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Piper Wilder has been working with electric cooperatives for decades and has keen insight into how to partner with (and sell to) them compared with the functional process with the more traditional utility structure. Recently, I was re-connecting with Piper and it became clear to me that she has a lot to teach us #SolarWarrior! In particular, I know that many of you are looking for inside advice on how to expand your offering both regionally and with regard to types of customers. I’d urge you to give electric cooperatives a look!
Do you know how many electric cooperatives there are in the United States? Or what percentage of the total (of electric utilities) that represents?
What differences exist between working with Cooperatives versus traditional Utilities?
And how might you position yourself or identify how to work with Cooperative Electric Utilities based on what you learn today?
Piper breaks down these 5 key areas that will help you better understand how to work with a rural electric cooperative:
What are the 2 flavors of electric cooperative and how does each work?
What are the structural operational differences between electric cooperatives and traditional utilities?
What if any Strategic and Planning differences exist that influence their decision-making?
Who should a solar developer approach within a Cooperative?
How do Cooperatives like to do business with power project developers?
(3:15) What is an electric cooperative?
(4:25) How many cooperatives are in the US?
(5:16) The importance of land ownership in co-ops
(6:15) The difference between electric cooperatives and traditional utilities
(8:05) Planning and financial incentives with cooperatives vs investor owned utilities
(9:07) Who to approach within the cooperatives sector
(11:16) Pressure on Tri-State by distribution cooperatives
(15:15) Investment requirement for the cooperative market
(16:54) Ownership structure in cooperatives
(19:07) The importance of cooperatives to developers
(20:14) An impactful way to contribute
(22:02) Wrap up
NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:
“What wins a contract with a co-op has a lot more to do with relationship building, has a lot more to do with a conciliatory compromised based approach and how the project is crafted and developed and really co-developed with your utility partner.”
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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 15-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.