The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Cooperative Research Network (CRN) has teamed up with 30 electric cooperatives across the country to submit proposals for two demonstration projects to the Department of Energy.  Together, the proposals show how rural cooperatives, working in collaboration, can make a unique contribution to development of the smart grid, to energy efficiency and to the widespread deployment of renewable energy sources.

Electric Co-ops Offer Unique Assets to DOE Smart Grid Research

Using the resources of 27 cooperatives from Hawaii to New Hampshire, the Cooperative Research Network’s proposed smart grid demonstration project tests interoperability and end-to-end connectivity.

Cooperatives Pushing Energy Storage Limits

The Cooperative Research Network’s battery proposal enlists co-ops from coast to coast to experiment with batteries for renewable energy integration and demand response.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.

Energy Storage Project Summary and Abstract

Smart Grid Demo Project Narrative