coloradocountrylife.coop 7JUNE 2017

SOUTHEAST COLORADO POWER ASSOCIATION

[Rural Life]

LAST WINTER STORM Mother Nature reminded us of south-eastern Colorado’s weather extremes by ending April (and this year’s winter)with a windy and wet punch. Some folks even pronounced this snowstorm as the worst over the past decade. This snowstorm, which produced blizzard conditions, disabled multiple substations and knocked down a large number of poles, caused significant and unavoidable outages in several sections of our service territory.

It is during events such as these that our true American spirit shines. Many of you who lost electricity were not only patient, but came outdoors and offered assistance to our crews. Our neighboring electric cooperatives (those we helped during the notorious April windstorm) were some of the first to call and offer their support. Local governments and emergency person-nel always work in partnership with us to ensure communities rebound as quickly as possible.

I’m thankful for everyone who was part of the service restoration process. I’m also

proud of our dedicated line crews who never hesitate to get fully engaged, and who resist stopping until every residence has power. They are much supported by a devoted dispatch and technical staff. We may live in tough country, but we have an even tougher team reinforced by communi-ties ready to jump in whenever needed.

VISION BROADBAND IS NOW SECOM I’m excited to share that SECOM, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Southeast Colorado Power Association, announced its fourth acquisition in the past two years with the purchase of Vision Broadband, LLC. Previous acquisitions included the former Ark Valley Internet, Vilas Online and DD Wireless.

Vision has been a successful provider of broadband wireless services since 2005, growing to more than 1,300 customers. It was a SECOM competitor in the Florence,

Cañon City, Penrose, Pueblo West and Pueblo markets. This acquisition expands SECOM’s footprint up the Highway 115 corridor along with adding complementary fixed wireless service to SECOM’s fiber optic presence in the Fountain vi-cinity. Vision previously con-solidated SCS WiFi and Pueblo Wireless into their business.

Economies of scale drive such initia-tives as they reduce operating costs and bolster cash flow, which, over time, should improve net income. Although SECOM’s strategy included some acquisitions, its primary focus continues to be growing organically — earning business customer by customer — and, most importantly, to expand advanced telecommunications and broadband technologies to areas that are traditionally underserved.

WEATHER AND ACQUISITION MAKE FOR QUITE A MONTHBY JACK JOHNSTON || CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER || JACKJ@SECPA.COM

Jack Johnston

OFFICES CLOSED July 4th FOR

Independence Day!If you find your name in this issue as follows (WIN* your name, your account number), please contact Southeast Colorado Power Association at 719-384-2551 or 800-332-8634 to receive a credit on your next power bill.

Last month’s winner was Paul Chatham, Account #310810000.

You Could Be A Winner This Month

coloradocountrylife.coop8 JUNE 2017

[Rural Life]

In 2016, the United States reached 1 million solar installations, 942,000 of which were residential, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. With this solar influx, the Safe Electric-ity program encourages you to keep safety in mind whether you already own or plan to install solar panels.

Roof-mounted photovoltaic systems save space and easily ac-cess the sun. Make sure the roof ’s structure is strong enough to hold the additional weight of the solar panels. Additionally, pro-vide easy and safe access to the roof in order to allow for effective inspection, maintenance and repair of the PV system. A profes-sional contractor should always do the installation. Improper

installation increases the chance of a faulty unit, which could cause shock or fire.

According to the Fire Protection Research Foundation, heavy wind can stress the panel, hail can cause cracking and snow and debris can affect the energy performance. Perform periodic main-tenance on your solar panels. The FPRF suggests the following maintenance procedures to help prevent fire or damage:

• Visually inspect the equipment and connections for signs of damage or degradation.

• Visually inspect electrical junction boxes to see if conductors are damaged and need to be repaired or replaced.

• Visually inspect string conductors to identify physical dam-age that is in need of repair.

Note that all these tips involve visual inspections only. Never attempt to work on or re-pair a PV system yourself. This could do more harm than good, and it exposes you to electrical currents. If a solar panel needs service, call a certified professional. Other tips include:

• Never step on, set items on or drop anything on the solar panels or wiring.

• If you have a roof-mounted solar panel, do not go onto your roof unless absolutely necessary. If you must, watch for overhead power lines, solar panels and other wiring.

• Read the manual to know how to shut down the PV system in case of an emergency, such as a fire. Remember to call 911 and turn off the system only if you can do so safely.

In case of a fire, roof-mounted panels could cause additional issues for first responders. The FPRF explains that solar panels may not shut down easily, so electric shock is a concern, espe-cially during the day when sunlight is powering the system. A PV system damaged during a night fire could begin to generate electricity and create a shock hazard or rekindle the fire once exposed to sunlight.

If you are interested in renewable energy, visit EnergyEdCouncil.org/checklist.pdf for a guide to help research renewable systems. (WIN*Lester Snethen Account #1911550000)

For more electrical safety information, visit SafeElectricity.org.

SAFETY WITH SOLAR PANELSI

coloradocountrylife.coop 9

[Rural Life]

JUNE 2017

2017 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

MACY KENNEDYSenior, Holly High School

Parents – Benny and Denice Kennedy

BASIN ELECTRIC $1,000 SCHOLARSHIP

TRI-STATE $500 SCHOLARSHIP

JAKE TRUJILLOSenior, McClave High School

Parents – Tim Trujillo and Melinda Kelley

NICOLE WEAKLEY Senior, McClave High School

Parents – Richard and Renee Weakley

EMILY ARAGONSenior, Fowler High SchoolParents – Earl and Trisha Aragon

SHELBY HENDERSONSenior, Lamar High School

Parents – Chris and Karen Henderson

DILLON ROESCHSenior, McClave High School

Parents – Kelly and Julie Roesch

JAXON SPADYSenior, McClave High School

Parents – Heath Spady and Charity Markus

KELLY VALDEZSenior, Swink High School

Parents – Robert and Betty Valdez

TRI-STATE $500 SCHOLARSHIP

SECPA $500 SCHOLARSHIP

SECPA $500 SCHOLARSHIP

SECPA $500 SCHOLARSHIP

SECPA $500 SCHOLARSHIP

SECPA $500 SCHOLARSHIP

coloradocountrylife.coop10 JUNE 2017

[Rural Life]

SECPA’S ANNUAL MEETING

Photos courtesy of Marty Miller, Kiowa County Independent