Dakota Electric Association® at a Glance
Dakota Electric Association is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative founded by local farmers in 1937 with the help of the Rural Electrification Administration.
Dakota Electric is regulated by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, and reaches more than 112,000 members. This makes Dakota Electric Association the second largest electric cooperative in Minnesota and ranked among the 25 largest electric distribution cooperatives in the nation.
Dakota Electric Association purchases wholesale electricity from Great River Energy, a generation and transmission cooperative in Maple Grove, MN. We deliver electricity to homes, businesses and farms in parts of Dakota, Goodhue, Scott and Rice counties.
Facts & Stats
Facts & Stats
- 197+ full- and part-time employees
- 115,000+ members served
- 4,273 miles of line (3,098 underground and 1,175 overhead)
- 1.9 billion kWh sold annually
- $217.9 million total revenue
Sources of Revenue
- 38% commercial accounts
- 60% residential and farming
- 2% street lighting and irrigation
Load Management
- Ability to shed more than 20% of peak demand.
- 100+ megawatts controllable* (summer).
- 70+ megawatts controllable* (winter).
- Summer controllable load is equal to the energy used by approximately 30,000 homes.
- Approximately 47,000 air conditioners on Dakota Electric’s system are on load management.
*Controllable is the estimated amount of load that can be “shut off” when demand reaches peak levels. It varies daily due to conditions.
Conservation Programs
Dakota Electric Association delivers approximately $3.6 million in conservation programs that include:
- ENERGY STAR® rebates
- Commercial EnergyGrants®
- Energy audits
- and more
Savings in 2023 totaled more than 15.5 million kWh.
Renewable Energy
Great River Energy, on behalf of Dakota Electric and other distribution cooperatives, met the state’s renewable energy goal in 2017 — eight years early. Their new goal is to achieve 50% renewable production by 2030 or earlier. Great River Energy purchases output from a variety of wind and solar projects in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa for approximately 680 megawatts. Dakota Electric members voluntarily purchase more than 43 million kWh of renewable energy annually through the Wellspring Renewable Energy® program.
Affiliations
