Author Archives: Amy Sohner

Renewable energy is available even if you don’t have your own renewable energy source like solar panels. Fifteen of Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives offer their owner-members the opportunity to support solar, wind, biomass, and hydro electric energy sources by simply participating in the envirowatts program.

The envirowatts program allows owner-members to buy renewable energy in $2.75 portions with no maximum. The program also allows you to choose which energy source you want to support, or you can buy portions of each. It’s up to you.

By using envirowatts, you can offset your carbon footprint by thousands of pounds each month. For example, just one $2.75 portion of wind-created energy purchased through envirowatts offsets nearly 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. That’s the equivalent of removing emissions from 253 gallons of gasoline or the greenhouse gas emissions from 5,595 miles per year driven by an average passenger vehicle.

Signing up for envirowatts is simple. Just go to envirowattsky.com and sign up. While you’re there, you can learn more about what Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives are doing to offer owner-members sustainable, affordable energy, and what options they have for going green. You can learn more about renewable energy resources, where the power comes from and how it’s made.

By using the envirowatts program, you can offset your carbon footprint affordably each month. It’s quick and simple way to give back to the environment.

*Sponsored by Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives

Homeowners and business owners who have sustainability goals to lower their carbon footprint or want to save money on their monthly energy bills have been Investing in solar energy for years. Solar is a clean, affordable way to produce energy using only the power of the sun.

Putting a solar array on a home or business can be challenging or impossible for many. For renters, or those whose homes aren’t suitable for solar panels, it’s not an option. The maintenance of the solar panels and associated equipment may also discourage someone from going solar.

But Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives has another option for its members. A sixty-acre solar array, Cooperative Solar Farm One, located just east of Lexington, provides the opportunity for any member who wants to offset their carbon footprint and lower their energy bill to invest in solar energy without having to put panels on their home or business.

Guy Huelat knew Cooperative Solar One was a good investment when he looked into using solar to offset his energy bill. He and his wife Debbi licensed 77 panels.

“The idea of someone else maintaining it was very attractive to us,” said Huelat. “This is much more efficient than everyone trying to figure this out on their own.”

The Huelats were concerned that the solar panels wouldn’t match the aesthetic of their home and property. Cooperative Solar Farm One was an attractive option because it made getting access to solar energy easy, without the hassle of putting the panels on their home.

“We have good friends in Florida, and about every seventh house has solar panels on the roof,” he said. “The reason is that it’s not offered by their electric company. The consumer is going to do this. This is proof that co-ops can be more competitive than other power companies.”

Huelat estimates that the panels will pay for themselves within 15 years, and said one of his concerns when he considered solar was the cost of fossil fuel energy will eventually go up.

Cooperative Solar Farm One has about 32,000 panels which make enough electricity to power about 1,000 homes.

For a one-time payment of $460 per panel, participating members will receive a 25-year license to one of the panels. That means they will get credit on their monthly power bill for their proportional share of the energy generated by the solar farm, as well as the market value of their panel’s capacity. And they can monitor panel performance online.

*Sponsored by Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives

Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ Who Powers You contest is back for 2023, and now is the time to think about who powers your community. You can nominate someone who plays a vital role in your community by going to http://www.whopowersyouky.com/.

If you know of someone who’s making a positive impact on the environment in their community, nominate them for Who Powers You. If someone you know is modeling positive environmental behavior such as organizing cleanups, planting trees or working to make their community a nicer, more beautiful place to live, they could be rewarded for their efforts.

Nominees are eligible to win cash prizes – $1,000 for the winner, $750 second and $250 for third place.

The #WhoPowersYou contest in which we invite the public to submit photos and stories about co-op members who are making a positive impact in their co-op community.

The 2022 winner and Owen Electric member David Lilly was nominated for his extensive volunteerism to help those who are less fortunate in his community. Lilly is the board chair for Meeting the Needs Ministry, a non-profit in Owen County that serves disadvantaged youth and seniors. “David Lilly might just be the busiest guy there is,” said Whitney Duvall, who nominated Lilly for the award. A retiree, Lilly volunteers his time and energy to collect food, hygiene products and commodities for people and families in need in the Owenton area, a place where the need is great. “The ultimate goal of the program is to make sure nobody goes hungry,” Lilly said.

The contest was created to reward and support co-op members who are making a difference in the communities served by Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives. Co-ops serve more than 1.1 million people in 89 counties.

To make a nomination, go to www.whopowersyouky.com. You’ll simply share a photo of the nominee and a brief description of how he or she makes a difference in the community.

Nominees must also be at least 18 years old, a member of Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives (see website for complete list of co-ops) and a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.

The contest begins Oct. 1, 2023 and ends Oct. 31. Winners will be selected by a panel of out-of-state judges.

*Sponsored by Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives