November 2021 | Volume 83 | Issue 11
Blood Drive Held At Co-op
Every year, Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative hosts an annual Blood Drive in October to benefit the community. The Blood Drive is held in conjunction with the Community Blood Center of Kansas City and has grown in size over the years.
This year’s Blood Drive, held on October 11 and 12 marked yet another successful event with 93 registered donors coming to the cooperative’s offices in Kearney and Platte City to donate.
Ninety units of blood were collected at the drive. These units will impact the lives of over 200 patients throughout the region.
The need for blood donations is critical and those who choose to give are often responsible for saving the lives of those with medical emergencies.
The Community Blood Center reports that 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion this year. On average, every two seconds someone in the United States will need a blood donation. Additionally, one pint of blood – the typical donation amount – can save three lives.
“Concern for Community” is one of Platte-Clay’s guiding principles, and this event offers both co-op employees and members a unique chance to give back and make a difference.
Innovative Renewable Programs Offer PCEC Consumer-Members Choices
Dave Deihl, General Manager
From the General Manager
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative consumer-members have choices when it comes to the energy delivered to their home or business. From energy efficiency product rebates to demand billing, the services provided by the cooperative are designed to fit the needs of the members we serve.
Platte-Clay gives its members the unique opportunity to choose what power generation resources are attributed to their energy use for a small additional cost per month. While renewable energy technology is still being developed to meet the needs of large-scale power providers, these programs give members an immediate choice to support 100% renewable power and offset their carbon footprint.
GREENPOWER
For an additional 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour used, members can choose for 100% of their energy usage to be accounted for in wind-based power generation through the retirement of renewable energy credits in their name. This program offsets the full carbon footprint associated with the traditional energy usage of a home or business. Members who participate in GreenPower will receive an annual certificate listing the amount of renewable energy credits retired in their name through Associated Electric Cooperative, Platte-Clay’s power generation partner.
COMMUNITY SOLAR
Like GreenPower, SolarTech (the cooperative’s community solar program), gives PCEC members the option to offset their carbon footprint and support renewable energy for a small additional fee. Community solar panels can be leased for an additional cost per month or purchased for an upfront fee. Panels that are paid for upfront come with a no-cost solar energy rate. However, members will be billed an operations and maintenance cents/kWh rate and a general distribution cents/kWh rate shown unbundled on their bill.
Between Platte-Clay’s community solar and GreenPower programs, members have multiple ways to choose what energy sources are associated with their individual usage. Rather than increasing energy rates for all members, we take a measured approach to renewable energy development while continuing to support its development and implementation across the grid.
Our cooperative system’s strategy of utilizing a diverse energy mix means we can continue to serve you reliably while renewable developments are in progress.
PCEC Announces Appointment of David Edwards to Board of Directors
PCEC recently announced the appointment of David Edwards of Gower, Missouri to its Board of Directors. The appointment fills a vacancy in the coop’s North District (DeKalb, Clinton and Caldwell counties) created by the resignation of former Board President Debi Koechner in June.
“We are proud to welcome David Edwards to Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors,” said Kendall Davis, PCEC Board President. “David’s impressive experience in business and technology will be an asset to the cooperative as we work toward strengthening cybersecurity measures.”
Edwards serves as Vice President of Business Development for a cybersecurity company and has over 30 years of business leadership experience across several industries including manufacturing, software and financial services.
“Cooperatives are community-led organizations, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to represent my fellow PCEC consumer-members on the Board of Directors,” said Edwards. “I look forward to representing DeKalb, Clinton and Caldwell counties as a North District Director.”
The appointment of Edwards by the Board of Directors follows an application and interview process that was opened to all members residing in the North District after the seat was vacated. The recently vacated South District seat will be filled utilizing the traditional voting procedures of the co-op’s annual election next spring due to the timing of the vacancy.
In 2019, cooperative consumer-members voted to give the Board of Directors the power to either hold a seat open until the time of the next membership election or appoint a director to serve the remainder of the term.
Annual Pole Inspections in Progress
Fall marks the start of the annual pole inspection process for Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative. Lee Inspection will be documenting needed repairs and maintenance on power poles in a portion of PCEC’s service territory through the end of this year.
Annual pole inspections, which entail observing ten percent of all Platte-Clay-owned power poles per year, play a role in the safety and reliability of the cooperative’s grid. All poles are inspected over a ten year period of time, ensuring timely repair.
Members can report damaged poles at any time by calling our office at 816-628-3121.
Substation Field Trip
Members of Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors recently joined leaders from Northwest Electric Power Cooperative in Fairport, Missouri to tour the transmission cooperative’s largest substation and get an in-depth look at the functions of the equipment utilized at the site. Directors were able to ask questions about co-op operations and gain an understanding of what logistics are involved with keeping power flowing from PCEC’s power generation cooperative to local substations.
Holiday Open House Will Resume in 2022
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative’s traditional holiday open house will not be held again in 2021, but is scheduled to resume the following year in 2022. The event doubles as both a community open house and a charitable drive to collect winter coats and food donations for those in need in the Northland. Donations will be made to local food pantries again this year in place of the “Coats and Cans” drive.
The Northland Connection is published monthly by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., 1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO 64060. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Northland Connection, PO Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060 or mail@pcec.coop.
Platte-Clay is an equal opportunity employer.