1. CRN: Your Central Technology Resource
CRN’s practical solutions offer just enough, just-in-time research just for electric cooperatives.

2. FOR CO-OPS
CRN has recently completed over 40 projects. About 100 different
projects and activities are underway at a given time. Dollars are
also stretched through key strategic partnerships with professionals at
E Source; and at the National Electric Energy Testing, Research and
Applications Center (NEETRAC), a world-class utility testing laboratory
run by Georgia Tech, to guide co-ops toward technologies that are ready
for prime time and away from technologies best avoided. CRN also keeps
co-ops abreast of emerging technologies to keep on their radar screens.
For instance, E Source soon will be issuing a report offering guidance
on how co-ops can prioritize their energy-efficiency programs. And
NEETRAC is updating its “Stray Voltage Manual,” which co-op engineers
have endorsed as “having helped to avoid costly lawsuits.”
In addition, CRN can leverage its research dollars by collaborating with
DOE’s national laboratories. For example, Brazos Electric Power Co-op, a
Texas G&T, and CoServ Electric, a Texas distribution co-op, are partnering
with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to analyze the benefits
and drawbacks of a demand-response program.
“Think of us as that serious high-
tech employee whose sole duty—
and passion—is to evaluate new
technologies and offer practical and
workable recommendations that
help control your bottom line.”
EDWARD TORRERO, CRN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

3. Every co-op can benefit from the analysis CRN offers in these four focus areas:
• Greenhouse Gas Management and Utilization: Keeping fossil generation
economically viable
• Delivery Systems Reliability: Using research and standardization to
improve distribution and transmission
• Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy: Meeting policy, environment
and cost needs while building a sustainable supply base
• The “Smarter” Grid: Moving systematically but cost-effectively toward
an “IT-smart” world
To target these specific topics, CRN develops timely and cost-effective, on-the-
ground projects, technology surveillance and business intelligence to help
co-ops control internal costs, keep electric rates down and map out the future.
CRN DELIVERS
No one knows the unique technical business needs of electrical cooperatives like CRN, your Cooperative
Research Network. Co-op leaders and decision-makers evaluating new energy-related technologies can trust
CRN to deliver up-to-date, reliable answers. CRN tracks up-and-coming technology—and tells you if it’s ready
or not for prime time. CRN always keeps a watchful eye on the business side, too, helping co-ops sort through
whether a technology provides more than enough value for the cost.

4. Turning Wind Into Energy
CRN’s “Small Wind Guide” is one of its
most popular guidebooks, and has
been downloaded thousands
of times. As more members
become curious about
generating their own
electricity with small
wind systems,
co-ops need to be
prepared to answer
their questions.
For instance, lead-
ers at Midwest
Energy in Hays, KS,
used the wind guide
as a centerpiece in a
series of educational
seminars the co-op recently organized for
300-plus customers. Net metering, cost
recovery, turbine features and site suit-
ability are just a few of the topics covered
during the workshops.
Not All Heat Pumps Are
Created Equal
The adoption of heat pump technology
is resulting in additional winter electric
loads for electric co-ops. Unfortunately,
air source heat pumps can add a signifi-
cant and costly peak when temperatures
fall below freezing and the heat pumps
call upon secondary resistive heat to
maintain temperature in the home. The
efficiency of conventional air source heat
pumps drops at 25 to 30 degrees F. But a
new heat pump claimed to offer good
efficiency at lower temperatures. CRN field
tests proved effective at eliminating the
need for resistant heat even at air temper-
atures below zero. Test results also
showed that proper installation is critical.
The CRN work has encouraged the manu-
facturer to target co-op service territories
for the first installs.
Help For Before, During
and After the Storm
For many co-ops the question isn’t
whether a storm will knock out power,
but when. CRN’s “Best Practices for Utility
Storm Response” examines the practices,
procedures and experiences of U.S.
utilities before and after major storms.
The report offers 144 recommendations
and lessons learned by explaining what
Topics CRN Tackles for Co-ops
“Thank you for a very thorough
and understandable piece. It would
have been very difficult and time-
consuming for me to assemble the
meeting content without CRN’s kit.
We get good audience participation
and compliments on the content.”
PATRICK PARKE, MIDWEST ENERGY
VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

5. went right or wrong during the build-up,
restoration and ramp-down phases.
It includes steps utilities took to “harden”
their systems, prepare their personnel
and track storms. The authors also offer
insights about what technology utilities
deployed to handle assessment, commu-
nications, and repairing and switching.
The report delves into topics such as
training, mobilization timelines, mutual
assistance and crew deployments.
Fossil Fuels: The Latest
Technologies for Co-ops
Statistics show that today’s utilities can
experience plant cost increases of at least
40% between planning and construction.
So it follows that co-op decision-makers
positioning themselves to construct
thousands of MW of baseload power
have plenty of questions about fuels and
generation technologies. CRN’s compre-
hensive “Fossil Generation Resource
Guide” delves into the availability, costs,
risks and performance of current fuel
sources. In tandem, a series of primers
spells out the details of generation
technologies such as circulating fluidized
bed and advanced coal combustion
technology, integrated coal gasification
combined cycle, combustion turbine and
combined cycle equipment, and power
plant emissions control systems. The
guide also offers separate sections with
insights and analysis about biomass
co-firing, permitting challenges, energy
storage and post-combustion CO2 capture.
Understanding Arc-Flash
Calculations
A revamping of the National Electric
Safety Code to include new arc-flash
provisions put co-ops at a deficit because
few had ever completed such an assess-
ment. To close that gap, CRN invited
co-ops to participate in a study that calcu-
lated arc-flash exposure calculations with
a specific focus on the types of situations
co-ops encounter. The study helps co-ops
figure out if their line workers are properly
equipped and attired. Detailed results in
CRN’s “Distribution System Arc-Flash
Calculation Case Studies” include a circuit
diagram of the feeders to illustrate how
the distance from the source might affect
the available fault and incident energy.
A companion CRN report “Arc Flash
Hazards—Application to T&D Scoping
Study,” offers more perspective for
“It’s too hard to decide on our own
what we should pursue, and what
we should spend money and time on.
And CRN, that’s what they do.
They weed out the bad things that
are not going to work. They help us
to decide what to spend our time, our
effort and our money on, and what
to recommend to our members.”
SHANELLE HAWK, DIRECTOR, UNITED
ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, PENNSYLVANIA

