Flathead Electric participates in project aimed at improving power grid

Flathead Electric Cooperative has been selected as one of five cooperatives in the nation to participate in a project aimed at advancing grid resiliency through increased reliability and power supply cost savings.

The Community-Integrated Distributed Energy Resilience Initiative is a $4 million project led by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and funded by the Department of Energy.

“As stewards of our community’s energy future, we’re thrilled about this opportunity to explore new grid strategies that can help us address evolving grid challenges,” explains FEC Community Relations Manager Katie Pfennigs.

“Our participation in this initiative reflects the Co-op’s continued commitment to collaborative approaches and innovative solutions that empower our members, uphold our commitment to power affordability, and enhance grid reliability.”

As part of the study, participating cooperatives, including Flathead Electric, will pilot distributed energy resource (DER) programs that utilize software to shift or reduce electric demand from participating members when extreme weather conditions impact the grid or when power prices spike. While members who participate in these programs will benefit directly from reduced electrical demand during peak periods, these programs are ultimately designed to benefit all Co-op members by ensuring reliable power supply and keeping electricity bills lower.

Grant funding will provide a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) and home energy optimization or “virtual battery” software. Together, these platforms can automatically adjust various behind-the-meter resources that many members already use, including rooftop solar, electric vehicle chargers, water heaters, battery storage, and smart thermostats.

The project will also help FEC assess and optimize member-facing energy programs and inform the development of future programs that provide maximum benefits to all members of the Co-op.

Ashley Keltner, FEC Distributed Energy Specialist, said in three years the project aims to have an answer to how the existing grid can serve growing demand in the Flathead.

“In plain speak, the CIDER project will help us learn more about the health of our current grid in the Flathead Valley and what we can do to strengthen it using what is already available to us, rather than investing huge sums of money into new technology,” Keltner said.

NRECA software development partners Camus Energy and Emulate Energy contributed $1.1 million toward the initiative. The DOE provided $2.9 million. The project is expected to be underway this summer, and the results will be shared with utilities nationwide.

“Electric co-ops make an ideal laboratory for this software and research on resilience,” said David Pinney, CIDER principal investigator. “These rural systems face greater challenges than urban systems, and the whole nation benefits by co-ops serving in this project to manage a more reliable grid.”

The other co-ops selected to participate by NRECA are Hendricks Power Cooperative in Avon, Indiana; Kenergy Corp. in Owensboro, Kentucky; Tipmont REMC, in Linden, Indiana; Trinity Valley Electric Co-op in Kaufman, Texas; and Rayburn Electric, a generation and transmission co-op based in Rockwell, Texas, will serve as an advisor for TVEC.

As part of the study, for a limited time FEC is offering a $10 electric bill credit to each residential Co-op member who completes an energy use survey. The survey is open to all residential members of Flathead Electric Cooperative on a firstcome basis until the target response rate has been reached. Survey data will help FEC develop future energy programs that benefit all Co-op members.

To learn more or take the energy use survey, visit flatheadelectric.com/energysurvey.