of significantly reducing risk for our members and requiring margins in line with traditional industrial rates," Miller says.

Revenues from the operation could benefit members in several ways, Miller says, including reinvestment back into the electric system and even potential bill credits.

“Value is going to go back to the member, one way or another," he says.

The co-op's approach could be applied to other potential large loads, with the G&T in talks with several data centers. Miller says there is “significant upside" in serving large loads.

“There can be a lot of challenges serving large electrical loads, and there's always some risk to manage," Miller says. “But the upside is significant margins to the electric system that will help stabilize rates for our member-owners."

GVEC | Gonzalez, Texas

Project: Residential Battery Program

GVEC recently launched a new phase of its residential energy storage program that will cause battery capacity on its system to surge in the year ahead.

In 2025, the co-op began a partnership with Austin-based startup Base Power in which GVEC leases and controls the output of batteries owned by Base and installed at the residences of participating members.

The systems provide backup power for those households during outages and can be deployed by GVEC during peaks to shave load and reduce transmission and energy costs, among other benefits.

Alongside capacity from partnerships with Enphase and Tesla, installed home battery capacity is expected to reach 20 megawatts by the end of 2026, up from just over 5 MW in the fourth quarter of 2025.

When it comes to battery adoption, “a big part of it is our relationship with our members and the trust our members have in us."

1803 Electric Cooperative | Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Project: New G&T in Louisiana

On the first day of 2025, 1803 Electric Cooperative—one of the newest co-ops in the country—began providing co-op-based power in Louisiana for the first time in 25 years.

The G&T was founded in 2019 by five distribution co-ops that wanted more control over their power supply, costs and reliability. To realize that vision, 1803 Electric built a portfolio of wholesale power supply contracts and took ownership of a for-profit entity's transmission assets serving member cooperatives' load.

At midnight on April 1, 2025, the G&T connected all remaining members, capping a years-long campaign to create locally controlled utilities in its service territories throughout the state. Co-op staff celebrated at 2 a.m. after a successful transition of operations to 1803.

“We have the opportunity to really improve reliability," Hobbs says.