Our past is powerful. It began with the bold spirit of those who formed the first electric cooperatives in their communities. While rural areas were being bypassed, they took matters into their own hands and said, “We’ll do it ourselves. Not only that, but we’ll also do it on a not-for-profit basis where any funds left over will go back to the members.”
Then, there were the rural Illinois families who struggled to scrape together $5 to join their electric cooperative. What a powerful reaction they must have had when the lights first came on, and everything from washing machines to milking dairy cows changed.
Add to that, the powerful dedication lineworkers possessed in setting poles and stringing lines no matter the weather conditions, going out in the middle of the night to fix outages caused by storms and heading to other cooperatives to help when and where needed.
And, throughout cooperative history, there’s also the planning and sound decision-making of each cooperative’s board of directors — elected by the membership — alongside its co-op manager and employees. It is not easy to consistently provide electricity that is affordable and reliable.
The Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) is part of that powerful past. Now more than 80 years old, AIEC provides support, expertise and unity of purpose, as well as a place where all cooperatives in our state can come together to collaborate and share ideas.
Now, more than ever, electric cooperatives must be future-focused. There are almost 6,000 member-owned solar systems on our collective lines. On top of that, co-ops own renewable generation and have power purchase agreements for the energy produced by large renewable energy sources. We are leaders in renewable energy as part of our portfolios, and we do so without a legal mandate.
We must continue to strongly advocate our concerns about reliability when replacing dispatchable generation with intermittent generation. Co-ops must plan for when the member will have the most load. We need to have sufficient generation, and we need to have the reliable infrastructure to get it to the consumer-member. That may be the coldest day or the hottest day. And it may be when the wind is not blowing, or the sun is not shining. Electric cooperative members depend on us to deliver.
We have been around for a long time. More than 80 years. We’re not a fly-by-night startup. We’re local, we’re a part of the community, and we’re made up of democratically elected directors. We are not-for-profit. We’re just trying to provide reliable electricity at cost.
I want to emphasize that our success depends on the active participation and collaboration of every cooperative. I encourage you to engage with us, share your ideas, and take advantage of the programs and resources we offer. Together, we can overcome challenges and achieve our shared vision of providing safe, affordable and reliable energy to our communities.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication. Let’s work together to build a brighter future for our communities.
This is an excerpt of Craig Sondgeroth’s CEO report presented during the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives’ annual meeting on Aug. 1, 2024.
