Connecticut River Valley Community Energy Co-ops

Co-op Power Members in Western Mass and Southern Vermont are working together on projects in their communities to create a just an sustainable energy future.

Over the last 20 years Co-op Power has built megawatts of community solar, weatherized a lot of homes, installed hundreds of renewable energy systems and trained hundreds of people from limited resource communities in good jobs.

We developed the solar arrays for River Valley Co-op - for their Northampton and Easthampton stores. We partnered with River Valley Co-op to create a Climate Justice Initiative bringing half the production from the canopy solar array at the Easthampton store to low income households, saving them $20,000 a year in electricity costs. We built solar for Community Action in Greenfield, Smith College, Sunnyside ChildCare Center, and many others.

We manage a solar subscription program for 300 other households, churches, and small businesses in Western Massachusetts, saving them 15% off their electric bills.

We serve as an owners agent for our members as they are installing renewable energy, help members choose among electric supply options and avoid scams, connect members with helpful resources, and help members sort out energy issues as they arise with their utility bills and/or energy contractors.

We have worked with other community leaders across New England and New York, combining social, environmental, and economic justice with sustainability since 2002. We have invested in a lot of research and development on how communities can own their energy resources and we’ve shared all we’ve learned with lots of other organizations as well as with the other community energy co-ops in the Co-op Power network. We’ve established criteria for identifying the new businesses and new products and services to bring to Co-op Power members and their communities, criteria that still guide Co-op Power's work today.  

As part the Co-op Power regional network we helped launch 12 businesses and 26 different product and services for our network. The most successful of those business development efforts are PV Squared, Green in Green which is now Northeast Solar, Energia and Resonant Energy. We built Northeast Biodiesel, a 1.75M gallon a year biodiesel plant in the Greenfield Industrial Park that we’ve just had to close because of the unfavorable business climate for small biodiesel plants. Our plant took recycled cooking oil and turned it into a clean fuel that could be used in any diesel engine or oil heat system. We’re sad to see it close.

We created the Co-op Power Products and Services Work Group that had developed and monitored products and services to be offered to Co-op Power's members.  We staffed Co-op Power's Member to Member Solar Hot Water Installation program that saved members 40-50% on an installation.  Scott Reed (Sunderland), Nat Fortune (Whately), Lark Thwing (Colrain), Fred Andreson (Easthampton), and Marc Kauffman (Buckland) provided valuable leadership for their work and for all of the products and services Co-op Power developed over many years.

Co-op Power members have been involved in the Heating Fuel Buying Group with some serving on the Advisory Group for that program and many, many others have participated in the Member to Member Solar Hot Water Installation program, serving as team leaders for an installation every week for months at a time (many, many thanks to Scott Reed (Sunderland), Nat Fortune (Whately), John Howard (Northampton) and many more!

Join the Community Energy Co-ops in the Connecticut River Valley!

Join Our Mailing List (below) or contact us directly if you'd like to get more involved! (manager@cooppower.coop, 877-266-7543)