6. co-ops. It points out that performing the
arc hazard analysis and using appropriate
fire-retardant clothing and personal
protective equipment can control, reduce
or eliminate injuries from arc-flash expo-
sures. Adequate training is critical so
electrical workers understand that chang-
ing conditions and components such as
distance, space, humidity, and equipment
configuration can lessen or heighten
exposure to arc-flash hazards.
Streamlined Engineering Tasks
Busy engineers and IT managers don’t
have much spare time. That’s why CRN
has partnered with Distribution Systems
Testing, Application
and Research. DSTAR
is a membership
organization for large
and small utilities
that offers Windows-
based distribution
engineering software
applications that can
be customized and are designed for use
with minimal training.
For instance, co-ops have access to an
Overhead Calculation Suite that includes
Wood Pole Wind Loading, Conductor
Blowout and Stringing Sag. The pool of
tools at co-ops’ fingertips also includes
Cable Electrical Parameters Software,
Cable Pulling Assistant, Voltage Drop and
Flicker Tool and the DSTAR Distribution
Engineering Toolbox.
Solar for Homeowners
On-the-grid photovoltaic systems are still
more expensive than traditional grid elec-
tricity—but many co-op members want
to work with renewables like solar, and
they turn to their co-op for information.
Between 2002 and 2006, for instance,
grid-tied residential PV installations
jumped 300%. CRN’s report not only
provides a primer on solar technology
such as arrays and inverters but also
delves into the market outlook and
economics. It also offers perspective on

7. how to handle interconnecting and meter-
ing. Co-ops can use an accompanying
four-page pamphlet—in print or electronic
format—to educate their members about
solar PV to help members understand
the benefits and costs and know what to
expect before they buy.
Giving Members the Power
In-home energy use displays are gaining
traction, but are they worth the invest-
ment? CRN’s report reveals that savings
can vary because the benefits of being
able to monitor electricity use in real time
depend heavily upon members changing
their behavior, and more work is needed
in this area. Current tests show that imme-
diate feedback can prompt members to
achieve reductions as high as 18% and
as low as 1.2%. This report stems from a
roundtable meeting among utility special-
ists and E Source experts. “I’ve never seen
people get that excited about energy
efficiency or any product related to it
before in my life. It was just fantastic,”
says participant Charlie Olsson, the
manager of residential implementation
for NSTAR, a Massachusetts-based utility.
Being Prepared for Tomorrow
Rising wholesale power costs, ever-
increasing amounts of operational data,
fast-evolving communications technolo-
gies and shrinking time frames for
decisions are just a few of the multiple
challenges co-ops are juggling. CRN’s
report “Preparing for Tomorrow’s
Technology” offers co-ops practical
technological guidance as they navigate
their near- and long-term technology
plans, and helps co-ops avoid
costly mistakes in the process.
Its advice helps co-ops make
more proactive and better
informed technology
investment decisions
for tomorrow.
“I have been trying to picture the
next three to five years of getting
Delaware Electric’s systems integrated
and functional. This report put into
writing what I had pictured. I will be
using it as a model for a large
chunk of our three-year technology
timeline. Thanks, I received this
document just at the right time.”
WALT HENDERSON, IT MANAGER
DELAWARE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
cooperative.com

8. Some of the CRN projects lined up for the coming year
include investigating how co-ops can save money and
other resources by:
• Field testing the usefulness and practicality of light-emitting
diodes (LEDs). Co-ops will be able to make cost-effective
decisions by separating the winners from the losers.
• Examining the state of solar technologies and business
models, and figuring out how co-ops can use more of this
renewable resource. This includes appraising safety features
for line workers and proposing guidelines for specifying
equipment.
• Field testing river-based turbines for new hydroelectric power.
• Working together with the Center for Energy Advancement
through Technology Innovation on a follow-up to CRN’s
successful Waste Heat-to-Power analysis that focuses on
smaller-scale, lower-temperature heat sources plentiful in
co-op service areas.
• Collaborating with the Idaho National Laboratory, the
Departments of Energy and Homeland Security to improve
cybersecurity of SCADA, substation automation, power grids
and wireless devices.
• Continuing to identify cost-effective Smart Grid technologies
that fit into the co-op business model and practices.
What’s in CRN’s Pipeline
for more information, visit www.crn.coop