Lake Region Electric's energy primarily comes from our wholesale power, Great River Energy (GRE). GRE is an electric transmission and generation cooperative with 28 member cooperatives throughout the state of Minnesota. LREC generates approximately 2.5% of our own power from our Wind/Solar Hybrid Project in a innovative, first-of-a-kind project with GE. Our Community Solar program also contributes to our own power generation. We are also experimenting with ways to better use electricity produced by the wind-solar hybrid project such as our Community Storage Pilot, which is testing ways to store electricity as it is generated. 

Innovative Projects

Wind Solar Hybrid Project

Our wind-solar hybrid project, located in Trondhjem Township, consists of a single 2.3-megawatt turbine and a 500-kilowatt solar array that is interconnected directly into a distribution feeder of the rural Erhard Substation.  This innovative project harnesses energy from both wind and solar. 

Learn more about our Wind Solar Hybrid Project

Community Storage Pilot

Lake Region Electric Cooperative is conducting a pilot project that will test the ability of large capacity water heaters to act as thermal storage batteries. With the addition of new control technology, water heaters connected via the internet can be managed to store excess wind and solar energy as hot water you can use at anytime.

Learn more about our Community Storage Pilot