Honesdale, Wayne County, PA -
Wayne Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO) is pleased to announce that The Clean Energy Co-op has been named their 2020 Innovator of the Year. The award was presented during the combined Innovator of the Year and WEDCO Annual Meeting conducted virtually on November 20th. Jack Barnett, a Director of The Clean Energy Co-op, accepted the award on behalf of the Board and members.
WEDCO Vice President Wayne Stephens lauded The Clean Energy Co-op for their dedication and investment to enhance energy options in Wayne County and beyond.
Wayne County Commissioner Brian Smith, Joseph Adams, and Jocelyn Cramer, who served as guest speakers for the event, also praised The Clean Energy Co-op for their commitment to developing sustainable renewable energy projects. The County owns the former Elementary School on Park Street in Honesdale, which is the latest beneficiary of a solar installation by The Clean Energy Co-op.
With a six-year record of success, The Clean Energy Co-op brings new and innovative ways for Wayne County businesses, farmers, and government leaders to capture the efficiencies, price stability, and environmental benefits of solar energy. To date, The Clean Energy Co-op has invested more than a quarter of a million dollars in local development projects, plus brought in an additional $43,000 in federal grants for solar installations at The Cooperage Project, Anthill Farm Agroforestry, Willow Wisp Organic Farm, and The Stourbridge Project.
The solar installation at The Cooperage Project, Honesdale, was the first for the Clean Energy Co-op and was nationally recognized by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council as the BEST 2016 Community Renewables Project. The project was completed in December 2015 with the help of a federal grant and 23 Co-op members funding the construction. The system is generating 100% of the electricity used by the building's tenants annually.
Installation of the solar panels at the Stourbridge business incubator facility at Park Street, Honesdale, was just completed. An educational kiosk will be installed within the facility that will provide information about the energy production and technology on the roof.
The Co-op's “slow money” financing model benefits from Pennsylvania's Cooperative Business law, allowing it to recruit intra-state investors without SEC or state registration; has paid a reliable 2% annual dividend to its investor-members; and helps ensure the quality of its projects, as members-investors feel they are “developing the community as a whole,” in addition to the specific energy project.
The greatest innovations of the Clean Energy Co-op have been its can-do attitude in starting such a cooperative and its commitment to promoting the local economic benefits of clean energy. Most rural communities experience years of delays in implementing and benefitting from new energy technologies, while The Clean Energy Co-op is actively reducing that delay for our region and is setting new standards for communities to adopt and follow.
While accepting the Innovator of the Year Award, Mr. Barnett stated that other communities within Pennsylvania have contacted The Clean Energy Co-op with the idea that they many want to replicate the financial model within their own region. The Clean Energy Co-op currently has 90+ member. Mr. Barnett said that the organization has a goal of doubling membership in 2021.
For more information about The Clean Energy Co-op, visit www.cleanenergy.coop.
WEDCO's Innovator of the Year Award is given annually to recognize, reward, and further encourage innovation in technology, product, or process for betterment of a business, and therefore its employees and Wayne County as a whole. This year, the award presentation was integrated with WEDCO's Annual Meeting. Sponsors for the Annual Meeting were: PPL Utilities, UGI, Grimm Construction, Inc., Bold Gold Media Group, Reilly Associates, The Dime Bank, Wayne Bank, Wayne Memorial Hospital and Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers.
For more information about WEDCO, contact us at 570-253-5334 or mbw@wedcorp.org. Connect with WEDCO on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Also check out Wayne County videos on our YouTube site at www.youtube.com/waynecountypa. Our website, WayneEconomic.com, has increased demographic data functionality; look for new features as we continue web development.
