Making the Switch to an Electric Vehicle?

One of the unique things about cooperatives is how they provide education and training for their Members, elected representatives, managers and employees so that they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives.

Trico encourages employees to get the training and education they need to excel at their job. Tanya Mitchell is a great example of this.

Tanya began at Trico in 2006 as a Summer Intern and performed a variety of tasks including filing and data entry in numerous departments including Member Services, Design, IT and Accounting. She continued as an on-call employee while she attended the University of Arizona. Tanya graduated in May 2009 with a degree in Public Administration from Eller’s College of Management.

In 2010, she was offered the position of Renewable Resource Specialist, where she ensured that Trico’s renewable and demand-side management programs ran smoothly and continued to improve upon the processes and procedures of each program. While in this position, Trico was awarded Utility of the Year in 2012 by Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA).

“It was a rewarding experience to be able to take a program that was just beginning and develop it into what it is today, while also helping the Members,” Tanya said.

In 2014, Tanya transitioned to Commercial Account Specialist. In this position, she built and maintained strong, long-lasting relationships with Trico’s Commercial Accounts and Small Businesses. She also represented Trico at promotional events, trade shows, conventions, and participated in communication and business organizations, including multiple town chambers.

“In this position, I learned a lot about our service territory, and I enjoyed meeting with Members one-on-one,” she said.

Tanya was promoted to Senior Business Planning Analyst in 2019. The experience she gained from her previous positions has helped prepare her to be a better analyst.

“I have a better understanding of Trico and the Members we serve,” she said.

Tanya is also active in the community, volunteering for the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Junior Achievement and United Way. She is also involved in the Tucson Metro Chamber’s Emerging Leaders Council and serves as Vice President of the Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT) Board.

In 2020, she participated in Greater Tucson Leadership, a 10-month program designed to teach adult learners how to be leaders and to engage in their community in more meaningful and impactful ways. She graduated from the program in June 2021.

“One of the key takeaways I learned from the training is that a leader doesn’t need a title to be a leader in their community,” Tanya said.

You may see Trico employees or contractors trimming trees or pruning vegetation near Trico lines. We do this to prevent trees from contacting our lines, to provide our line crews with clear access to maintain the lines and to make repairs quickly during an outage.

Maintaining vegetation helps improve reliability in our system and reduce costly damage to our lines. When performing this work, we strive to respect our Members’ privacy and protect our beautiful natural surroundings.

We do this by working within easements and rights-of-way (ROW). These are property rights that authorize Trico to install and maintain our lines and perform clean-up work. It is vital for safety and reliability that these areas be kept clear. A well-maintained right-of-way makes visually identifying any down lines easy to locate, and it makes power restoration times shorter by not having to wrangle lines out of trees. The photo above is an example of a fence that prevents our staff from getting to Trico’s power poles. You can help us by not putting up fences, structures, trees or vegetation that block access within Trico’s easements and ROW.

One employee who plays a key role in protecting our lines is our Patrolman. Trico’s Patrolman monitors Trico’s service area to make sure the equipment is working properly and there are no obstructions, including fences, trees or other vegetation. You may see our Patrolman in the field, wearing a Trico uniform and performing this important work.

The overall goal of our vegetation management program is to provide reliable power to our Members while maintaining the beauty of our community. Proactive vegetation management benefits Members in three tangible ways:

Safety

First and foremost, we care about our Members and put their safety and that of our linemen above all else. Overgrown vegetation and trees pose a risk to power lines. For example, if trees are touching power lines in our Members’ yards, they can pose a serious danger. Electricity can arc, or jump, from a power line to a nearby tree. A proactive approach diminishes the chances of fallen branches or trees during severe weather events that make it more complicated and dangerous for linemen to restore power.

Reliability

Of course, one of the biggest benefits of a smart vegetation management program is reliability. Strategic tree trimming reduces the frequency of downed lines causing power outages. Proactive trimming and pruning keep lines clear to promote reliability.

We monitor our entire system and take extra steps in areas with heavy vegetation. For example, we rent a helicopter to monitor the line serving Mt. Lemmon.

Affordability

As you know, Trico is a not-for-profit cooperative, and that means we strive to keep our costs down to keep our rates affordable. This extends to our approach to vegetation management. If trees grow too close to power lines, the potential for expensive repairs also increases. Effective tree trimming and other vegetation management efforts keep costs down for everyone.

Our community is a special place. We appreciate the natural beauty and do our best to limit our impact on our Members, but we also know our community depends on us to provide reliable energy. Through vegetation management, we are better able to keep the power lines clear, prepare for future weather events and secure the reliability of the grid. If you are aware of any potential hazard near a Trico line, please contact Trico at 520-744-2944, and thank you for helping to keep easements and rights-of-way clear so we can continue to provide safe, reliable power in a cost-effective manner.

Trico Electric Cooperative, Torch Clean Energy and CoBank are partnering to construct a 10 megawatt photovoltaic solar generating facility along with a 15 megawatt battery storage system on Edwin Road west of North Oracle Road, within Pinal County. The solar and battery storage project is called the Chirreon Facility (Chirreon). Construction of Chirreon will begin in fall 2021 and is projected to be in service by mid-2022.

Chirreon will have over 40,000 photovoltaic solar panels, and the 15 megawatt battery storage system will be capable of discharging 30 MWh of energy. Chirreon will be located in the Trico service area on approximately 90 acres of land owned by the Arizona State Land Department. The solar panels have single-axis tracking devices that automatically track the sun throughout the day to maximize power generation. The battery storage will help Trico delay the cost of transmission and distribution upgrades and manage area load in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

Once operational the Chirreon facility will produce more than 30,000 megawatt-hours of energy each year, or enough to power about 3,000 average residential homes in the Trico service territory.

“As a community-owned cooperative, Trico’s mission is to provide its Members safe, reliable energy in an environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner. The battery storage system at Chirreon will be one of the first for a cooperative in Arizona, and it exemplifies Trico’s commitment to achieving its mission and serving its Members in innovative ways.” said Brian Heithoff, CEO and General Manager of Trico.

“Torch is honored to continue its partnership with Trico as we embark on our second project with them to deliver more locally generated renewable energy for the community,” said Jon Kilberg of Torch. “Building the first energy storage system for an Arizona cooperative utility is a major milestone for both the Trico community and the state! We are proud to play a role in Trico’s development of solar energy capabilities as well as its transition to a green future.”

Through a long-standing partnership, CoBank provided the financing for this project.

“CoBank Farm Credit Leasing is honored to continue our relationship with Trico to finance this innovative solution that expands its affordable and solar energy options,” said Graham Kaiser, senior relationship manager for CoBank. “As a mission-driven lender, we look forward to the completion of this project and the ability for Trico to expand its service for Members in an environmentally responsible manner.”

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About Trico Electric Cooperative –

Trico is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving more than 45,000 members in northwest Tucson, Marana, Corona de Tucson, Saddlebrooke, Sahuarita, Green Valley, Three Points and Arivaca. Formed in 1945, Trico is owned by the people it serves.

About Torch Clean Energy –

Torch Clean Energy is a privately-held renewable energy developer with extensive experience developing, permitting, designing and building both solar and wind projects. Torch has over 1,400 MW of projects under development throughout the United States, including over 550 MW of contracted assets that are expected to be constructed by 2023. To learn more about Torch, visit www.torchcleanenergy.com.

About CoBank –

CoBank is a $160 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 75,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.

CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and maintains an international representative office in Singapore.