Building a reliable, efficient, next-generation power system in rural America
Smart Grid
We bring smart grid and communications together to help you make informed decisions and implement efficient, cost-effective solutions through technology planning, demand response, distributed generation, advanced metering and more.
Technology Planning
Investing in replacement technologies for grid infrastructure requires careful planning. Decisions made when replacing systems such as AMI, LMR, or SCADA will impact your options for future technology and your ability to meet changing energy demands.
AMI and Grid Communications
NRTC has deployed nearly 3.5 million AMI endpoints, using a variety of technologies and solutions. We continuously assess the marketplace to make sure we’re offering the best metering solutions. Our team of experts can help you analyze your current situation and determine the approach that best meets both your current needs and long-term strategic plan.
Solar, Storage and Wind
Cooperative utilities are responsible for meeting a continually growing demand for energy. Managing costs has become challenging with load growth, peak demand periods, aging power plants and intermittent production of renewable energy.
Microgrids and Resiliency
Fully integrated distributed energy solutions to help businesses, asset managers and utility operators control their costs and minimize their environmental impact. Expert engineers design every energy system in-house — from autonomous microgrids to emergency backup power to end-to-end energy efficiency improvements.
Volt-VAR Optimization
Smart Grids help you bring reliable power to the rural homes you serve. With improved communication thanks to a faster flow of data with advanced metering infrastructures (AMI), you’ll know how and where your customers are using electricity. This knowledge reduces outages, gets power back online faster when outages do occur, and helps you run a more efficient utility.
Insights
Suwannee Valley Begins AMI Project
NRTC and Itron representatives gathered last week in the offices of Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, Live Oak, FL, to kick off a major advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) project. The multi-year deployment will eventually link about 28,500 electric meters, including more than 27,000 rural residences.
Resources
The Latest News in Smart Grid
Systematic DER Planning Unlocks Answers to Peak Growth Problems
NRTC speakers led two sessions focused on distributed energy resources (DER) during NRECA’s TechAdvantage conference last week. One session discussed how to take a holistic approach to DER analysis to cover specific problems. The session, led by NRTC’s Josh Pepple and Jacob Bailey (above), focused on NRTC’s recent work with Cuivre River Electric Cooperative in Missouri. In the second session, NRTC’s Milt Geiger joined with representatives from DER partner PowerSecure to look at how microgrids are helping utilities serve certain key accounts.
Dairyland Power Introduces AI as a Service for Rural Electrics
Dairyland Power Cooperative, LaCrosse, WI, announced today that it is making its home-developed VoltWrite private generative AI platform available to other rural electric cooperatives. The company made the announcement during a session at NRECA’s TechAdvantage conference in Atlanta. According to Dairyland representatives, its employees have been using AI to develop new and innovative use cases affecting all parts of its organization since February 2023. The AI-generated VoltWrite mascot pictured reflects the company’s Wisconsin roots.
Co-ops Trying Various Approaches to Address Growing Power Demand
The growth of power demand is one of the major topics at NRECA’s PowerXchange/TechAdvantage conference in Atlanta this week. Many speakers at conference sessions shared how they are planning for the effects of data centers and other contributors to rising demand. There was support for the all-of-the-above approach to generating electricity. Some also plan to face issue with energy efficiency programs.