Co-ops make connections every day.
Sure, we connect substations and meters, but those may not be the most important connections we make.
Our power grid connects communities with energy, broadband connects local communities with global knowledge and markets, programs like the Washington Youth Tour connect young people with limitless opportunities and visionary investments connect today with tomorrow.
When we connect, everything changes, and that’s why co-ops connect.
There is power in connection
We are stronger when we work together. Common goals create passion, passion creates innovation and through innovation, big ideas become reality. Electric co-ops are serious about connections. We build them every day.
Co-ops have an impact on Tennessee
From jobs to investment to taxes, the impact that co-ops have on Tennessee is significant.
Our power grid connects your community with reliable energy
Tennessee co-ops deliver power to our residential members at a price that is 13 percent below the national average. Electric co-ops manage more than $3 billion in assets and 106,000 miles of distribution lines that stretch from the suburbs of Nashville to some of the most rugged and remote areas of the state. Co-ops invest more than $107 million a year into the distribution grid.
Bold investments connect today with tomorrow
Co-ops strive to be good stewards of our environment. More than 55 percent of the energy distributed by co-ops comes from carbon free sources, and co-op community solar projects make green energy more accessible. The cost of rooftop solar is decreasing, but it is still cost-prohibitive for most Tennesseans. Community solar allows co-op consumers to lease or purchase a percentage of a solar panel or panels that are owned and maintained by the co-op. Co-op consumers can benefit from solar ownership without a significant investment. Statewide, co-ops have built more than 2.5 megawatts of community solar.
Broadband connects small towns with a world of ideas and knowledge
Co-ops are also working to bring access to high speed internet past the city limits sign. Broadband is no longer a luxury for gaming and streaming movies. It is a necessary component for economic development, education and rural healthcare. Tennessee co-ops have already invested $187 million, and when completed, these projects will bring high speed internet access more than 790,000 homes and businesses.
Economic development connects jobs and investment with rural Tennessee
Co-ops work with local communities to recruit jobs and capital investment to rural and suburban Tennessee. USDA rural economic development loan and grant programs offered by co-ops have awarded more than $39 million to their communities to recruit and retain jobs. This is an important resource that has saved or created hundreds of jobs in co-op service areas.
Educational experiences connect students with unlimited opportunities
A solid education removes barriers and creates opportunities that are needed in the communities we serve. That is why co-ops have a long and proud history of partnering with schools in our communities. We want young people to be prepared to be leaders in their communities and fully aware of the opportunities that exist in their home towns. That is why programs like 4-H Electric Camp, the Youth Leadership Summit and the Washington Youth Tour are so important.
Advocacy connects law makers with the reality of everyday life in rural and suburban Tennessee
The decisions made in Nashville and Washington, D.C., can have a profound impact on co-ops and the people they serve. Electric co-ops tell the story of rural and suburban Tennessee. We do this by engaging with law and policy makers at the state and federal levels and through our professional communications efforts, including The Tennessee Magazine, the most widely circulated publication in the state.
Generosity connects compassion with service
Electric co-ops give back to the people and places they serve. Charitable giving programs support organizations that serve the health, safety and educational needs of our communities. More than 750 electric co-op employees participated in the sixth annual Tennessee Electric Cooperative Day of Service on Thursday, Oct. 20. Forty-six individual service projects were completed across the state with 757 employees from 17 electric co-ops volunteering more than 1,581 hours in service to their local communities. This year’s projects included painting and repairing playground equipment, picking up litter and coordinating food, clothing and toy drives.
