Electric Co-op Today

When the words “start your engines” are heard at South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway Mothers’ Day weekend, they’ll be amplified by Green Power.

South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway will be running on renewable energy when NASCAR fans are trackside for two big races in May. (Photo By: Getty Images/Darlington Raceway)

Pee Dee Electric Co-op and its state-owned power supplier, Santee Cooper, have joined forces to make sure that all the electric power used for two full days of racing will come from renewable energy sources, including biogas and solar.

Raceway operators agreed to purchase Green-e Energy Certified Power blocks and tags offered by the co-op in partnership with Santee Cooper.

An estimated 100,000 NASCAR fans, many of them co-op consumer-members, are expected to converge on the track complex May 7-8 when it hosts the Darlington 200 and the Southern 500 races.

“These races will be run under the glow of the Green-e logo and all the rigorous standards it represents,” said Toy Nettles, president and CEO of the Darlington-based co-op.

“This relationship allows us to help Santee Cooper raise awareness about renewable energy and provides future reinvestment in additional renewable energy projects,” said Chris Browning, Darlington Raceway president.

Crowds who visit the raceway that weekend will see banners touting the benefits of green energy as they watch the 700 miles of stock car racing, said Orrin Cook, Green-e Marketplace program manager. “Communicating their green initiatives to such a passionate fan base will no doubt encourage others to think about how to take positive environmental actions.”

Santee Cooper now has more than 21 megawatts of renewable Green Power capacity, including landfill biogas and solar power. Pee Dee Electric promotes Green Power sales to its 30,000 consumer-members. Both organizations are expected to promote their Green Power program on the raceway grounds throughout the weekend.

Santee Cooper and Hardeeville, S.C.-based Palmetto Electric Co-op are teaming up for a second year to co-sponsor the Verizon Heritage PGA event in Hilton Head, S.C., April 15-18, said Mollie Gore, Santee Cooper’s publications director.

“We’re looking for events that reach different audiences so we can expand awareness of our Green Power initiatives,” said Gore. “A lot of golf and racing fans live in South Carolina and are eligible to participate in our programs.”

Tags: Power Supply, Renewable Energy