Hoosier Energy Hires Curt Durnil as Communications Coordinator for Media and Public Relations

With the pandemic halting large gatherings across the state, organizers chose to hold the Fall 2020 Marketing and Member Services Meeting virtually. Taking place in six sessions, the virtual meetings provided updates on pilots, offered information on industry programs and facilitated feedback from members in roundtable discussions.

Hoosier Energy and member cooperatives, in partnership with GDS Associates, are relaunching the Rural Energy Audit pilot program. This is an opportunity for rural farms and small businesses to take part in an American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Tier II Energy Audit.

On the outskirts of Vevay, Ind., one of Hoosier Energy’s primary substations has had substantial improvements made. The focus of this four-month project was to connect an alternate AC source for a nearby microwave tower. Power is being supplied by Southeastern Indiana REMC.

Just like a car that requires maintenance to operate reliably, the Merom Generating Station gets preventative maintenance during scheduled outages. Often occurring in the spring when energy demand is low, generation on a single unit is halted. Boiler tubes and duct work are inspected and repaired — along with about 1,400 other tasks that must be completed in a meticulously calculated order.

When you hear it, it is a distinct buzzing sound. It is a little louder than a bee buzzing nearby. If you look up, you might find it – a drone flying overhead. This equipment is no longer just for hobbyists, it has become an intricate tool used by electric utilities to increase safety and grid resiliency. Hoosier Energy is using this equipment for monitoring rights-of-way and powerlines that can transmit up to 345kV of energy. This improves safety, reduces response time and saves money.

Hoosier Energy and Indiana State University have partnered to create a Certificate in Emerging Energy Technology program, aimed specifically at retraining Hoosier Energy employees interested in obtaining the fundamental skills necessary to pursue jobs in the electric transmission and distribution field.

The storage of digital data is big business. The data center market in the U.S. is expected to grow to more than $69 billion by 2024, according to a report compiled by market data and trends analyst Arizton.

Two cooperatives – one electric and the other telephone – have joined forces to ensure that Perry and Spencer county cooperative members have access to broadband internet service.