North Carolina Electric Membership Corp. (NCEMC) has announced its participation in a newly formed national cooperative established to help electric cooperatives deploy renewable energy resources through both the development of projects and much needed transmission infrastructure improvements.

NCEMC is a generation and transmission cooperative that supplies all or part of the energy needs to the state's electric cooperatives.

Generation and transmission cooperatives across the nation are working to include renewable resources in energy portfolios and many are purchasing renewable energy credits. The National Renewable Cooperative Organization (NRCO) will facilitate its member cooperatives in this effort and serve as a center of expertise and information for participating co-ops. NRCO will help member electric cooperatives meet renewable goals by matching the needs of some cooperatives with the practical potential of others.

Rick Thomas, executive vice president and chief executive officer of NCEMC, said, "NRCO will greatly benefit North Carolina's electric cooperative members because many large-scale renewable projects, such as wind or solar farms, are not as viable in our state as they are in the Great Plains or the Southwest." Thomas continued, "This venture will allow NCEMC to evaluate and participate in renewable energy projects across the nation, as well as allow others to invest in appropriate projects in North Carolina."

It is anticipated that NRCO will interface with the North Carolina's electric cooperatives' newly formed renewable company, GreenCo Solutions, Inc., to identify cost-effective projects and opportunities to purchase renewable energy credits to benefit the state's cooperative consumers in the future.

NRCO will not only bring its member cooperatives centralized expertise and information on renewable energy, but it will also evoke the same cooperative spirit that helped electrify rural America more than 70 years ago. "By banding together, cooperatives across the nation can acquire renewable resources in a more efficient and comprehensive manner." Thomas continued, "Additionally, we will be able to gather important data from others projects enabling us to make smart decisions when developing projects here at home."

Rick Thomas serves on the Board of Directors for the National Renewable Cooperative Organization, which is owned by more than 20 cooperatives serving hundreds of communities across the nation.