As part of our wholesale power supplier’s commitment to environmental stewardship, about 20 percent of the electricity generated to meet members’ needs regularly comes from renewable resources: utility-scale wind and hydropower.
Hydropower from federal dams in Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas is a major renewable resource Associated Electric uses to supply electricity to members. Although hydropower is the least expensive generation resource, it is a limited commodity dependent on rainfall and the capacity of lakes and dams to store the water. Hydropower usually accounts for about 6 percent of the generation resources serving Associated members.
Members also receive electricity generated at utility-scale wind farms contracted with Associated Electric Cooperative. Four of the wind farms are located in northwest Missouri, one is in Kansas and one is in Oklahoma. Collectively, these utility-scale wind farms produce 14 percent of the electricity generated for Associated’s members. Associated announced Feb. 12, 2018, that it has signed a long-term power purchase agreement for additional wind energy from a 236-megawatt wind farm under development in northwest Missouri.