With over 30 years of industry experience, Dion Cooper’s transition to President & CEO of Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) in 2022 was an opportunity to ensure their system was prepared for the future with innovative solutions.
“One area that we’ve worked to improve is to get more downline controls. We’ve got fiber to our substations and are actively working to implement more smart grid technologies. VEC has been awarded a DOE grant through the MG CARED program, as well as an additional battery grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). We partnered with North Georgia EMC and Blue Ridge Mountain EMC for a multi-state award, which was the first of its kind. In total, the three cooperatives will receive $10M to go toward the installation of additional battery storage systems in our service areas, and VEC plans to install an additional 4MW of batteries in Meigs County with our portion of the award. That battery piece is probably the biggest thing that we’re chasing right now—that will help improve our reliability even more.”
Dion knows his LPC is responsible for the present and future of his community’s needs, and he wants his members to know that he strategically evaluates new technology with a long-term vision.
“I want our members to know that we always look for opportunities that are going to benefit them in terms of reliability, cost, and anything we can do to improve their service level. We don’t pursue technology for technology’s sake—and as a former IT guy, I love technology—but there has to be a value to the cooperative in order to implement innovation.”
Dion knows that Seven States is a helpful resource as his community’s needs continue to evolve and diversify.
“We look at Seven States as a valuable partner, not only from a standpoint of doing projects together, but for expertise also—we can reach out to their team and lean on them. With our interest in battery storage and Seven States’ experience in that arena, we are confident that we’ll be able to work together in the future as we continue to explore what can best benefit our community.”
With so much technological advancement in the Valley, Dion encourages fellow leaders to find what works best for their LPC and to not be afraid to bring about community change and benefits.
“Don’t be afraid to implement new technologies just because it hasn’t been done; don’t let that be a deterrent. You don’t have to live on the cutting edge, but it’s okay to be first sometimes, especially if it has a tremendous value to the organization and to your members. Getting buy-in from your team, board, and community is vital, and if you have a technology that is going to bring real, tangible value to your community, and you keep that at the forefront of everything you do, everything else will fall into place.”
