Rural Coops Get Creative to do More with Less

Rural coops, also known as rural electric cooperatives or power cooperatives, sometimes get a bad rap.  But this is objectively unfair, as they tend to have fewer resources compared to large utilities yet they have the same tasks and responsibilities.  In 2020, this includes restoring power during the coronavirus pandemic, among other things. 

Luckily, rural coops have used creativity to overcome their smaller staffs and resource pools.

How Rural Coops are Using Creativity to Maximize Efficiency

In the spirit of this blog post, I searched and found a slideshow that perfectly illustrates this creative sprit (thank you T&D world!).  We all need more uplifting news these days, so I highly recommend that you check out the slideshow.  Don’t worry, it’s not too long. 

Here are a few of the more creative ideas from the slideshow to whet your whistle:

• Richland Electric’s members attended the coop’s first drive-in annual meeting by staying in their cars and voting by honking their horns.
• A Wake Electric employee made her own modified face masks incorporating metal strips that are designed to provide a more contoured fit around her mouth and nose.
• A worker for Anza Electric Cooperative in Southern California worked in an abandoned phone booth during a storm so as to not miss a beat.
• Crews from the Arkansas Electric Cooperative assembled a mobile substation, on-site, to restore power to over 300 people.
• Crew signs are used by Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative to communicate and encourage social distancing practices.

To me, these displays of creativity are to be lauded.  We can all be more effective and efficient no matter what we do, and the whole notion of doing more with less truly embodies this mandate.  Even if you work for a large investor-owned utility, there is always room for improvement.

So, use the ideas from the slideshow to get your own juices flowing.  The featured rural coops may be small, but their creativity packs a mighty punch!