Dakota Electric Association is an electric distribution cooperative serving more than 107,000 members with 4,000 miles of overhead and underground lines. We believe in the cooperative business model, providing a critical service for the benefit of those we serve.
Community
As a cooperative, we endeavor to buy local and employ amazing people who live in the communities we serve. Our national trade association recently selected us to receive the prestigious Electric Cooperative Purpose award for our community involvement, and we were recognized again with the Dakota- Scott Employer of Excellence award. We support local charities and provide multiple scholarships to local high schools, our Spirit of Excellence award annually recognizes local first responders, and our employees and directors give their time and talents to serve throughout our communities.
Concern for the Environment
Your commitment to the environment and energy conservation saved more than 26 million kilowatt-hours in 2018. Co-op programs and rebates include high-efficiency and low-carbon solutions for heating, cooling and lighting, and we demonstrate support for electric vehicles with Ride and Drive events and our annual Energy Trends Expo. We added another 2 MW, or 7200 solar panels, in 2018 and just signed contracts for an additional 3 MW in 2019. These solar sites connect to our distribution system and the energy remains in our service territory for the benefit of our members. This is in addition to our power supplier’s commitment for 50 percent renewables by 2030.
Foundations for the Future
As our board and staff prepare for the future, we strategically implement systems to serve members for years to come. We recently upgraded our 22-year-old customer service software with a robust new system. We completed connecting all 30 of our substations with fiber optics for better communications and system control. This backbone serves as a conduit to the new automated meter-reading system that will replace aging meters in the field. Replacement of meters begins with a pilot project later this year and will be completed over the following two years. On behalf of the board and the 200 employees of Dakota Electric Association, thank you for the privilege of serving you.
— David Jones, Chair, Board of Directors
— Greg Miller, President and CEO
