Renewable Energy

Midwest Electric is committed to supporting renewable energy through a variety of programs and partnerships.

From community solar options to green power purchases, members can take part in clean energy solutions that reduce environmental impact and support a more sustainable future.

Renewable Energy

We take a balanced approach to renewable energy and are committed to providing members with the best information on the subject

All About Solar

Considering installing solar?

If you’d like to install a solar generation system on your property, our team will walk you through the process. We do not sell renewable systems, but we can point you in the correct direction.

It's important to note that renewable systems require a significant upfront investment and vary widely depending on the system you choose and your home's setup. The first step is always to conduct an energy audit to ensure your home is as energy-efficient as possible. You want to reduce your usage first to ensure you can install the smallest system possible to meet your generation needs without oversizing and overpaying. This will reduce the size requirements of the solar equipment.

Energy efficiency upgrades, such as adding insulation or replacing lightbulbs with LEDs, often have a much faster payback period than installing solar equipment. Learn more about energy audits here and schedule an appointment.

Your equipment must be supplied under an equipment purchase or lease agreement (not an agreement to purchase electricity from the solar vendor). It's essential to contact us early and review the cooperative's distributed generation policies before starting any solar installation to avoid costly mistakes.

*Please review our policies and attached paperwork at the bottom of this page under "Connecting Your Renewable Energy to Our Electric System."

Connecting Your Renewable Energy to Our Electric System

Midwest Electric members or others who wish to have solar, wind, or other types of distributed generation connected to our electric system should first read and complete these three documents. Please note that our distributed generation rate is subject to change at any time.

Application for Interconnection (Distributed Generation)

Distributed Generation Policies

Distributed Generation Technical Guidelines

Net Billing (effective in spring 2021)

Co-op Member-Generated Power

As member-owned distributed generation has evolved, so has your electric cooperative’s incorporation of member-produced energy incentives into your monthly rates.

Net metering—the procedure that allows co-op consumer-members to “bank” surplus member-generated energy in the electric grid for future use (credit) at its retail cost—has given way to net billing.

Net billing—in which member-generated power is injected into the electric grid and is priced at the wholesale value of the energy received from the member—has become the accepted practice among member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives.

Net Metering vs. Net Billing

The topic of net metering versus net billing centers on the appropriate value for excess energy that’s sent to the cooperative when member generation produces more power than can be used at your home or business at the time of generation. Because our cooperative’s retail energy rate includes the costs of maintaining our poles and wires, as well as staffing costs, our retail energy rate is much greater than the value we receive from excess generation; in other words, our fixed costs aren’t reduced by excess generation. Net billing allows co-ops to achieve a more equitable balance between power generation costs and electric distribution expenses.

Under net metering, your co-op pays more for distributed generation than its actual worth to the cooperative. Because co-ops are member-owned, the net metering model means that those surplus costs are passed along to the rest of the membership. With net billing, the co-op pays the same amount for distributed generation as it pays for electricity generated by other sources—a fair price for all members.

Why the Change to Net Billing?

Electric cooperatives are member-owned and governed, not-for-profit organizations, based on guiding principles:

Open and voluntary membership
Democratic member control
Members’ economic participation: Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital remains the common property of the cooperative. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing the cooperative; setting up reserves; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.
Autonomy and independence
Education, training, and information
Cooperation among cooperatives
Concern for community

In deference to Principle 3, electric cooperatives are obligated to operate evenly and proportionately to benefit their members fairly. While policies vary by co-op, the decision to convert to net billing aligns with cooperative principles.

If you are interested in installing a renewable energy system at your location, please contact us first to review any restrictions and ensure your energy use is as efficient as possible, so you do not have to pay more for an oversized system.

Have questions? Give us a call at 419-394-4110.

*Click here to see this information as a PDF, which appeared in Midwest Electric's February 2021 member magazine, Ohio Cooperative Living.

Other Renewable Sources: Anaerobic digesters, landfill gas, and more!

Did you know a part of your power is generated from anaerobic digesters at livestock farms, gas generation from landfills, solar arrays, and hydro and wind power? We are committed to safe, reliable, affordable, and economically sustainable power production that is also environmentally responsible.

Ohio’s co-ops take a balanced approach to renewable energy. While we continue to support and utilize affordable coal-fired generation for the bulk of our power, Buckeye Power and its member cooperatives have made significant investments in renewable energy on behalf of Ohio co-op families.

EnviroWatts

EnviroWatts is a renewable energy program that allows Midwest Electric members to support renewable energy for as little as $1.00 a month.

Ohio’s electric co-ops purchase their electricity from Buckeye Power. Renewable energy credits (RECs) for EnviroWatts are generated from Buckeye Power’s portfolio of renewable energy resources.

Buckeye Power’s portfolio includes a purchased power agreement for 30 megawatts (MW) of wind generation from an Iowa wind farm. It also encompassed three anaerobic biodigesters at a Williams County dairy, a Mercer County poultry farm, and a Morrow County hog farm. Combined, more than 3 MW of green power can be produced from the methane in the animal waste. Methane from landfills in Hancock and Perry Counties produces up to 9.6 MW of electricity. Buckeye Power also has a 55 MW entitlement from the New York Power Authority for hydropower from the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers.

EnviroWatts is sold in 100-kilowatt-hour blocks and is available to both residential and business members of the cooperative. Buying just one block of EnviroWatts each month for a year has the same environmental impact as not driving your car for 3 months or not using 2½ barrels of oil.

EnviroWatts is optional and appears as a separate line item on the bill. Pricing for EnviroWatts is as follows:

1 to 25 blocks: $2.00 per block per month
26 to 250 blocks: $1.50 per block per month
251 blocks or more: $1.00 per block per month

Each block represents 100 kilowatt hours (kWh). This program works regardless of how many kWh you actually use each month. For example, you could buy just one block even if you use 800 kWh each month. You’ll pay your usual electricity costs, plus $2.00.

Participants do not have renewable energy delivered directly to their home or business. Rather, it is generated and delivered to the Ohio power grid.

If you would like to sign up, please call us at 419-394-4110 or e-mail us.

OurSolar: Powering co-op communities one ray at a time

Launched in 2016, the OurSolar program includes solar arrays across the state that are producing renewable energy for members of Ohio's Electric Cooperatives. Midwest Electric has a 50 kW solar array located at our Amanda substation on Bowsher Road, west of Shawnee. Today, the total solar power generated by the OurSolar program is 4.76 megawatts.

Click here for more information about OurSolar and to view production data.

How does renewable energy perform in Ohio?

Click here to estimate the monthly and annual energy production of a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) system at your location.

For more information on solar power:

Residential: A Homeowner's Guide to Solar Electric Systems

Business: Photovoltaics For Your Business

Would a wind turbine be right for you? Check out the Small Wind Guidebook on the Department of Energy's website.

Additional Resources

A Rational Look at Renewable Energy: The Implications of Intermittent Power